Ted Tahquechi

Blind Photographer/Tactile Artist

Featured Artist

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A orange yellow and red fiery sunset image of Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz Ca. A small ridge juts out into the ocean with a triangular observation building on top.

Fiery Sunset, Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz Ca. 

Artist Bio

Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer and multidisciplinary artist whose work explores perception, memory, and access through image-making that extends beyond the purely visual. Working across photography, tactile processes, and experimental formats, his practice asks how art can be experienced when sight is not the primary or reliable sense.

After vision loss reshaped the way he navigates the world, Ted’s creative practice evolved toward approaches that emphasize texture, sound, spatial awareness, and physical engagement. His work often invites audiences to experience photographs through touch, challenging traditional assumptions about who photography is for and how it can be encountered. Rather than treating accessibility as an accommodation layered on afterward, it is embedded directly into the creative process.

Ted’s work has been exhibited nationally and shown in collaboration with cultural institutions, disability arts organizations, and community spaces. Alongside his studio practice, he is an advocate for accessibility in the arts, working with artists, educators, and institutions to expand how creative work is made, shared, and understood. His practice sits at the intersection of art, technology, and lived experience, grounded in the belief that expanding access expands art itself.

Visit Ted’s Artist Page

What It Means to Be a Featured Artist

An artist’s hands work across a textured tabletop covered in layered paint, brushes, and art tools, captured mid-process in a studio setting. Soft light highlights the materials and motion of making, with the words “Featured Artist” integrated into the image design.

Open Submissions for Featured Artists

DisabledArt.com welcomes submissions from disabled artists working across disciplines.

The Featured Artists section exists to present disabled artists with care, context, and long-term visibility. Artists selected through open submission are featured with the same editorial consideration as all Featured Artists on the site.

This is not a contest or a call for novelty. Submissions are reviewed with attention to creative practice, artistic voice, and the work itself.

What to Expect

Artists selected through open submission receive:

  • A dedicated Featured Artist page

  • A curated selection of work presented as a short portfolio

  • An artist statement or biographical overview written by the artist

  • Editorial context that centers the work first

Featured Artist pages are designed to be professional, shareable, and lasting points of reference.

Artist Rights and Ownership

DisabledArt.com is artist-first in both presentation and policy.

  • Artists retain full copyright to all submitted and displayed work

  • Submission grants DisabledArt.com non-exclusive permission to display the work on the site

  • Artists may request removal of their work at any time, for any reason

  • Work is never licensed, sold, or redistributed by DisabledArt.com

No rights are transferred through submission.

Submission Process

Open submissions remain available until the annual Featured Artist program is fully scheduled.

Once capacity is reached, submissions move to a yearly open submission period announced on the site. Submission windows and guidelines are always published clearly and in advance.

Details on how to submit work, required materials, and review criteria are provided through the submission form – Coming soon.

Information

The Featured Artists section of DisabledArt.com exists to give disabled artists meaningful, long-term visibility for their work.

This is not a rotating spotlight designed for quick clicks. Featured Artists are presented thoughtfully and remain part of the site’s living record. The goal is to create space for work to be seen, revisited, and taken seriously over time.

Each featured artist is selected through editorial curation, with attention to creative practice, artistic voice, and contribution to the broader cultural landscape.

What It Means to Be a Featured Artist

Featured Artists receive:

  • A dedicated artist page highlighting their work, process, and perspective

  • Long-term presence on DisabledArt.com rather than temporary exposure

  • Contextual editorial support that centers the work first

  • Inclusion as part of a growing, permanent archive of disabled artists

Being featured is intended to be a genuine win, something artists can point to, share, and build upon.

How Artists Are Selected

In May 2026, our open submission page will open, check back for more information. 

Artists are selected through:

  • Editorial research

  • Community recommendations

  • Ongoing coverage of disabled art and artists

This approach allows us to be intentional, respectful, and consistent with the values of the site.

A Long-Term Commitment

DisabledArt.com believes disabled artists deserve more than brief attention.

The Featured Artists section reflects a long-term commitment to visibility, documentation, and respect. It is designed to grow steadily, creating a body of work that reflects the depth, range, and excellence of disabled artists across disciplines.

Previous Featured Artists

 

  • Coming Soon!

“Being disabled should not mean being disqualified from having access to every aspect of life.” 

— Emma Thompson