I am Ava, I am a 16 years old and a Deafblind artist and designer.
I wasn’t born disabled, I became disabled when at 3 years old I developed a very rare disorder. First my hearing left me, then my vision declined to leave me classified blind, and finally my legs and arms lost their strength.
By the time I was 5 I was stuck in a wheelchair and needed several operations, it was totally overwhelming.
My illness is life limiting, but I refuse to be a victim to time as well as my illness so I make the most out of my life with the help of mum and dad. I really push the limits of what I can do, I don’t like the word ‘no’, but it’s hard to be truly independent when you are Deafblind and in a wheelchair, it doesn’t stop me trying and sometimes I succeed and others times I don’t, but I least I gave it a go.
I hate being treated like a child, being deaf doesn’t make me stupid I will not be talked down too. I will not restrict my life to fit with someone else’s vision of my disability, that just makes me angry.
I have loved art since I can remember, it was a life line when I became ill. I used it as my communication before I could use sign, and then as a representation of my frustrations, emotions and wants.
As I have got older I realised that my love for drawing and design was a talent as well as a passion, and I have decided to make it my career. My parents encouraged me to embrace my skill and to think about how to develop it into force for good, showing that disability and ability go hand in hand.
Its been hard work, and trying to be taken seriously as a young disabled artist is frustrating and trying to get people to look past my complexities and see me as an equal is even harder
I have had successes, but they have been hard fought for and it’s tiring being made to work harder then others to prove myself because I work or look different.
I just want to be treated equally, but it’s a constant struggle and I find it so upsetting that people still think that my disabilities affect my intelligence or drive to succeed, because they don’t.
