‘It doesn’t matter if you have special needs or not. Just give yourself a chance and see what you can do, and you can change the world’

Yaphank

“I started doing wildlife photography. I thought it would help with my anxiety and other developmental disabilities. I was a very shy, timid person. I always had a passion for wildlife, and I figured why don’t I just go out and maybe take pictures of some of them. My dad got me my first camera. I was about 29 years old. I don’t drive, so my mom takes me, and we both really enjoy it. It’s almost like therapy for us. All our problems go away when we go out into nature. I posted them and people were like, ‘Wow, she’s really good,’ so I started my own Facebook page. I got so many people that loved it. I didn’t know I had it in me. I have people that are really good photographers and they said, ‘I saw your picture on Facebook.’ They recognize me for who I am.

“This hobby that I have come to love has really helped me with patience. I mean, I could be out there for almost five hours looking for an eagle and my mom will say, ‘Let’s go, he’s not coming,’ and then 5 minutes later, as soon as we were about to leave, our eagle shows up! I entered a nationwide contest and was one of the four runners-up. The money that I received was donated to Angela’s House, for children that are medically fragile, and to The Exceptional Pageant, for adults and children that have special needs.

My confidence just grew and grew. I just think it’s amazing that they even have a pageant like this, because people with disabilities don’t really get a chance to do things like this.

“The Exceptional Pageant started for me around six years ago. I was on Facebook and met this mother whose daughter also has developmental disabilities and she said, ‘Why don’t you enter the pageant? Everyone wins and you can display your photos.’ So, I did it. And the response was amazing. My confidence just grew and grew. I just think it’s amazing that they even have a pageant like this, because people with disabilities don’t really get a chance to do things like this.

“The staff in the back help you get all pretty and dolled up and make you feel special for the night. And everyone’s a winner. We have become a family almost, and it’s just really nice to see the kids that have disabilities and how their talents just explode. I want to tell the world that it doesn’t matter if you have special needs or not. Just give yourself a chance and see what you can do, and you can change the world.”