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This is so exciting that more and more people I know are jumping online for fundraising. The latest addition is Lavaun Heaster!

Lavaun brings multi-culturalism and diversity to a whole new level. Through her art, she dives into her ethnic heritage as well as her experiences around disability. You will find images celebrating her Native American, Latina, and Spanish backgrounds in the color of her subjects’ skin and in the different icons she uses, like decorative Day of the Dead skulls. Because disability is part of her identity too, she represents that in her art with equal pride.

Lavaun has often commented that one reason non-disabled people might be uncomfortable around disability is that there are no good images of us in the media. So people don’t get exposure to us as regular folks. And they don’t know what to do once they meet a real disabled person. She once asked me how many times I’ve seen a billboard, ad in a magazine, or commercial showing a person with a sensing cane, wheelchair or other symbol of disability. I can only think of two. (She’s not asking about ads specifically about disability. She’s asking how often disabled people appear doing normal things alongside “normal” people doing normal things.) So she remedies that. If you look carefully, you’ll see things like sensing canes used as beautiful icons in her art. Just as you see different skin shades of brown and tan, you see different shapes and sizes of people, genders, disabilities, ages and relationships. It’s fantastic stuff!

So pop on over to her Kickstarter right now! She’s working on a calendar that showcases her gorgeous, cut-paper art as well as multi-ethnic recipes and different holiday symbols at www.kickstarter.com/projects/inclusiveaccessible/lavauns-art-and-food-calendar-2014. We have until September 25th to make this project happen!

Here’s one of my favorites: 

Check out more art and news about her work on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LCHeasterDesigns.