Description:

Having a disabled child is a scary unknown to most able-bodied parents. If you do not live with disability, it can seem impossible to know how to support a different child. This is the experience that my parents had when they found out they were having a child with upper limb difference. They were at a loss about what to do and with very little by way of resources available to them, they had no idea how to support me or how to raise a child with a missing hand.

I was born with amniotic band syndrome, which means my left arm stops just below my elbow and I am missing my left forearm and hand. I have been living single handed for my entire life and growing up this way has been a learning experience for both me and my parents. There were a number of challenges that my me and parents had to overcome, all with a lack of resources and support. They have often said that they wished they could have had someone with an upper limb difference talk them through what I would go through and help them understand what my life with a disability would look like. My disability has also impacted every aspect of my worldview and made me passionate about sharing disabled perspectives and experiences through design, which is the driving inspiration behind my work.

Single Handed is a publication that follows a conversation with my parents and me on our experiences with disability, and provides able-bodied parents with an insight into living with a disability. The publication offers advice, reassurance, and information on what it’s really like to live with disability, in order to help support parents on their journey to understanding disability by covering all aspects of upper limb difference, from prosthetics to representation.

Single Handed aims to challenge perceptions on disability, by sharing disabled perspectives in a positive way. Although there are times when disability can create negative interactions, disability itself is not a negative thing. With a playful, illustrative, collage approach and the use of bright risograph printing, the publication fosters an inclusive, positive feeling. It aims to challenge the perspective around disability, and reassure parents that disability is not a negative thing for their child, whilst helping boost the self-worth of disabled people. I want a child with one hand to see Single Handed and come away feeling better about their disability. The bright colours and positive approach will leave them feeling more confident in themselves, and that they will be just fine with their single hand.

Paired with a resource pamphlet and a notebook, Single Handed is the start of able-bodied parents journey to understanding disability. The resource pamphlet highlights different support groups, experts, and disabled organisations, both within and outside of New Zealand, whilst the notebook gives parents a space to record important milestones and information surrounding their child’s disability. These resources help start parents on the right foot to supporting their disabled child.