Portrait of an Artist:

Emma Yefimov

Meeting Emma Yefimov for the first time you can’t help but notice her bright smile and bubbly personality. Hanging on the walls in her home are colorful, abstract paintings created by Yefimov using the wheels on her power wheelchair. “I come up with stuff on my own. I like to listen to music while I paint,” she says.

As one of The Arc’s Supported Living clients, Yefimov gets to live in a home with roommates, her dog Mocha, and 24/7 care from direct support professionals. She enjoys going out into the community for events such as Lunar New Year celebrations and other activities. Last year, she traveled to Australia for two weeks where she went to the Australia Zoo to pet kangaroos and see Robert Irwin feed crocodiles.

Some of Yefimov’s other interests include BTS, Ed Sheeran and looking up fun facts to share with others. Once, she even FaceTimed with singer Harry Styles. Previously, she had been very sick and her mom posted about her daughter’s situation on a Harry Styles fan page on Facebook. Through the magic of social media, Yefimov was connected to Styles and got to chat with him for a bit.

Through all of this, Yefimov is learning more and more how to advocate for herself and others. She says she likes to help other people, especially those who can’t help themselves. “Just because I’m disabled, doesn’t meant that I’m not a person,” she says.