Today we’d like to introduce you to Peyton Burnett.
Hi Peyton, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born with a physical disability called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita that affects all of my extremities and makes it impossible for me to use my hands for much of anything. When I was younger, my family would always talk about how I should share the struggles and things that I go through with others, in the hopes that I could help people come up with ideas and ways to navigate their own disability. As I became older, I found ways to problem solve my own challenges and I realized that maybe my family was right. I’ve slowly expanded into sharing my art and photography on various social media platforms as well!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road by any stretch of the imagination. Learning how to navigate my disability as I get older has been the most challenging, especially being independent and living in my own home now without the assistance of my parents. Outside of that, my biggest struggle in recent years has been trying to adapt my DSLR to be something that I can use without my hands, and there aren’t very many accessibility tools on the market. This is something I’ve had to “MacGyver“ in a sense to make it efficient to use with no arm or grip strength.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In the photography world, I specialize in aviation and airshow photography! I’m not very well-known on that aspect of things, but it’s a true passion of mine and something I really been working on over the last several months. I am most proud of one particular shot from MCAS Miramar that I got back in September, of the F-22 Raptor. I had only had my professional camera for about three weeks at that point and it was a very lucky shot!
Outside of photography, I love to do Digital Art! I paint everything from aircraft to animals, although my aircraft paintings seem to be the most appreciated! I do all of my paintings digitally, with an Apple Pencil in my mouth and don’t use my hands at all. Typically a painting averages anywhere between 20–25 hours!
I also have my YouTube channel that shares the struggles and adaptations I’ve created as a direct result of my physical disability!
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Honestly, my biggest motivation comes from living experiences firsthand! I have found that I can read about a situation as much as I’d like to, but until I’m actually living through it, it’s hard for me to visualize how to actually navigate it. I learned this on my first trip to Disneyland, it didn’t matter how much I had researched, prepared, and engaged in Facebook tips and tricks groups, I was painfully unprepared for that trip especially as a wheelchair user. By the second day, I had gotten it pretty well figured out and I’ve helped a couple of others in similar situations plan their trips.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.flying.peyton?igsh=MXJrOTc0ZmMweWtldw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566361106487
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PeytonLifeOnWheels
- Other: lifeonwheels42@gmail.com
Image Credits
I own all of the images that I submitted!
