I'm working hard on my self portrait "assignment" from David Alan Harvey and this is one of many new photos I've taken since Thursday. I even have a tentative title for the book of photographs he's encouraging me to work towards: "Waist-high to a Grasshopper." It is an adaptation of "knee-high to a grasshopper," a favorite expression of my southern mother's that referred to a small child. Well, I'm no longer a child but, sitting in my scooter, I am still small. Not knee-high but certainly waist-high.

I'm finding this theme--my world view as a woman with a disability--seems to fit where I am in my growth right now. It's taken me awhile--20 years!--but I'm finally ready to spend time with this subject. For too long I just wanted to ignore it and get on with my life. I now think I can explore it without sentimentality or weirdness. At least that's what I hope. After all, it's a world view like anyone's, unique in some ways and universal in others. Hope my viewers can get past the pity that our culture encourages. There's nothing to pity. Life is life is life.