A new resource has been set up showing disabled and elderly people doing a series of pursuits – including fitness, community, housing and digital inclusion work – in order to move away from stereotypes which fail to show them as active members of society.
Disability Rights UK has teamed up with the Centre For Ageing Better to launch Picture Yourself Active, a new, publicly accessible image library of over 300 photos depicting older and disabled people getting active to challenge pervasive negative stereotypes. The images include some from Disability Sheffield’s Sheffield Cycling 4 All project at Hillsborough Park.
The two organisations are making the bank of images available to encourage journalists, organisations, and society to move away from damaging unrepresentative imagery and embrace more realistic depictions of later life and disability.
The library contains positive and authentic images of older and disabled people – and the intersectionality between the two – getting active. Equally, these photos reinforce the important notion that not all disabilities are visible by including a range of experiences that are often not recognised within society.
Disabled people from across the generations were heavily involved throughout to ensure the images are realistic and reflect the lived experience of those the project seeks to benefit.
Kamran Mallick, CEO of Disability Rights UK, said: “Disabled people are no strangers to inaccurate depictions. We’ve been battling stereotypes and lazy representations of us that fail to recognise our basic humanity for years and years. Negative attitudes are such a pervasive barrier that prevent disabled people from getting out and having fun wherever they are
“Picture Yourself Active is such an exciting project. It ensures that many more representative images are available to show disabled people getting active. We want to see organisations take on the project’s learning and advice to ensure that our lives are no longer reduced to lazy stereotypes.
“As a free and publicly available resource, we hope everyone can take on board the lessons the project provides. This library exists to challenge stereotypes and communicate a more diverse representation of what it means to be older and disabled. We are happy to be able to see ourselves properly represented finally.”
You can read more about it here.
