Chloe Watson

My name is Chloe Watson and I have multiple disabilities, all of which are invisible. I’m a 21 year old, third year part-time fine arts student at CCBC. I work in multiple mediums including digital illustration, charcoal drawing, and digital photography. My focus is memento mori and disability.

My work explores and calls attention to navigating life with invisible disabilities. I highlight conditions that are often unheard of, misunderstood, or overlooked. People make assumptions about whether I am disabled just by looking at me, the consequence often being disbelief and withheld accommodations. I turn my pain into art that raises awareness for invisible disabilities.

Disability Aids is a digital illustration series that depicts different aids that I use to alleviate symptoms of my different disabilities. I chose these four aids because they’re the most outwardly visible items of the many ways in which I need to change/accommodate my life.

Loud is a digital photo that depicts my everyday life as an autistic adult with sensory sensitivities. The white gradient at the top & sunglasses represent light sensitivity, and the words & headphones represent noise sensitivity. My daily life is always so loud, and, unlike neurotypical brains, I can’t block anything out. This world is overwhelming in a way that most people cannot understand.

Disability Aids #1
Digital print • 8 x 10 • NFS