His work hung on gallery walls, and his passion for photography inspired hundreds of students during his 20-year-long lecturing career.

But former photography lecturer Tim Joplin’s life changed forever in 2003 when he was left permanently paralysed in all four limbs following delays in treatment.

Now, even though creating pictures ever since has been an almost impossible task, Mr Joplin, from Dudley, has spent the past four months preparing a new exhibition of his work.

The exhibition, on show at Dudley Museum and Art Gallery, includes photographs from the 59-year-old’s extensive collection of work, as well as more recent pieces created with the aid of an assistant.

Six months ago the father-of-two was awarded £825,000 in compensation following a seven-year battle.

When the former Dudley College lecturer was admitted to Russells Hall Hospital seven years ago complaining of neck and shoulder pain, doctors initially thought he had pulled a muscle.

But over five days his condition deteriorated, and he was eventually transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

A scan revealed an abscess pressing on his spinal cord and Mr Joplin underwent emergency surgery, but it was too late. The father-of-two now requires round-the-clock care, and is also unable to speak after undergoing a tracheostomy in 2009.

He now communicates his thoughts using a computer programme called “the grid”.

He said: “I am a grossly disabled artist, trapped inside a body that fails to move from the neck down. I am permanently ventilated, and since 2009 I have been the recipient of a tracheostomy, which although it gives me life, it deprives me of the power of speech.

“Apart from that, everything is working okay. I see photographs everywhere but I can’t do anything about it. My intellect remains intact and my imagination runs riot with ideas which prove to be beyond my physical ability.”

After seeing media coverage of Mr Joplin’s compensation award last July, a curator from Dudley Museum and Art Gallery got in touch with Mr Joplin and his wife, Ruth, to discuss the possibility of an exhibition.

The couple also appealed for an assistant to help produce new work and Mr Joplin has now been working with Wolverhampton-based photographer Jon Lewis collating existing work and collaborating on new projects.

Since 2003, Mr Joplin has relied on the help of an assistant to use a the camera for him, but it is hoped new software that is being developed will allow him to use a remote-controlled camera where he will be able to look through the viewfinder and select the shots he wants.

Mrs Joplin, a University of Birmingham lecturer, said: “Tim has produced work in the past seven years but it has been indirectly.

“At the moment, someone else has to be his hands, but it would be nice if he had more control and input himself.

“He is currently looking for models so that he can do some studio work which is more amenable to planning.”

The couple will shortly be moving from their family home to a specially-adapted house, complete with a garden studio for Mr Joplin.

With new ways of creating pictures in the pipeline, Mrs Joplin added she hoped the exhibition would lead to her husband’s work being shown in other galleries.

* For more information on Tim Joplin’s exhibition visit www.dudley.gov.uk/dudleymuseum