Marveling at the human spirit

By Sugandha Gupta

What a day it has been. I have been sick with comman cold the last few days and today I had quite a rough start to my day. It was a cold morning. I walked briskly but even that did not help me to stay warm this morning. I missed my train to school and then rushed into the subway to catch it in Jamaica. Somehow managed to get to work on time. Sneezing, coughing, and sniffing into my tissue, I managed to get by the day thinking to myself, "why am I still going to another event?" I was invited to be a guest designer and speaker, at a design career fair organized by The Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum at the Art and Design School in Manhattan. I just knew I had to go in my gut. I wanted to meet young students pursuing art and design education outside of my school, and learn about their perspectives and aspirations with a design career. And now having had been to the event, I am just completely spellbound and blown away. The joy is overflowing so much that I am unable to bring my thoughts into sentences. I gained so much insight through this experience that I felt it was important to capture it, and articulate what I saw and experienced.

The event took place in a large space with circular tables spread out. I had requested the team at the museum to place me at a spot where bright light does not fall into my eye and requested for someone to be seated by me so I could see all the students who were coming to speak with me. Sometimes due to low peripheral vision, I completely miss people standing beside me and am unable to see people clearly at times. The curator of the museum was with me for the whole event. The event started at 5 pm and I laid out three of my pieces on the table. One by one student started trickling in. They sat around me and the museum curator Cynthia around the table. I politely introduced myself, "Hello everyone, My name is Sugandha Gupta and I am a textile artist, designer, disability advocate, and educator. Please feel free to touch some of my pieces here and look at them closely. I create tactile and sensory textiles, as I am visually impaired and want to engage larger audiences through touch and other senses. I will be happy to answer any of your questions. Please don't hesitate to ask me anything that comes to your mind." 

Students interacted with my work keenly and did not hesitate to touch it or handle it. They had such interesting, and also basic questions. Such as, What does your day look like? How did you decide to choose this profession? Did you always know you will be a textile artist? How did you create this work? Why did you choose to work with textiles? Do famous fashion designers ask you to make fashion garments for them? Where do you source your materials?

I was surprised that many of the students wanted to know about my daily life and how I lived. Were they curious to know this because I shared I am visually impaired? Were they curious because I said I am an artist? Maybe they thought it was a good starting point for a conversation. It was so heartwarming to see how quickly students warmed up to me and wanted to know so much about me. I was completely open and honest with them. Students also asked me some deep questions. One of them asked me what my favorite texture was? Also my least favorite texture? This student had a whole host of questions lined up. Students with disabilities also opened up after I shared I am visually impaired. They had questions specific to my disability as well. One student who share they were autistic was very carefully observing my woven scarf. Even though the student was more interested in cartooning, they loved how the surface of the scarf felt against their skin and even draped it on themself. Another student shared, "I don't smell anything. I am trying to find a way to include that aspect of me in my work. What are your thoughts about the sense of smell? Is your disability an advantage to your work?" I loved that question and in my mind, I thought "wow! this is my greatest opportunity. I want this student and all students to know their disability is their strength and not their weakness. They no longer need to go into college thinking, I am not going to be good enough. This student further went on to ask me if I went to college and if it was any good? I said yes, absolutely. College was not easy for me by any means. I did not have the same access that others had but the challenges I faced motivated me to find solutions. College introduces one to so many different opportunities, you make connections with industry specialists, you meet technicians in the field, and you make friends who help you navigate your rollercoaster journey. At the end of the day if everything comes easy we lose its value. It's such an accomplishment when you endure your challenges and navigate them and find solutions to them. 

Some students were quite aware of the challenges they were going to face in pursuing a design career interms of the competition. They asked me if I had any advice on how they could navigate that and build a successful career for themselves. I told them that truly it is a competitive industry but if they are able to be authentic to themselves and find their true passion within design, it would definitely help them stand out. They should not be afraid to find their niche by thinking about what is it about design that makes them want to pursue it? How is design affecting their lives and how are they affecting design through their lived experience? 

Students with disabilities were particularly drawn to me in this event. They may have seen the words disability advocate on my name tag and thought maybe since I am openly a disability advocate, I would be someone to reach out to? Or maybe it was the fact that I am absolutely open and canded about identifying myself as disabled. Students with disabilities often don't grow up having a positive outlook about being disabled. Our society automatically compartmentalizes people, students, professionals with disabilities as brave, or as people who have to or are overcoming tremendous odds. In Haben Girma's words(the first deaf blind woman to graduate from Harword Law School), "Disability never holds anyone back. Disability is not something that people need to overcome! The barriers that exist, are created by society. And its up to every single one of us to work together to remove those barriers." This has not come naturally or easily to me by any means. I never knew growing up if being open about Albinism or my vision was a smart idea considering people automatically draw conclusions about what I can and can't do as soon as the words vision impairment flow out of my mouth. Many think its not something I should highlight because I do so much more than my disability, and have so much to offer. But it is precisely for this reason that I want to say it out loud. Apart from the practical challenges of not seeing people and being able to follow social norms of noding and waving at people and making eye contact, identifying my disability allows me to illustrate that my disability adds to my work and not the contrary. Disability is what adds value to our abilities. We have to teach students that their state of being whether its with a disability or not, is in itself a gift and they must embrace it and get to know who they are, and what their strengths are.

One of the biggest gifts of this event for me was to be able to share some of these insights with students. Students were so excited about creative careers and design and they wanted to know how to navigate it? What to expect? Often times students limit themselves from pursuing what might be exciting for them because they feel intimidated by access barriers. Access barriers exist in all shapes and forms and can affect students with and without disabilities. Such as, shaming students about things they don't know, penalising students for minor errors in front of other students, being indifferent when a student requests extra help, cringing when students need more explanation. These teaching practices are also access barriers, and keep students from pursuing the skills they need to learn to be able to pursue what they are truly passionate about. Interacting with the youth and getting to know their mind helps me as an educator and advocate and brings me so much joy. I want learning to be accessible and within the reach of every student. It is not a luxury rather a necessity. As someone who was denied access time and time again, this hits home for me and that is why I am so grateful to have had this honor and opportunity. 

One of the students and their friend who asked me about my opinion on smell almost brought me to tears when they asked me about my proudest achievement or accomplishment personally? I told them it was the fact that I became an educator. I had never thought I would be an educator when I grew up. But as a graduate student when I started mentoring students I realized that it was deeply saticefying to be able to contribute to someone else's success. I then decided to share what I know and have learned about creating access in design education and become an educator. They came back to thank me and told me they were really impacted by my words. It was such a great feeling but at the same time, I couldn't help but wonder, what was it that was so moving for them? 

Maybe they like my personality and the fact that I was open about my disability. Maybe they liked my work and it resonated with them. I would like to think that, however, the reality is also that students don't often encounter and meet rolemodels with disabilities. Disabled people can be found in almost every profession, discipline, and different walks of life. But often times due to discrimination, challenges of survival, and lack of opportunities disabled people are not at the forefront mentoring students and being authority figures for students to follow and feel proud of. This is why this event holds such significance to me. In my own way, if I made an impact on even one student who is more hopeful and excited about having a career in design because they are passionate about it, and because they see possibilities, its job well done. My hope is also that educators, industry leaders, curators, designers who are reading this article will be more empowered to invite creative professionals from minority groups and different kinds of disabilities to mentor and guide students. Students need to feel represented, proud of their heritage and most of all students need to experience different kinds of diversity of human conditions. As a society when we embrace, accept and include different kinds of bodies, then we are less prone to be ableist and more in harmony as a society and it starts from the classroom. As for the students, I hope that they are empowered to bring their strengths through their own unique lived experience into their work. This is what will set them apart and make them stand out in their creative journey. This will bring true innovation and ingenuity in their work and in our society.

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In-Between

By Sugandha Gupta

For those who are reading my article for the first time, namaste (hello). I am Sugandha Gupta. I am a fiber artist, designer, maker, disability advocate, and educator. Living at intersections of disability, ethnicity, and identity, I find myself striving to form authentic connections with others, and create awareness about disabilities as strengths and new opportunities to experience the world from a different lens. My own adversity whether it's social rejection, discrimination, or struggle for access,  has led me to have greater empathy, compassion, and a desire to form strong bonds with others.

Born with a rare genetic condition called Albinism, I do not have melanin in my skin eyes, and hair. As a result of this condition, I am also legally blind, or in other words, what a sighted person might see from 200 feet, I would be able to see from 20 feet. This condition also affects my eyes and vision in other ways. I have Nystagmus or constant eye movement, poor depth perception, and poor peripheral vision. I am also extremely light-sensitive or photophobic as my eyes can not filter light.

Albinism is also intrinsically tied to my identity. Growing up in a culturally rich country like India without a cultural identity made me stand out from the crowd. I was often a spectacle of amusement, fascination, and even fear. People often had the urge to touch me when they saw me, as if I was a specimen in a museum. I would often be called names like "Suraj-mikhi" or having a face like sun or would hear remarks like "yeh dekho angrej" which translates to look at this foreigner or "kitni white hai, powder lagaya hai kya?" meaning, She is so white, maybe she puts talcum powder every day. I yearned to look like my mother who does not have Albinism. Growing up I fantasized about having black hair and eyes, so that I could look beautiful and be part of the community I grew up in.

My unofficial design journey started from the time I was in school. Having no clue as to what was being scribbled on the blackboard even from the front bench and not being fast enough to get to the page being discussed in the classroom, my solution to keep up with everyone else was to work harder and study the lesson with a tutor in advance. (not my smartest solution)

I was so privIlEged to have fine art be taught in my high school. When drawing still life I would go close to the objects being drawn with my magnifying glass, observe all the details, return to my seat and draw from memory. This dedication to art was my gateway to the National Institute of Design, India, as my art teacher saw potential in me and directed me to apply there. 

My journey in design was a rollercoaster ride as I was the only visually impaired person in my college who was pursuing a career in visual arts and design. Often my frustration was that I just couldn't find solutions to gain access to learning the tools I needed to excel in my career as a textile designer. But one of my professors, prof. Immanuel Suresh, saw me struggling. He was teaching color theory at the time and it was next to impossible for me to use the steel ruler efficiently to measure and cut equal color chips for my color wheel. Seeing me struggle and cut myself a number of times, he suggested, " why don't you design a cardboard ruler and make the markings with a black pen. This way you won't have to measure over and over and won't have to look at the reflective steel surface." What a simple and brilliant idea, but it was really daunting for me at the time. Over time as he counseled me and heard me, I learned that I could create access for myself as long as I found a way to create my own approach to learning what I needed to learn. This idea has really shaped who I am today. Someone who truly believes that what I am born with is a blessing, not a disadvantage. It helps me see things differently. 

Something that I practice now as an artist and an educator is to live and practice what I have learned. I share this with others as much as I can. I have created a body of work that is multi-sensory, so that everyone irrespective of their lack of a particular sense can engage with my art independently. I am also promoting the idea that knowledge is gained in many different ways, not just through sight. 

Over the years as I have lived in the US, I have found new and interesting ways to view my experiences and my identity. Coming to grad school at SCAD for my MFA was a blessing. I practiced what I learned in my undergrad and I gained so much knowledge about my strengths that lie in my sense of touch and sound through praxis. I learned about other disabled artists through research who have had a similar or even more adverse journey like Judith Scott. She was born with down syndrome and was institutionalized for 35 years as she was labeled as "too retarded" . But with support and encouragement from her twin sister and the Creative Growth Art center community, she produced fiber sculptures that became her way of communication and got her much acclaim in the contemporary art world. I found many other such stories of disabled artists, designers, and professionals who broke the access barriers through their ingenuity, will, and perseverance and found a way to shine their light on the world. 

Now my journey has taken a new turn. I am now with a new mission to educate students to love who they are, and share who they are with pride. Society tells us to suppress our difference, it is keeping us all from becoming connected and cooperative with each other. Society doesn't recognize disability as a unique and awesome experience. It's keeping millions of disabled people in the dark. They are living their lives thinking they can't do more and those who do more, are still shackled by access barriers or barriers created by social norms.

Something that I have learned about myself recently is that I am living in the in-between. I am too sighted for the blind and often looked down upon, even questioned for being sighted enough by the sighted. It took me so long to love myself,  accept myself and learn to work with what I have. Now I have to find a way to not get bogged down by the invisibility of my disability in my new reality as a person living in New York. What I have learned is that I have to be enough for myself. I might be too sighted for someone or might have much less than someone, but ultimately I know my reality and live with it. Justifying myself to anyone isn't going to give me peace or joy. It does get to me from time to time, but I am applying my professor's rule here and asking myself how I can re-think my situation as an in-betweener and make the most of it. Maybe this is helping me empathize with two different worlds one of the sighted and one of the blind. I want to find commonalities between these two worlds and bridge the divide and the anguish. The answer to this is being vulnerable, being connected and opening up to each other. Using our strengths and putting them out in the world is the only way we can bring about our ingenuity and true equity in society. Until we stop looking at others' seeming weaknesses and trying to monetize them for our own good, we will never have an equal playing field and the divide will prevail.