NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As Gunner Lincoln sits at his dining room table, he's hard at work painting what he says will be a puppy.
"I like when I get paint on my hands," said Gunner. "Because it feels good."
But he never actually knows what his artwork looks like. Gunner has Lebers Congenital Amaurosis — a rare disorder found in two to three out of every 100,000 babies.
"I can see light, shadow," he said. That's all."
Gunner was born blind, which means he relies on his other senses like touch and hearing.
"I also like the sounds of baby puppies when they walk," he said.
"It was overwhelming," said Ashlyn Lincoln, who is Gunner's mom. "We didn't know where to start. We didn't know what to do. My first thought is I need to learn braille."
His mom said she finds support from other parents with children who are blind like Gunner too.
"I feel like we're learning every day, and we need conferences to be able to learn how to teach him, how to help him grow independently as he grows older."
That is why she's hoping to attend a special conference in Indiana next month.
"The conference is put on by an organization called Hope In Focus," said Ashlyn. "They're a nonprofit that really helps us understand the IRD — inherited retina disorders."
But the trip will cost the family hundreds of dollars, so Ashlyn and Gunner got creative.
"We thought a GoFundMe would be nice, but we just wanted to involve Gunner just a little bit more since we are going to learn about him," said Ashlyn.
Now Gunner is making art in exchange for donations.
"We put them on the internet and someone buys them," he said.
"He does get really excited when we buy more canvases and that means he gets to paint more so he gets really excited about it," Ashlyn said.
So far, he's halfway to their goal of $500.
"He loves being just another kid and we love to see him be that," said Ashlyn.
If you are interested in buying Gunner's paintings, you can find more information here.
