Russian Wheelchair Breakdancer Makes Amazing Moves

Being in a wheelchair doesn’t have to stop you from achieving your dreams. When Maksim Sedakov from St Petersburg, Russia lost his leg in a car accident and ended up using a wheelchair, he was determined to prove that his condition would not prevent him from doing the thing he enjoys most.

Maksim picked up a passion for wheelchair dancing, participated in dance tournaments all over the globe and even competed in world championships. Maksim’s attitude is a real motivator for others. He continued to trust himself and his abilities. I like his attitude: “Don’t let other people discourage you when they say you are unable to do certain things. You can do so much more than you think, like dancing in a wheelchair.”

One Person Really Can Make a Difference

When Ken Fredgren moved into a new town, Reston, he found that he couldn’t get around nearly as well as in his previous town. Ken lives with complications related to polio and uses a small scooter to get around in stores and shopping areas. But what he found in his new town was a lack of ramp access and well-positioned disabled parking spaces.

Through his involvement with the Reston Citizens Association, he founded the Reston Accessibility Committee in 2007, and since then this group has printed brochures, visited business, and raised awareness of access issues for the disabled. This effort has paid off and the community is now much more accessible to those with mobility disabilities.

We just wanted to recognize Ken’s work and effort that one person really can make a positive difference for so many others. Thanks Ken.

You can see the full story here: http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/cms/story.php?id=939

Amazing Quadriplegic Sailor Crosses the Atlantic

Earlier today I found this story and knew I had to post and share it. Geoff Holt, a man paralyzed 25 years ago in a diving accident recently crossed the Atlantic in a personal 60-ft catamaran. Amazingly, he did ALL of the sailing himself.

To me, the thought of sailing solo across the Atlantic is incredibly daunting, but to do it with a severe mobility disability is astounding, and I wish all the best to Geoff and his family.

BBC news has the full details of the story for those who want to find out more about Geoff and his journey.

Interview with Disabled T-shirt Designer Jared Aronson

We recently had the opportunity to get in touch with an inspiring young man who started his own t-shirt company, Madhouse Tees. Jared Aronson lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy every day, but his humor, his art, and his outlook on life are what define him. And considering what he has to live with every day, that is both amazing and inspiring. Read more

Jared Aronson’s Story – an Amazing Young Man with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

GILFORD – It’s one thing in life to find something that you love to do and it’s quite another to find that something only to have it taken away from you. Even more miraculous is when, what was taken away, is restored.

Jared Aronson is an artist and has been since he was a child. Every since he can remember he has had a love for drawing and he has parlayed that love into a successful T-shirt company called Madhouse Tees (www.madhousetees.com). Jared’s T-shirt designs are both whimsical and irreverent, poking fun at society’s norms, the advertising industry, history and everyday life in general. Read more

Disabled Art – Part 2 of Our Interview with Andrew Reach

This is the second half of an interview we did with an inspiring artist named Andrew Reach. For part 1 of the interview please go here. In this second half, Andrew talks more about the creation of his art, and what inspires him. Read more

Disabled Art – Interview with Digital Artist Andrew Reach

Andrew Reach began his career as an architect, culminating with such notable buildings as the Frost Art Museum and the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. United States Courthouse in Miami, Florida. But he found himself disconnected from his work as an architect when a disease of the spine, known as Scheuermann’s Kyphosis, caused him to need spinal fusion surgery. Following two surgeries to stabilize his spine in 2004, Andrew found himself no longer able to continue to work as he had before. Understandably despairing at the change his life had taken and not sure what to do, Andrew began exploring digital art at the suggestion of his partner, Bruce Baumwoll.

Using a computer and Photoshop, Andrew began to explore the digital medium as a means for expression, and now creates large format archival prints at sizes up to 90 inches long. His artwork has been featured in numerous galleries and museums around the United States, and those who see Andrew’s art often describe it as inspirational and uplifting. Andrew is a pioneer in the digital art arena and many people have been amazed by the expressionism he has been able to portray through this new form of art.

Recently, Andrew became involved as a volunteer with an art therapy program in Cleveland called the Art Therapy Studio at Metrohealth hospital. Founded in 1967, it’s the first Art Therapy program to be established in a hospital in the United States. Seeing parallels in the program’s goals and in what his art has done to help him, he realized that many of those in the program could benefit through expressing themselves in the digital medium, as he has. It is his hope that some of the art created in the program can be displayed alongside his in the near future.

We recently had the chance to interview Andrew to find out how he decided on digital art, what inspires him, and what advice he would share with anyone struggling with a disability. Below is part 1 of an interview we were privileged enough to do over the phone with Andrew Reach. For part 2 please follow this link. Read more

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