Sunday, November 14, 2010

Disability No Barrier For Talented Artist

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A genetic disorder is leaving Jessica Blinkhorn with increasingly limited control over her body, but that’s not stopping her from producing awe-inspiring drawings.

Blinkhorn has spinal muscular atrophy, a condition that over time destroys the nerves that allow for movement. As a child, she was given just three years to live. But today at age 30, she’s still kicking and working as an artist.

With the aid of a wheelchair and one arm that works at about 25 percent, Blinkhorn is able to produce amazingly detailed, lifelike drawings, a gift that others call “exceptional.” And she is sharing her gift by teaching art at Georgia State University.

Day by day, Blinkhorn says drawing gets a little bit harder, as she develops cysts in her hands that cause pain when they inflame. Not that that’s going to stop her, however.

“My life is my art. If I can’t draw with my hands, hell, I’ll put a pencil in my mouth or tie a stick to my head and put a pencil on that. I’ll figure someway,” Blinkhorn told ABC News. To read more click here.

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