My name is Dexter McLean, I am a Jamaica-born photographer living and working in London. I like to see myself as a disabled person in the 21st Century. My practice operates in a space between documentary and portraiture and is concerned with the representation of disabled people. Through my photography, I hope to underline the multiple abilities of disabled people. I believe there are some big gaps in the media when it comes to representing those who are disabled, or from ethnic minority groups. The media gives much attention and as a result more support to those who were injured in warfare or otherwise, but not enough for those who were born disabled. I hope to influence the media into representing these people more and inspire disabled people to follow their dreams. I also have a keen interest in portrait photography. In 2016, one of my portraits made it to the Taylor Wessing Competition. Currently, I hold a BA degree from Middlesex University and I started my MA in September 2017. I'm due to graduate in 2020 as i'm currently on a gap year, but very eager to go back.
I was born in Jamaica, it took a couple of months for the doctors to find out that I was disabled. When I was 6 months old, my mother tried to make me sit up, but I couldn’t. She took me to the doctor, and I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. I had a very hard life in Jamaica, I used to walk on my knees into class. When I was 9 years old, I came to England to stay with my auntie for a month, and then my mum and my sister joined me. It took about 2 years to go to a specialised school for disabled children. I had never before been around so many different disabled people, with different needs, and wanted to use my photography to document this.