Evgenia
Intellectual Disability
PHOTOGRAPHER: Ignacio Irazoqui
I was diagnosed with an intellectual disability when I was eight. Specialists saw I was academically delayed in comparison to my peers. My family was informed that I would not write, read, or comprehend various subjects proficiently.
Academia was a lost cause. In elementary school, I was provided with worksheets that were below my grade level and was told to draw instead of attempting to learn the material and taken to a separate classroom. This learning approach might be beneficial to other students, but it did not fit my needs. I felt isolated and detached from education. My instructors had given up on me.
When I attended high school, things changed. I understood which educators desired success for me and which were negligent, and I was able to navigate better.
I am grateful for my learning disability. Rather than being a discouraging barrier, it has given me my life’s mission. I am becoming an educator, and I will work hard to support my future students. I learned from the mistakes of my teachers. I will aim to leave a positive mark on my students’ lives.
True beauty comes from within. Your uniqueness is most picturesque. In my Bold Beauty Project photo, I choose to be represented as a gladiator fighting for educational equity for students with physical and cognitive disabilities.
