Layers of Color

Spending my days at ACPACYS has taught me a great deal about the needs of people with disabilities and how important it is that those needs are fulfilled. These are needs I was not as aware of prior to beginning my internship given that I am able-bodied and my friends and family all happen to be able-bodied as well. Although people with and without disabilities might have different needs to some extent, they have similar needs when it comes to feeling like their voices, strengths, and talents matter. During my internship, I have become more aware of what everyday life is like for people with cerebral palsy and other affectations, but also more aware of how inaccessible much of the world is to people with disabilities. In society, it is not uncommon for the voices, strengths, and talents of people with disabilities to be overlooked. Fortunately, ACPACYS focuses on helping its members reach their full potential. However, outside of ACPACYS and similar organizations, the world is not often designed for the voices, strengths, and talents of people with disabilities to shine. Although myself and other people at ACPACYS have been able to see what several members are capable of, many members do not have a platform to showcase these abilities outside of ACPACYS. As a result, I have discovered another purpose of my blog: to share the gifts of members with the people beyond ACPACYS.

Show these pieces of art to any person at ACPACYS and they will immediately know who the artist is. Anyone who knows Fifi at ACPACYS, can recognize her artwork when they see it.

I first met FiFi when she came into the computer lab and placed herself at the table with colored pencils. She didn’t say a word and didn't respond when I spoke to her, but I could sense her deep interest in art as she began pulling the colored pencils out of the can one-by-one and examining them. I could tell how engaged she was in this activity and at that moment I knew that she was the type of person who, if given colored pencils and drawing paper, could entertain herself for hours.

Fifi can be particular with the type of work she does and the people she talks with. However, when she is left to her own devices, the first place she goes is the can of colored pencils. Like any artist, Fifi produces her best art when she goes to the colored pencils of her own volition and no one else tells her to do so. She meticulously looks at each colored pencil and spends a long time deciding which ones she wants to use. Although her words are limited, she knows her colors by heart. I can see the gears turning in her mind as she envisions the layers of color she will apply to the coloring book page. Fifi has a talent for layering colors in a way so that they never turn a mud color. She colors outside the lines to add a new dimension to drawing that is already on the page. She does not let the confines of outlines limit her. 

                                   The artist