By Kara Aiello
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Ann Marie Geiger |
Recently I had the honor of interviewing Ann Marie Geiger,
an avid bird watcher and photographer who is a Renaissance woman in her own
right. Born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a bone condition that causes people to experience a few to as many as
a hundred fractures, usually occurs before adolescence. Ms. Geiger is short-statured,
uses a wheelchair for mobility and has experienced around 70 fractures in her
lifetime, but she doesn’t let the pain of those years hold her back from living
life and doing what she loves. Now in
her mid-50’s, Ms. Geiger lives in an impressive in-law suite located in a Montgomery
County suburb of Philadelphia PA, connected to her sister’s house which they
built together, her part made accessible for her personal needs. Her portion of the house includes 3 bedrooms,
2 baths which are wheelchair accessible, a sunroom, a living room and a
spacious kitchen with low countertops, stove and oven. In addition, her little
family includes 2 dwarf rabbits, Popcorn and Bunson, a yellow Parakeet named
ChiChi and Smuckers, a Cockatiel who has a keen knack for picking up words and
voices that will make you laugh and scare you all in the same moment. Smuckers’ vocabulary includes “pretty bird”; “come
here”; “what a pretty bird you are”; and “I’m a pretty little bad bird” a
phrase one won’t soon forget!
Ms. Geiger, a graduate of Widener University with a B.S. in
Biology, has recently retired from Merck after working there for 32 years. She started her career at the pharmaceutical
working in the lab and later moved into Technology and Quality Control areas,
supporting their manufacture of vaccines.
Her time within these departments involved issuing and processing documentation,
much computer work and making sure required procedures were followed
accurately. Merck provided
accommodations where needed, including modifying restrooms, making heavy doors
automatic and purchasing an electronic desk which could be lowered to her
level. In addition to an impressive career, she has quite a large family which
includes two sisters, a brother, 10 nieces and nephews.
Cardinal in the Snow! |
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Tulips |
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Corkscrew Great Blue Heron |
In addition to photography, Ms. Geiger loves to travel and
does much of her traveling solo. She
goes on to say that with solo trips, because of her fragile bones, she does
much research online and makes phone calls over several months to make sure
these trips are accessible and safe. Places
she has traveled to include the Florida Everglades National Park and has been
there twice thus far. She reports that
there are multiple ADA accessible birding areas there and the birds in Florida
are much more comfortable with people coming towards them. She also visited Corpus Christi and Port
Aransas Texas where she saw the endangered Whooping Cranes. She visited some
locations on her own, but also hired a professional birder to take her out for
two days.
Last year, she visited Tucson AZ where she enjoyed some day
trips out on her own visiting the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum and Tucson Botanical Gardens where she photographed flowers, lizards and birds. For two
other days, she hired a professional birder who took her out exploring cactus
country, the Catalina and St Rita Mountains, Madera Canyon and the town of
Patagonia near the Mexican border. She goes on to say that she added over 40
new species of birds to her life list, including 7 different kinds of hummingbirds
and saw everything from Cactus wrens, Quail and a Golden Eagle. Ms. Geiger has further expanded her
photography and birdwatching by taking cruises and cruised her way to the
Panama Canal (2 times) with stops at several islands including Costa Rica. She has also taken a Caribbean, an Alaskan
and Bermuda cruise.
Humpback Whale |
When it comes to displaying her work, Ms. Geiger has
exhibited her photographs at the annual Art Ability Show at Bryn Mawr RehabilitationCenter in Malvern Pa. There, she and other artists with various disabilities
display art, jewelry, sculpture, photography etc. Ms. Geiger says she has sold
some of her photographs, but also goes to craft shows to sell some of her work
as well. Last summer, she was part of
Lansdale Festival of the Arts. She says
she loves people getting something positive out of her work. “It’s a challenge to get a photograph that
inspires or awakens others to the beauty of nature.” When it comes to shooting
her work, she uses a 70-300mm telephoto lens and Canon digital camera that is
around 2lbs combined (about the most she can hold). She switches to a macro lens for insects and
flower details. Because it is hard to
hold a heavy camera steady for sharp photos, she is going to try a newly
purchased contraption – a flexible arm that clamps to her wheelchair and holds
her camera at eye level. And although
she doesn’t have too much of an issue with using her hands/arms when
photographing, she finds the biggest obstacle is finding accessible terrain and
even then, often the ADA paths end and the rough terrain begins. Any wheelchair user would agree, it’s not the
easiest wheeling through the woods, chasing after models who would prefer to
get away instead of turning around and posing for the camera. But she does the best she can.
Ms. Geiger is very thoughtful when she shares what she would
tell parents of children with disabilities in order to help them to find their
passions. “If you see your child showing an interest in something, cultivate
that passion. It will give them something to nurture or a way to express
themselves.
To end, Ms. Geiger shares that having a passion has provided
her with much comfort, peace and joy in the sometimes hectic and rocky world. It has nurtured her spirit and provided
tranquility whether times are good or rough going. “I believe everyone needs a
passion in life, and when you find it, you have to make time for it no matter
what.”
If you're interested in purchasing any of Ann Marie's artwork, please contact her at amg66fnch@aol.com.
About the author:
Although Kara has Osteogenesis Imperfecta which simply means brittle bones, Kara has studied dance for over 16 years now and currently dances with American Dance Wheels Foundation. But for the bulk of her dance career she danced with Kardon.. Kara works as a licensed therapist part time at an inpatient mental health facility and as a Free Lance writer for Montgomery County Community College. She also sings with the Academy Chorale as the arts are an important part of her life.
Wow, i am really impressed to see that pictures up there and it is really hard to believe that she took that pictures. I salute to her courage and want her to us some tips about photography and Basics of Design With a New Outlook anyway she is a role model for disabled people.
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