Artist Statement: “These are my friends, family and teachers. These are important people in my life because they help me learn and grow. I want everyone to see how special they are.
ArtMix is where I do Community Class and art with my friends. People like Emily, Brittany, and Molly help me make art projects and work on my art skills. WALLS lets me go into the community and go places like the movies or the park. They support me by being there when I try new things in the community. Transportation always gets me where I need to be and gets me there safely. In Special Olympics my coaches help me focus and get better at my sports, my teammates help me compete and do my best to reach my goals. My family supports me to be active and healthy and to learn things. We have our different opinions but we all love each other. “
About the Author
Image Description: A headshot of a smiling young man with short dark hair and a light goatee. He is wearing a white button-down shirt, a grey sweater vest, and a bright red bow tie. He is positioned against a dark, textured brown background that resembles a wooden slat blind.
Artist Bio: Isaiah is a 28‑year‑old twin whose creativity, energy, and love for community shine in everything he does. A dedicated participant of ArtMix for more than a decade, he expresses himself through art and enjoys sharing his talents with others. Isaiah is an active athlete with Boone County Special Olympics, competing in softball, basketball, corn hole, bowling, and track. He also loves connecting with friends at ILADD game nights and being involved in his community.
Family is at the heart of who Isaiah is. He is a proud son, brother, and nephew, but his favorite role is being an uncle to his 7‑year‑old niece. The two of them bond over Super Mario Brothers and making art together. Isaiah’s joyful spirit, kindness, and love for spending time with family and friends make him a cherished part of every community he joins.
Image Description: A watercolor painting on a textured, off-white background featuring a central bouquet of flowers and two small ducks in the lower right corner.
The bouquet is composed of stylized, pointed petals in earthy tones of deep red, muted orange, and soft purple, interspersed with green leaves and tall, thin blades of grass. The stems are gathered and tied at the bottom with a simple dark binding. Light splatters of paint surround the floral arrangement, giving it a whimsical feel.
To the right, two mallard-style ducks stand side-by-side, facing away from the viewer but looking back toward the flowers. One duck has brown plumage while the other is a bluish-grey, both featuring distinctive green heads. The overall style is minimalist and gentle.
Author Statement
How does it connect to the question: What would help you feel supported or empowered with your disability(s)?
As a person with hearing loss and ADHD, I have faced many struggles like academic struggles, social struggles, and confidence issues growing up. Sure, hearing loss starts off as a physical issue but can affect other aspects of life. The emotional impact hearing loss has on someone isn’t always seen. Throughout my life, hearing loss has caused a sense of isolation or feeling of disconnect from the world around me.
Growing up, I assumed every child struggled trying to follow conversations, missing words or phrases or misinterpreting speech, and felt lost when a group of people were talking. I was clueless in conversation, always having to rely on my parents or my sister to narrate conversations I couldn’t follow. I learned that this was my sense of normal, shaped by hearing loss.
All of these causes barriers of communication and led me feeling anxious as a child. Growing up I’ve learned to feel different and behind from my peers and because of that, left me drained and exhausted going to school everyday. I remember as a kid looking forward to coming home to my big sister who was always there ready with open arms to give me a big hug and love me wholly. That’s when I have felt most supported or empowered.
The reason why I picked the painting was actually because my sister Leah and I painted this together recently. I feel like it represents our story and how sometimes it may look messy and scattered but in the bigger picture it’s our beautiful story that we get to share. And the struggles we have experienced and overcome can turn into something messy and beautiful.
Leah is the person that gives me wisdom because she has taught me how to connect and empathize with people, to not only advocate for ourselves but to embrace our imperfections. I feel most supported having a role model I can always look up to, feeling like I am always loved unconditionally, being able to have such a great relationship with my family and to use them as tools to overcome the challenging stuff. The challenges are what makes the story become beautiful.
My sister has given me a sense of belonging and empowerment with my disability because she shows compassion, patience and understanding. Having people who are willing to slow down, repeat themselves and include me without making me feel like a burden makes a real difference.
The two ducks in my painting represent the companionship and the lack of isolation I’ve felt going through life with my sister. They reflect always having each other’s backs and it reminds me that both communication and life are ongoing journeys.
About the Author
Image Description: This is a headshot of Xin Dauterman with her sister. Xin is the one in the left who is wearing glasses and a grey shirt. She has short, dark brown hair. And Leah is the one in the right, who has long, blonde hair with a striped shirt.
Artist Bio
Xin Dauterman (she/her) is a biology student adopted from Jiangxi, China at the age of 2 and born with unilateral microtia and atresia; she wears a bone-anchored hearing aid every day. She draws on her lived experience of disability and ADHD to explore connection, accessibility, and compassion. She is currently learning American Sign Language (ASL) and minoring in it as a way to connect with her experiences with hearing loss. This watercolor piece was created by Xin and her sister, Leah Dauterman, an anesthesiology resident in the IU program. The painting is in honor of Leah and reflects the closeness of our relationship.
Image Description: In the foreground, a massive, muscular figure seen from the back wears a graduation gown and mortarboard, holding a book labeled “DIPLOMA.” They loom over a much smaller, scruffy student in the boxing ring.
Author Statement: “High school was a huge struggle for me. There were times when I thought I wouldn’t be able to graduate because it was so overwhelming. Every time I would go to school I felt panicked. Thanks to the support of my wonderful teachers and advisors I was able to graduate. They helped me set goals that I could achieve and pushed me to keep going. They never made me feel bad about needing accommodations and helped me build the confidence I needed to start advocating for myself more”
About the Author
Image Description: A person with light skin, wavy blonde hair, and round glasses smiles and wears a patterned teal shirt and a gold ring necklace.
Image Description: A artwork with 4 drawings. A black outline of a fish, a pink and purple object with pride written in it, a black outline of an eye with pride written under it, and a cluster of pink and purple dots. it is signed JM
Artist Bio: Jae Jae is a bisexual artist who explores identity, visibility, and self-acceptance through bold, symbolic linework.
In a conversation with Jae Jae, they shared that being accepted for their disability and sexuality through community was the most empowering.
