Laynie Hankins - Photographer, Model, Teacher, Women's Advocate and Victor over Cerebral Palsy
When Laynie says she can out-shoot you in photography with one arm tied behind her back... she's not kidding. You see Laynie has Cerebral Palsy on the right side of her body. I had to inquire, "So what is Cerebral Palsy, exactly?" And Laynie was glad I asked. In fact, she finds it to be more awkward when people don't ask about Cerebral Palsy and possibly why her steering wheel has an extra nifty apparatus that juts out like bike handle appendage.
All children with cerebral palsy have damage to the area of the brain that controls muscle tone. As a result, they may have increased muscle tone, reduced muscle tone, or a combination of the two (fluctuating tone). Which parts of their bodies are affected by the abnormal muscle tone depends upon where the brain damage occurs.
In Laynie's case, her right side is affected. Every day is filled with challenges like straightening her hair with a 400 degree flat-iron or connecting the clasp on a favorite piece of jewelry. Little things, we take for granted. And yet, she seems to be taking on the world one step at a time, one side at a time. She is a college student pursuing a degree in digital photography & graphic arts, a substitute teacher, a photographer and model.
Laynie at a photo shoot
Cerebral palsy is characterized by an inability to fully control motor function, particularly muscle control and coordination. Cerebral palsy is a broad term that encompasses many different disorders of movement and posture. To describe particular types of movement disorders covered by the term, physicians use several classification systems and many labels. To understand different types of cerebral palsy more clearly, you must first understand what professionals mean by muscle tone.
Laynie when she was a little girl.
All children with cerebral palsy have damage to the area of the brain that controls muscle tone. As a result, they may have increased muscle tone, reduced muscle tone, or a combination of the two (fluctuating tone). Which parts of their bodies are affected by the abnormal muscle tone depends upon where the brain damage occurs.
Laynie's Self Portrait
In Laynie's case, her right side is affected. Every day is filled with challenges like straightening her hair with a 400 degree flat-iron or connecting the clasp on a favorite piece of jewelry. Little things, we take for granted. And yet, she seems to be taking on the world one step at a time, one side at a time. She is a college student pursuing a degree in digital photography & graphic arts, a substitute teacher, a photographer and model.
Laynie Gone Wine! Photography by Bryan Crump.
Laynie's intelligence, passion, independence and brilliant smile usher forward a faith that moves mountains even when her muscles don't always get the message.
Laynie's photography captivates the viewer with that same strength and faith. Her subjects can't help but mirror her testimony through their reflections in her images.
A selected untitled work from Laynie's Women's Series.
"Orange Rex" by Laynie Hankins
A Woman's Landscape. By Laynie Hankins.
Justin Wittie. By Laynie Hankins.
For more information about Laynie Hankins' Photography, please visit her Facebook page.
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