Dustin Clark

Visual Communication Design, 2020

stories from the disabled community

Integrating disabled and non-disabled people is difficult. We remain divided by stigma, social segregation, and ignorance. We can address these obstacles through open, respectful dialogue. And what better way to start a conversation than by sharing our stories? I began by asking my non-disabled friends what they were curious about regarding the lives of the disabled community. These were the two major questions they asked:

1. How have you found happiness in spite of your challenges?
2. How can the non-disabled community help you find happiness?

There’s no simple answer to this. Everyone finds happiness in their own way. All we can do is share our experiences. To gather those experiences, four of my disabled friends and I responded to these questions:

1. What has brought you joy in life?
2. Who has helped you find joy in life?

This collection of short stories highlights the answers we gave.

Dustin Clark is a 25 year-old designer from Columbus and a 2020 graduate of the Visual Communication Design program at The Ohio State University. He is most interested in publishing, brand Identity, and design research, but he prides himself on his ability to adapt to whatever the job requires. To him, the most important thing is not to simply do quality work, but to do work that positively impacts humanity.