About Joey
Josephine (“Joey”) Hernandez is an Orange County-based partially blind visual artist.
Joey’s journey with art kicked off when she was a sophomore in high school. This is when her vision began to change. Over the course of a couple months, her sight deteriorated from relatively average to the point of legal blindness due to what would later be diagnosed as Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). Joey's center field of vision became permanently blurry and she began to constantly see moving neon dots. Her "lights" are what sparked her initial interest in painting.
Frustrated that she couldn't find images representing how she saw the world, Joey decided to pick up a paint brush to try to show it herself with acrylics. Her first acrylic paintings were attempts at her own vision simulations. She quickly fell in love with the medium and has been painting ever since.
Her work has since been featured in several shows, including the international APH InSights Art competition.
Joey uses a variety of adaptive strategies to create her works. She hopes to change the narrative about who can create and enjoy art. She also advocates for inclusion for disabled creatives as a board member for Orange County Arts and Disability (OCA&D), a nonprofit focused on expanding local art opportunities and accessibility for disabled art enthusiasts.
Joey is a proud alumna of California State University, Fullerton. When she's not painting, Joey enjoys skateboarding with her white cane, playing with her cat, and telling terrible puns.
Speaking Engagements
Joey has spoken on art and accessibility on multiple occasions.
She has presented for the OCA&D collaborative, the Timken Museum, and various local art education events.
in 2025, she was the keynote speaker for the American Council of the Blind of Texas's annual conference.
In October 2026, she will present at the inaugural All Abilities Conference.
In the Media
Joey is featured a speaker in the episode on the InSights competition
Travelers Solo Exhibit
Fully Accessible Exhibit
"Travelers" was a fully accessible solo exhibit at the Fullerton Museum Center that ran from May to August 2026. It featured paintings of blind and low vision skaters.
Every single piece had a large print, braille, and audio image description available for guests. In addition, there were tactile replicas of every piece available.