Teaching Photography to Kids With Disabilities
Editor's Note
If you’re looking for creative inspiration, check out the Daily Inspirations group on The Mighty.
Can my son learn how to take a picture?
Medical professionals have given our boy many labels: Down syndrome. Auditory processing disorder. Apraxia. Severe language, gross motor, fine motor, intellectual and processing delays.
These labels can help professionals know how to treat him and teach us how to help him.
But more often than not, these labels limit how others believe in him. Honestly, myself included.
My husband and I are photographers. So deep in my heart, I wonder and hope: Can my son learn how to take a picture?
Maybe it’s because he’s had so many cameras pointed at him since, literally, the second he was born. Maybe it’s from watching us at work. But I had that moment of awe when I discovered photos on my phone that I had not placed there. My mighty Knightly was taking pictures.
When I then again put my foot in my mouth for having let myself limit him, I let go of the labels and now move on to how to teach him.
And this video is that next step.
Utilizing evidentiary-based research that includes his communication device (AAC), neurotypical peers, as well as beloved photographer and filmmaker families with the learned tricks of our trade, we’ve created our How-To Video for All Abilities:
Let’s Take a Picture
How to take good pictures of people — tricks of the trade by award-winning photographers’ and filmmakers’ kids.
May this help bring beautiful memories to your family and home!
Down syndrome. Apraxia. Epilepsy. After hitting rock bottom when grieving the challenges her son faces, Drexelle Park found her world reach heights unimagined thanks to the adventures of having a child with a disability. As a photographer, speaker and YouTube vlogger (Mighty Knightly), Drexelle shares the adventures of her son, Knightly, with his service dog, Cadbury, in accessing the world with his disability and how exploring the world in his eyes brings joy unimaginable. These stories of inspiration have been shared from Congress to Time Square to people around the world.
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