While we may all advocate for diversity, equality and inclusion, how can those of us without a disability truly understand what it is like for those who live with one? We need to listen to their stories, struggles and tribulations.
Photography is arguably one of the greatest mediums to help share these narratives – and in her new book, See Us, Know Us; Profiles of Disability, educator and disability advocate Jennifer Chassman Browne takes us on a photographic exploration of what life with a disability is like.
Featuring 30 portraits, taken by photographer Natalie Brescia, of individuals living with disabilities across the US, the book explores how these people experience the world.
Each image is supported by Chassman Browne's words, sharing wider context on the subject's backstory and unique experiences.
Take Shameka Andrews, who was born with spina bifida. Andrews has been through some tough times, during which she's “struggled to engage with the world,” Chassman Browne writes.
Others' ignorance, along with the fact that Andrews is medically at risk because of her condition, can be “hard to deal with.”
However, Andrews, an Albany-based (New York) disability advocate and consultant herself, chooses to live an active, adventurous lifestyle, despite the world not always being a “welcoming place.”
But not all disabilities are visible, like that of Philadelphia-based Nico Meyering. The activist, who chairs his city's Commission on People with Disabilities, lives with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS).
This rare genetic disease affects the nervous system, causing Meyering's body not to automatically sense or respond to rising carbon dioxide levels and dropping oxygen levels in the blood.
As such, he experiences “extreme hunger, extreme tiredness and extreme heart rates,” Chassman Browne writes.
Each profile in See Us, Know Us is also supported by Chassman Browne's own poetry, which, to me, puts a voice to the emotional messages depicted by the frames.
Chassman Browne herself lives with a disability: rheumatoid arthritis, which she was diagnosed with at six years old. Her interpretive poetry comes from a place of understanding what it's like to face the challenges of a limiting health condition.
See Us, Know Us; Profiles of Disability, by Jennifer Chassman Browne, featuring imagery by Natalie Brescia, is now available to purchase from Chassman Browne's website, as well as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart.
A signed paperback copy, including taxes and shipping within the US, costs $39.95 (approximately £29.95 / AU$8.22).
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