More Than Skin Deep

By Jaclyn Law

Jeff Adams is a Paralympian gold medalist. He practically lives at the gym and regularly competes in races around the world. Adams has even climbed all 1,776 steps of the CN Tower in a wheelchair to raise awareness about accessibility. With his bulging biceps, fierce gaze and take-no-prisoners attitude, you could say he’s a pretty tough guy. But right now, on a cloudy January day in downtown Toronto, 34-year-old

Adams is stretched out on a table in a tattoo studio, eyes squeezed shut, cringing as a needle pushes bright green ink into his right shoulder. It’s enough to make a grown man cry. Adams, who has used a wheelchair since childhood as a result of cancer treatment, got his first tattoo, a maple leaf on his chest, when he made the national wheelchair racing team in 1988. He added Olympic rings in 1992 before the Barcelona games. Then, seven or eight years ago, he got the matching tattoos on his shoulders, two brilliant starbursts that look like small bombs exploding. They were done by another artist, but he’s having them re-inked by Rob Coutts at Bobby Five so that, when Coutts fills in the rest of Adams’s arms to just below the elbows later this year, the brightness will match.

Coutts did the massive tattoo that covers Adams’s back — a custom-designed, complex swirl of shapes and colours that represents the eternal dance of powerful forces. “I’ve seen many parts of the world,” says Adams. “A lot of it is the same if you scratch below the surface. There is good and evil, and they can’t live without each other.”

Coutts spent about 45 hours on Adams’s back, eight hours on the outline alone. Adams’s teeth were chattering by the end. “If it wasn’t Rob, I’m not sure I’d trust the artist. I have a lot of confidence in his ability. During a long session, you’re not really in a state where you can make decisions.”

The intense hues slowly drenching Adams’s skin — raspberry, acid yellow and kelly green — are stunning. They’re also a testament to Adams’s stamina: he does marathons, but this seems like a greater test of endurance. “Imagine getting scratched by a cat 100 times on the same spot,” Adams says. “That’s what getting a tattoo feels like.”

The pain spikes and recedes as Coutts moves the tattoo needle to different areas of skin. During a break, Adams’s wife, Kristine Bacharach (whose shoulders were also tattooed by Coutts), asks how he’s feeling. “I don’t know,” Adams quips, “I’m not really in touch with my feelings.”

Despite the sweat-inducing pain, every year, thousands of Canadians have body art done—tattoos, piercings, branding and scarification—including many people with disabilities. Humans have found ways to permanently mark their skin with pigment or ink for millennia. Tattooing is believed to date back to the ancient Egyptians. The Polynesians have been tattooing for 2,000 years, and it’s also a traditional Japanese art form. The modern version of the art involves electric tattoo machines, but various cultures used bones, picks, chisels and combs to puncture the skin.

Tattoos are often a rite of passage, ritual or way to signify rank, or all three. For centuries, in Samoa, young chiefs were tattooed at the onset of puberty; to refuse meant risking ostracism and life-long shame. It wasn’t unusual for men to have elaborate tattoos from mid-torso to their knees, as well as on their arms, backs and faces. Samoan women were often marked as well. Only women who had tattoos on their hands were permitted to serve the narcotic drink kava, one of the culture’s highest honours.

These days, people of all cultures choose traditional symbols, such as Celtic armbands and kanji characters (“love” and “strength” are popular). People get tattoos to commemorate a life experience, such as a wedding, the birth of a child or the death of a loved one. Sometimes a tattoo marks an achievement. The achievement is often the tattoo itself —getting inked is like a declaration of independence. And, although tattoos have become more mainstream in recent years, there is still something to be said for their intimidation factor. It’s no accident that heavy metal musicians, NBA players and bikers are among the most heavily tattooed people on earth.

Adams says that although his disability wasn’t the catalyst for his tattoos, it played a role in their creation. “I’ve used a chair for 25 years. How do you separate the impact of that from my identity? Can you ever really strip away the layer of my using a chair from anything else? That’s my window. I see everything from that perspective. Maybe my need to recognize that is part of why I get tattoos.” Referring to the artwork on his back, he adds, “Can you separate good and evil?”

The large tattoos also suit Adams’s passionate personality. “I do everything all the way,” he says. “I train 100 percent. If I show up at a race, I’m there to win. I don’t just get a tattoo, I get my back done. Tattoos are part of the package.”

Other people with disabilities get tattoos specifically to commemorate their feelings about their disabilities. Catherine Barrette of Gatineau, Quebec, became an above-knee amputee after a motor vehicle accident nine years ago. She has a tattoo of a Celtic-style horse on her lower back. “This animal has become my representation of movement I cannot achieve—running fast—because of my disability,” she explains. She doesn’t plan to have more body art done, but says that if a particular icon or object becomes prevalent in her life, she would consider another tattoo.

Marie-Claire Gratton from Ottawa started to lose her hearing five years ago. She now uses an ABI implant and reads lips. Three years ago, she had a tattoo done on her lower back. “It’s a simple Chinese character that means I’m deaf. Having something permanent done on my body, I wanted it to have a special meaning for me.”

Gratton consulted a dictionary at a university library and asked a Chinese friend to confirm the meaning of the character. She recommends not relying on the tattoo parlour for the interpretation of different languages. “You need to trust their ability to get the work done, but you can’t trust their knowledge of language. It’s your body, after all — you do not want a permanent mistake there!”

Some people use body art to divert unwanted attention from their disability. Terry McIntosh has spinal muscular atrophy and uses an electric wheelchair. She had her ears pierced at age 12. Since then, she’s added nose and eyebrow piercings and five tattoos. She says she started getting body art because she wanted people to look at things other than her wheelchair. “I wanted to be considered ‘normal’ like many women with piercings and tattoos.”

Others use tattoos to mark their growing independence. That was the motivation for Ryan Lythall, also from Ottawa. He was born with nemaline myopathy, a form of muscular dystrophy, and lived at a children’s hospital for 19 years before moving into his own apartment. “It was a big moment in my life,” says Lythall. The barbed wire tattoo on his left wrist represents feeling trapped at the hospital. “I wasn’t able to live a normal life, and I felt imprisoned,” says Lythall. He says the tattoo on his right wrist of a chain breaking open symbolizes his sense of freedom. “It reminds me not to let things get in my way, even if it’s a barrier.”

Obviously, a tattoo is a serious commitment. It is generally permanent (removal is possible, but can be costly, painful and imperfect), and it can be expensive. Small tattoos start at $50, and tattooists typically charge between $100 and $150 per hour for larger custom pieces.

Coutts cautions against making a rash decision when choosing a tattoo. He says that many people stroll into tattoo parlours and ask what they can get for $50. “They choose, in 20 minutes, something that will define them for the rest of their life,” he says, shaking his head. “Is that something you’re going to want forever?”

Adams kept the design for the tattoos on his shoulders in a drawer for two years before deciding to have the work done. He also mulled over the concept for his back tattoo for a long time, and had two other artists show him their interpretations before choosing Coutts. “Don’t just pick something off the wall. Find a tattooist you have a personal connection with, and whose style you like.”

Barrette says that people should also think carefully about the location of their tattoo. “I already have a ‘visible’ disability with my amputation, so I would never consider getting a tattoo on my residual limb, as I get enough attention from people and kids staring at me when my prosthesis is off,” she says. “I wanted a tattoo to complement my sense of body image, not to enhance my disability.”

It’s not unusual for people with tattoos or piercings to get strong reactions from people around them. “I think people can’t believe that I would be the type of person to have a tattoo,” says Barrette. “That stereotypical image of ‘rocker chick’ is still out there.”

Adams says tattoos serve a useful function. “I see disability as a people filter. If you run into people who judge you on your disability...well, tattoos are similar that way. I don’t want to know anyone who would judge me for having tattoos,” he says. Then he chuckles, “There aren’t a lot of people in my life.”

Jaclyn Law is ABILITIES' managing editor. She does not have any tattoos or piercings — yet.


SO, YOU WANT A TATTOO…

* Ask people with tattoos you admire who did their work, and ask to see the artist's portfolio.
* Buy a few tattoo magazines and check out different designs and styles. Look at art and photography books for ideas.
* Choose or design something that is meaningful to you. Avoid trends.
* Safety first! Tattooists and tattoo parlours are not licensed in Canada, so choose carefully. The studio should be clean and well-lit, and the tattooist should use a new, sterile needle for each client to prevent the spread of viruses, such as HIV and hepatitis C. Ask him or her to open the package in front of you.
* Inform your tattooist if you are taking any medications or have any health concerns. If in doubt, check with your physician.
* All reusable material, such as the tube that supports the tattoo needle, must be sterilized in an autoclave (no other method is acceptable) between clients.
* If you're allergic to latex, make sure the tattooist uses non-latex gloves.
* Follow your tattooist's aftercare instructions to avoid infection and promote healing.
* Protect your tattoo by wearing sunscreen.