Last fall, Getty Images and Verizon Media awarded $40,000 in grants to five emerging photographers, as part of a first-ever Disability-Focused Creative Bursary. The grants provide much-needed financial support to talent worldwide as they seek to tell authentic stories of the disability community, combating stereotypes and challenging assumptions at the same time.
Today, their work takes on new dimensions as people with disabilities are uniquely vulnerable during disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ll explore the impact on this community, and share our perspectives on the importance of content and media which accurately reflects us all, particularly during times of crisis.
We invite you to join us as we explore the work of our recipients and catch up with our first place winner Nolan Ryan Trowe. After a spinal injury, Nolan enrolled at NYU and began documenting the lives of a close-knit community of people with disabilities and their families. He will speak with Verizon’s Zack Bastian about his life, the importance of authentic representation and the power of direct support for diverse voices.
Zachary Bastian focuses on organizations addressing disability. In 2019, he received the Consumer Technology Association’s Technology and Standards Achievement Award, in recognition of his leadership completing a standard for audio-based indoor navigation systems serving people who are blind or low vision. Zachary serves on the FCC's Disability Advisory Committee, and numerous non-profit advisory boards. He's passionate on how technology can enhance personal autonomy, allowing people with disabilities to live where and how they choose. In 2012, he received a JD from George Washington University Law School.
LCL–as friends call him–has been on the frontlines of popular culture and social change since age five when he was the poster child for a fundraising campaign in his home state of Indiana. As an adult, Lawrence’s unique blend of the arts, advocacy, and personality has been awarded by the likes of former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg and the American Association of People with Disabilities. Currently the Director of Communications for NDLA member organization the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Lawrence has been interviewed by respected media outlets including USA TODAY, ASSOCIATED PRESS, the NEW YORK TIMES, THE DAILY SHOW, the BBC and CNN among others.
Keri is the Senior Director of Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Communications at the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). In her role, she works with AAPD to manage external partnerships, socially and politically mobilize people with disabilities, and engage constituents through a variety of communications platforms. These duties help support AAPD’s mission to serve as a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities.
Keri identifies as a Black woman with disabilities and uses her experiences, political views, and programming to empower and equip professionals from underrepresented communities. In her work, she actively utilizes a framework of intersectionality- meaning that her work intersects with issues surrounding people of color, women, AND people with disabilities.
Claudia Grimaldi Marks oversees artistic and creative endeavors for Getty Images' Creative Content. Collaborating across functionalities, while motivating team members, she guides the production of visually stunning content that speaks to Getty Images' 25-year global legacy.
Claudia drives all efforts related to the Creative Grants programs, which seek to encourage and financially support emerging creators. Over the last five years at Getty Images, she has built close relationships with the ARRAY foundation, Refinery 29, Adolescent Content and others, while also driving the recruitment of photographic talent and contributing to the company's digital magazine, Creative Insights.
Adetona is a documentary photographer with a Master degree in Marine Pollution and Management. His work navigates relationships between beauty, self-acceptance and environmental pollution. In “Beyond 4 Foot 10 Inches” he deconstructs the socio-cultural stereotypes of dwarfs in media and advertising.
Please feel free to share questions in advance on your registration form. If you’d like to ask a question during the event, please ask via the chat function on the platform.
Yes! We highly recommend attending the virtual event itself so that you can participate and ask questions. However, you can also watch a replay once the event is over. We’ll send registrants a link to the video afterward.
ASL Interpreter and captioning will be provided. For any additional questions related to the accessibility of the event, please contact Samantha Soloway at ssoloway@verizonmedia.com or 646-584-6409.