2nd Place Special Recognition Physical Disability
17 x 17
I’ve been woodworking for over 40 years. Being able to take a large rough piece of wood and make this glittery, smooth, and visually appealing piece gave me pride, a sense of satisfaction, and achievement. The creative arts has always been important to my mental well-being. I began losing my vision 10 years ago. As my vision continues to deteriorate my ability to safely participate in this creative art form had diminished. Or so I thought. I came to Blind Rehab this summer and it opened my eyes (figuratively and actually) to the possibilities of returning to some normalcy. I was introduced to the manual skills instructor and the woodshop. He oriented me to the adaptive equipment, tools, and techniques to be able to return to woodworking. I came up with the project I wanted complete while here to confirm that I can still engage in this art that I love when I go home. I decided on a checkerboard because it would be a fun winter time activity to engage in when it was snowing outside. I identified the wood (maple and walnut for the board and cocobolo for the trim) and with his supervision I was able to safely complete this task. I used various adaptive visual equipment such as the click tool and a talking tape measure. I used visual adaptations such as contrast and jigs to be able to cut the pieces needed to complete this project.