[Music]
[Logo: Ampers radio station, with tagline that reads, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities.]
[Photo: John Riddle]
John Riddle: I used to be an artist before my injury, so it’s been a process to learn how to do the things I used to be able to do.
[Logo: Ampers radio station, with taglines that read, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities, and Keep Moving Forward.]
Host: This is Keep Moving Forward.
[Photo: President George H.W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. Photo courtesy of the George Bush Presidential Library.]
George H.W. Bush: Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.
[Logos: Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990-2015, and Disability Rights Are Civil Rights. Logos courtesy of the ADA National Network.]
Host: Exploring the legacy and promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
[Photos: John Riddle]
John Riddle: My name is John Riddle, and I got an anoxic brain injury in 2007. I have poor balance and coordination. I’m in a manual wheelchair.
I’m an artist. Lately I’ve been doing images from tattoos, actually, and it’s been a lot of fun.
As an artist, I do feel like I’m perceived differently. Sometimes I get people that say, “Oh, that’s so great,” kind of feeling like they should baby me. Which I don’t appreciate, but at the same time, it just feels like it’s very hard to accomplish anything.
Before, I could draw very intricate pieces with ease. It’s much different for me now because my hand shakes. I really got to focus just to even draw a straight line. I do get frustrated along the way, but it is very rewarding to see the finished piece when I’m done. That just makes it worthwhile for me.
[Logos: the Minnesota Council on Disability, the Minnesota Humanities Center, the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund, and the Ampers radio station.]
Host: Keep Moving Forward is supported by the Minnesota Council on Disability, the Minnesota Humanities Center, and the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund, online at Ampers.org.