ABOUT THE ARTIST
My name is Robert Ouellette I am 26 years old. I was born with Cerebral Palsy, which affects different parts of my brain. Because of this I am dependent on someone or something for all aspects of my day. I use a wheelchair for mobility and a communication device for AAC. I have a tracheostomy for breathing and a feeding tube for my nutrition. I know this all seems like so much, but I deal with it in my own unique way. I am tough, persistent, I like to try things on my own, and I am very determined. If I can do it on my own, this is how I want to do it. I may need to use technology to help me adapt to things so I can be independent, but I am able to do it by myself.
Take for instance the use of a camera. I love to take photographs, but I also want to use a real camera, not a phone or tablet so I had to figure out a way for me to do this. I figured out how to use the wireless option of a Sony camera to take photographs and I use an iPad for the viewfinder. It's all pretty cool if you think about it. I use a switch that is placed at my head and when I hit the switch it wirelessly clicks the camera to take a picture. So, I get the beauty of a real camera and I use technology to help me take pictures. I have to rely on technology for pretty much everything but I am ok with this because it helps me to be independent. It’s hard to find things that I can do independently because I do not have full use of my hands/arms and legs. Imagine you not being able to use your hands for anything, how hard it would be to do things on your own. So, when I was able to make this dream of mine come true, I was elated. I get the best of both worlds, independence and fulfillment of my passion for photography.
I love to photograph pretty much everything, I am not partial to any one thing but I do have another passion, accessibility. I want to highlight how others make their businesses accessible to EVERYONE. It’s important for everyone to be INCLUDED. I will be doing an accessibility campaign along with my photography and will be blogging about it. I hope you take this journey with me and love it as much as I do, and I hope you like what you see on this site!