In our society, those with disabilities are often condemned and cast aside. When I began working with people with developmental disabilities, my eyes were opened to an entire population that has historically been institutionalized and hidden from the public eye. While life is changing for these individuals due to recent legislation, I have become increasingly aware of the need for dignity and respect in this population.

For years, humanity was stripped from those in this group. One needs to look no further into our nation’s history than the past ten years to see the mistreatment and neglect of people with developmental disabilities. This is heartbreaking. I’ve seen that there is such humanity, such vibrancy, such beauty in the lives of my friends with differing abilities than my own. I’ve learned something profound about myself in the process: that I am human and so are they. In a society that values people only to the extent they can produce and contribute, a culture that connects worth to ability, I’ve begun to see that the essence of humanity is that we, each, are valuable not for what we can do but simply because we are human beings. Photography is a simple way that I can depict the vibrancy and beauty of my friends’ lives with dignity, respect, and truth. I desire to restore something to them that was stripped away for so many years, and, in doing so, restore something of the humanity in each of us as well.