Art is a medium that everyone can enjoy. It makes you feel more connected to the world and opens up your senses to something different. However, some people have disabilities that prevent them from being able to make art in the traditional sense. If they are unable to physically create it, they must find another way of expressing themselves with their work. Here are five disabled artists who use creativity as means for expression:
1. Carol Barton-Smith – Able-bodied at birth but due to an accident many years ago lost her sight and most of her right arm
2. Robert Rauschenberg – Born with deformed legs and was confined in a body cast for 7 months when he was young; also had polio which caused him problems throughout his life.
3. Amanda Thackray – “The Art of Autism” by at Somerset House in London – This exhibition features portraits of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The goal of the project is to “raise awareness about ASD and encourage society to accept those who live with it.”
4. Kathy Latham at GV Art Gallery in London – “Through Our Eyes” by – This art exhibition shows how people living with blindness or low vision experience life through their sense of sight.
5. When I Grow Up’ Exhibit at London’s Saatchi Gallery (2014) – This exhibit features work from 100 different children with disabilities who were asked what they wanted to do when they grow up. The result was an incredible display of artwork accompanied by quotes from each child explaining how they see their future role in society playing out.
