Empowerment

• Through My Eyes empowers children who have special needs by giving them a voice to express themselves and their feelings about the world around them. Instead of being told how they should feel and what they should like or dislike, this project made the children the expert on their life. The camera was in their hands and they pushed the button to create images reflecting their own happiness, sadness, frustration and calmness. The children articulated how they identify, whom they admire and what they dream for their future. The public exhibitions validate their feelings and help to build their confidence.

Education

• Through My Eyes challenges stereotypical assumptions of children who have special needs. Their photographs tell stories of going to prom, traveling to Disney World, having sleepovers with friends, playing sports and getting a car. To the children, their definition of self is not a person with special needs. Through My Eyes helps to educate the viewer about their multi-faceted lives and draws parallels with their peers.

Artistic Expression

• Many people with special needs struggle to use words to express their thoughts but can relate emotions and stories to visual scenes. Photography is a great medium for personal expression because a photograph can help to stimulate internal thoughts and elicit verbal communication. Through My Eyes demonstrates how the art of photography can help a child with special needs communicate his or her feelings. This project also introduced the children to a variety of photographic techniques such as learning to focus an image; identifying visual redundancy; shooting from different vantage points: in front, behind, above, below and through the subject; evaluating the light and using a flash when needed; zooming in and out; composing a picture and watching for distracting backgrounds; and identifying different types of images: vertical versus horizontal, documentary versus posed, and details versus overalls.

Technical Skills

• Along with independently operating a digital camera, the children gained computer competencies as they learned to connect a camera to a computer, download images, and navigate basic photo editing software. These lifetime skills will enhance their schoolwork, their adult lives and self-esteem.