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Friday, February 26, 2010

Disability is Ability!

When you come across me in person, you find a walking stick, a brace and an orthotics for my left leg. Five years ago, all of a sudden, my whole left leg got paralyzed. Specialists at hospital scritch their heads. A cause is unknown or idiopathic. While our medical team has been trying hard to find any effective treatment, I've made efforts for a rehabilitation. I can walk now much better than the onset.

My physio confessed me
two years after the onset,
"I expected you would never
walk again." But I made it.
She gave me a lovely
"white lie" at the moment,
saying, "Good! You walk
much better!" I was simple
and believed her say.
I thought I walked much better.
In fact, it was the first day when I put on the orthotics and made a terrible wobble walk.


Friends, actually, this disability opened a door for me to be a professional artist. I felt I needed to find something give me joy. I remembered how happy when I was drawing in a childhood. I also remembered I had dreamed to be a picture book illustrator. I thought I would not be able to a professional. Very competitive and not sure I was enough...

But I joined the workshop for children picture book illustration at Sydney uni. It was a lovely experience. I learned how to organize a picture book, about industry and other stuff. Both teachers were professional illustrators. They acknowledged my outstanding skills and beautiful work at once. The two professionals encouraged me to be an illustrator.

With many people's cheers and help, I made it happen! "Stuck"
is my first picture book.
Posted by Picasa

I started my fine artist career, too. I won two awards so far. One work was bought by Ryde Council and Ms Maxine Mckew purchased the other. I thought my American friend's say was right, "I think I can, I think I can." This little engine has begun to explore her own future with joy.

What I want to tell you is
Never give up.
Hope always stays with you.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
If you work hard, I'm sure people will back up you.

Here's the national body to assist people with disability to join art activities Art Access Australia .
Accessible Arts is a peak body for arts and people with disability across New South Wales.
Further, Mr Gareth Wreford, Executive Director of Arts Access Australia kindly passed on me the info for Japanese speakers and Japanese people, たんぽぽの家.

If your family, friends or any one you know has a disability, please pass my blog and tell them,
"
There isn't such a word, "disability."
You have a great ability! You have the potential!!"
私は左足が不自由ですが、今では、1km位、軽く泳げるようになりました。やる気とガッツがあれば、人は大概の事をしますよ。もし、あなたの友達、家族, 知りあい で身体障害を持っている方が居たら、私のblogを or 話を伝えて下さい。 Disabilityはdisabilityじゃないのを伝えたい。 それは可能性と外のドアを開く事なのだ、と。私は幼いころからの夢を叶え、絵本挿絵画家、fine artistとなり、 自分を掴んだのだから、disabilityだとは思いません、と。


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4 comments:

  1. 前向きで素晴らしいTEXTを読ませて頂きました。
    可能性は、誰でも無限に持っているんですね。

    私はカヤックをやるのですが、カヤックは下肢に障害がある方でも出来るので、将来はそういうサポートをするボランティアをやれたらな、と思っています。

    貞実さん、これからもたくさん素晴らしい絵を描いてくださいね!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear ぐりゅーんへるつさん、

    ありがとうございます!まさかコメントいただけるなんて夢みたいです!あなたのwebiste, blogからカヤックなさるのを存じていました。カヤックのボランティア, 是非、なさって下さい。今、丁度、orthoticsとbraceを作っています。難しいケースらしく、3っつのorthoticsをデザインして試しています。 Podiatristはとても優しい方で、励まし, スポーツをしたがる私にカヤックを勧めてくれます. でも、足の筋肉を使わないと萎縮してしまうので、水泳が一番良いみたいです。屋内プールじゃなく、浜の, 海の水を溜めたpoolにいつも行くのですよ。 そして、今、私は杖なしで歩くのに少しづつ、チャレンジしています。一杯絵描きます!!

    Dear Grunherz,

    Thank you sooo much for your comment! You can't imagine how happy I am now! I know you do kayak from your website and blog. Please do a volunteer work to help people with disability enjoy a kayak. I'm trying three orthotics and a brace. My case seems to be a challenging for a podiatrist. My podiatrist is so nice. He encourages me and recommends to try a kayak. But swimking is the best to keep the left leg muscles as much as possible. I love an ocean pool much more than an inner pool. Now, I'm challenging to walk without a stick little by little.
    Yeah1 I'll make lots of, lots of art works!!

    Cheers, wink, wink
    Sadami

    ReplyDelete
  3.  sadamiさん>

    <やる気とガッツがあれば、人は大概の事をしますよ。>
    <Disabilityはdisabilityじゃないのを伝えたい。 それは可能性と外のドアを開く事なのだ、と。>

     sadamiさんのお言葉に、たくさんの元気と勇気をいただきました。ほんとうにありがとうございます。

     sadamiさんの絵は、人物の表情も色づかいも、その他すべて・・・、とても素敵ですね。
     心和みます。癒されます。

     これからも、素晴らしい絵をいっぱい描き続けていってください。

     熱い声援をおくっています。

     

    ReplyDelete
  4. 健太郎さん、ほんっとに、ありがとう!おたがい精一杯生きてみましょうネ。私の絵が人の心を和ませ、元気付けられたら、最高です。見ててください、一杯絵描きます!!

    Dear Kentarou,

    Thanks millions! Let's maximize what we have and enjoy our lives fully. I really hope my art work will bring people comfort and encouragement. I'll make tons of art works!! Yeah!!

    Cheers,
    Sadami

    ReplyDelete