Media Kit

PhotoAbility was established in March 2012 by Bill Forrester and Deborah Davis with the goal of providing high quality, unique, non-medically oriented imagery of persons with disabilities for purchase by the advertising, marketing and media sectors. The Commercial Stock Image Library specializes in positive and "Inclusive” images of people with a disability in leisure, lifestyle and travel settings.

The 4500+ inclusive images depicted in the PhotoAbility gallery are designed to impact attitudinal bias, change perception and provide motivation to eliminate and reduce social, structural and professional barriers. A wave of change reflected in popular media and advertising can make an impact on laws and attitudes around the globe, and on how many with differing abilities view themselves.

There is also the economic value to be gained by companies who realize that there are one billion people with disabilities spending billions in travel and lifestyle dollars in economies all over the world. Despite now being the largest minority group worldwide, they are rarely seen or acknowledged in advertising and editorial images. Why is a small, yet powerful and growing segment of society not being seen or represented as customers?

Deborah Davis, PhotoAbility's co-founder, believes that once we are represented by a true and complete reality of our lives; going on dates, enjoying activities and recreational facilities with our families, on the job, on vacation, participating in sports, going shopping, enjoying a glass of wine, a good restaurant, and all the good things life has to offer, it will be understood and accepted that we should be provided accommodations and consideration that recognizes how valuable our contribution really is to all these industries.

The gallery only features models with actual disabilities. By doing so it is creating a commercial opportunity for people who may not have had the opportunity to model professionally before, and PhotoAbility is encouraging photographers to take a more inclusive view of the models they choose and widen their perspective on the types of activities people with a disability undertake. Both the models and photographers share in the proceeds of the sale of the images and also have the opportunity to donate some or all of the sale price to support organizations of their choice.

By creating and investing in a commercial library system, PhotoAbility has made it simple for media buyers, editorial staff or advertising agencies to easily review images, make selections, create lightboxes, download comping images, purchase and download online. Buyers have the opportunity to request quotes on the purchase of multiple images to form a theme. PhotoAbility will also undertake photoshoots to fulfill specific client needs or help source suitable models via their Model Casting Page.

While the site meets the demands of professional media buyers, they have also simplified the processes to encourage non-professional photographers and models with disabilities to contribute images to the gallery. Three options are available for image uploads (via a professional photographer account, an easy upload form for 5 images or less, and a Yousendit dropbox it for large collections of images) that do not require detailed image manipulation prior to submission. They will do all of the required sizing, watermarking, keyword loading and image correction. They have available via download form the site a Photography Guide and all required model, property and photographer releases.

PhotoAbility hopes that companies will take advantage of the diverse images available on their site and find the value of including them or creating custom photo campaigns to communicate to the public in available mediums. This will go a long way in demonstrating their welcome and respect for consumers with disabilities. By increasing awareness of the value in maintaining and making structural and attitudinal changes, it will encourage and sustain the participation of those with differing abilities around the world.

About the Founders

Deborah Davis, Co-Owner 

A mother of two girls, world traveler, experienced sales and marketing professional, Bachelors of Business Administration - Finance, University of Miami, and wheelchair user since the age of 18 due to a car accident. She resides in South Florida, USA

Bill Forrester, Co-Owner 

A father of two boys, husband, successful travel business owner, Inclusive Tourism consultant and photographer. Former senior executive with News Limited. He resides in Melbourne, Australia.