Blind Nassau Student-Artist Creates Unique Visuals

MASSAPEQUA, NY - Although she is legally blind, Massapequa High School sophomore Grace Schafer has amazing vision when it comes to art.

Grace and her older sister, Elizabeth, both have albinism, a condition which limits their sight. Despite this, the two girls have excelled in the visual arts. Elizabeth, who graduated in 2018 and is now an art education student at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, had hundreds of big pieces of paper with enlarged print. Instead of throwing them out, she gave them to Grace for an
assignment in her fashion design class.

Art teacher Julie Thornton had her students design a dress using recycled materials. Grace used the large pieces of paper, adopting two different techniques to create the dress. For the skirt, she rolled the paper into cones shapes while for the top, she used a folding technique.

“I really like how it came out,” Grace said. “I wrote down what I wanted on paper, and I pretty much made it.”

Thornton was so impressed with the dress that she displayed it in the art hallway. She cited Grace’s amazing technical skill and wonderful execution of her design plans.

“It’s just so creative,” Thornton said. “I love the fact that she repurposed those large sheets of paper.”

Grace said she and her sister were exposed to the visual arts as young children, and it is an interest both pursued as they entered high school. When she is creating art, Grace said that is when she is at her happiest.