Trapped

18" x 18" - Acrylic on canvas. The title of "Trapped" suggests that a confining sense of pressure is happening in the painting. The artist dedicated the painting to decrease stigma about disabilities because Lindsey believes people with disabilities unfairly suffer from a similar pressure in everyday life. The term "disability" encompasses a wide range of challenges that individuals face when navigating the world, including physical access and movement, as well as social interactions personally and professionally. "Disability" can be further classified into “visible” and “invisible” disabilities. Mental illness is an example of an invisible disability. People with disabilities often suffer from stigma caused by “ableism”. Ableism is a systemic issue and a public perception that privileges non-disabled people with ease of access to the world and ease of access to legislative power. The issue exacerbates disability by creating challenging physical environments and causing unwelcoming social environments because ableism ignores the true needs of disabled people. It is essential to adapt public spaces and systems of power to better support individuals with disabilities. This would demonstrate compassion, preserve human dignity, and has the potential to alleviate disability itself.