Kyleigh Kramlich is a painter. With her augmentative communicator as the canvas and her eyes as the brush, she creates beautiful murals of living things in their natural habitat. Her muses are walkers, runners and animals roaming their territory. 

“It’s relaxing to me,” she explains. “because it lets me put on paper whatever I feel.” 

When eye-gaze technology is inaccessible, she renders her portraits the old-fashioned way. Holding the paint brush in her mouth, Kyleigh moves her head in small swirls, recreating the images in her mind, trying to arouse the emotions that she feels – usually love, a motif that flows through her colorful life. 

“Love is usually the emotion that I want to evoke,” says Kyleigh. “Love for animals, love for all kinds of different people.”

Brushstrokes of blue and black of KPF running blended into the portrait about five years ago when she went to Camp Wheel Away – the camp KPF created to expand their mission of improving lives beyond the finish. A little anxious at first, Kyleigh began to embroider running into her life. The wind streaking through her hair as Brent Pease ran with her in a race chair, Kyleigh discovered the artistry in running.  

Where we stand determines what we see. When Kramlich paints a self-portrait, she shows herself standing, walking, running. She sees herself the way she paints a self-portrait – not defined by her disability but by her capability. 

“Life was much more exciting before COVID,” Kyleigh says. Prior to COVID restrictions, Kyleigh was your typical young adult. She would go to school, volunteer at an animal shelter and, of course, compete in road races. She hung out with friends, went to the mall, and attended social gatherings organized by other nonprofits. 

Now, she logs into online classes and due to the pandemic, Kyleigh stays in her room as she completes assignments. 

“My aide and I have a separate room in a separate building to stay apart from other people, but I can still go to classes with my friends,” she explains. Among the typical Math, English and Social Studies courses, Kyleigh is particularly enthusiastic about learning a foreign language – Spanish. 

When asked if running has helped her overcome other obstacles in life, Kramlich said it boosts her confidence. “I know I can do anything if I put my mind to it.”

Interview written by Kevin Enners