Ian Ruhter : Enabled Preview : Oscar Loreto

"Enabled" by Ian Ruhter

Oscar Loreto

Words by Jill Webster

Oscar Loreto, 22, grew up in Linwood, CA, which Oscar described as a "bad neighborhood" before his mother moved the family to Downey, CA. His cousin got him started skateboarding when he was 14 and since then, Oscar says he's seen nothing but positive things come his way. Born with a congenial birth defect, Oscar is missing a left foot, his left hand, and the four fingers on his right hand. He describes this very birth defect as the reason behind wanting to get into skateboarding. "It was actually more of a motivation really just to prove to myself that I could do it. When I was younger it deterred me from wanting to get out there and skate, I was bummed out about it - the tricks were harder - but as I got older, everything kind of came together," he says. Oscar has since learned how to operate with prosthetic limbs and is actually sponsored by Scope Prosthetics, a company who takes care of most  of his skating costs. When it would have been easy to falter, easy to take a different path, Oscar has chosen to excel at life, and lists his family and friends as the main reason for doing so. "I don't want to play the pity card," Oscar says. "And I think some people see it like that - they feel sorry for me. I just want them to see me as a skater. I'm taking it all in and I hope that is transcended through my skating and my personality and I hope others see that." Oscar has plans to graduate California State University Long Beach, majoring in film studies, and hopes to work in the production or skating industry.

Enabled is a project about disable action sports athletes who step beyond their perceived limitations, to show us how being "disabled" is a state of mind. The goal is to reach out to both disabled and able-bodied individuals, including those who have an interest in photography, and action sports. These stories will positively impact, and deliver encouragement to the disabled community as a whole. The project will be broken down into a documentary, traveling art show, book, and television episode

We are currently pursuing funding to complete, and produce the final outcome of "Enabled." If you are an art director, producer, TV network, magazine, etc., please contact ianruhter@mac.com . The above photos have been cropped for preview. To view the complete collection of photos please request a link to the online portfolio.