Finding the right photography for corporate websites and marketing material can be time consuming. With millions of stock photos out there, locating the ideal images of professional teams can mean scrolling dozens of pages— unless you’re searching for professionals with disabilities, in which case, the problem isn’t too many photos to pick from, it’s too few.
More than 15 percent of the world’s population has a disability, yet authentic representation of the disability community remains scarce in stock photography.
Last month, Getty Images, the world’s leading provider of stock photos and videos, committed to expanding authentic representation of people with disabilities in its asset libraries. In partnership with Verizon Communications and the National Disability Leadership Alliance, the visual media provider is offering a “global creative grant” to invite photographers and videographers to reimagine disability representation in the workplace.
The initiative builds on The Disability Collection, which the three organisations launched in 2018 to help portray people with disabilities more accurately and authentically. The resulting library now contains more than 12,000 genuine images that quash stereotypes and depict the full lives of people with disabilities.
The collection has sought to correct major issues surrounding disability representation in stock photography, such as accuracy and context. Many existing stock photos have featured able-bodied models posing as individuals with physical impairments, resulting in unrealistic or incorrect portrayals of a disability. For example, hospital-grade wheelchairs, designed to be pushed by caregivers, are often depicted as everyday mobility aids, despite wheelchair users actually relying on different types of devices tailored to their needs.
Context also matters. Most existing stock photos tend to portray people with disabilities at one end of two extremes: either limited by their disability (e.g. an able-bodied carer assisting them in a daily task) or as extraordinary inspirations (e.g. a marathon runner with a prosthetic leg). In reality, most people with disabilities spend their days doing normal things—getting coffee with friends, raising families, attending meetings, and pursuing hobbies.
With the rise of generative AI, accurate representation takes on an additional importance. AI models learn from existing data, so if that data lacks authentic depictions, the generated images will reflect these biases. Many models currently fail to generate genuine portrayals of individuals with disabilities: AI-generated depictions of deaf individuals often exaggerate facial expressions while those of blind individuals frequently show “seeing-eye” canes as unnatural extensions of their arms. In my recent attempt to generate an image of a wheelchair user, DALL-E produced a foolishly smiling man in a hospital-grade wheelchair, stationary in the center of a busy urban sidewalk with people walking around him.
That’s what is so great about The Disability Collection. These images show individuals with disabilities in everyday (even somewhat boring) scenarios, focusing on the person, the emotions, and the lives lived rather than solely on their disability. However, many of its images portray people with disabilities at home, with family, or enjoying leisure activities, so this year Getty’s grant, “Disability in Focus: Navigating Work Life,” seeks to capture people with disabilities in professional settings and highlight their day-to-day work lives.
By shifting the focus on this year’s grant to the workplace, Getty is expanding its efforts to capture the authentic daily experiences of the disability community. Don’t get me wrong: many individuals with disabilities have incredible hobbies, but I go to work every day–and I have never once wheelchair fenced.
Representation matters. Multiple studies have shown that media representation affects self-esteem, identity, and social inclusion. Positive, authentic portrayals of minority and marginalised communities enhance belonging and self-worth while negative and stereotypical depictions reinforce harmful biases and lead to further social exclusion. Research also indicates that exposure to relatable teachers, role models, and mentors contributes to academic success.
Unfortunately, disability often remains the “silent D” in DEI. In my experience, this exclusion stems from inexperience, unawareness, and trepidation rather than any intentional ill will. Still, excluding disability from the conversation furthers inauthentic representation and misunderstandings about what it’s like to live with a disability.
The good news is that television and film have begun to pay more attention to the way people with disabilities are represented. This focus has sparked discussions about cripping-up and casting actors with disabilities in roles where their disability is not the focal point. The 2021 Academy Award win for Troy Kotsur, along with films like CODA, An Irish Goodbye, and The Peanut Butter Falcon—and the careers of Marlee Matlin, RJ Mitte, and George Robison—demonstrate the progress being made.
But media representation extends beyond entertainment. Stock images appear in news outlets, corporate websites, advertisements, trade magazines, and elsewhere, shaping everyday perceptions. We stumble across them casually as we scroll through social media, read blog posts, shop online, and more. More than a billion people worldwide have a disability, yet just two percent of stock images depict them, and Getty’s research found that 75 percent of these visuals place them in medical or caregiving settings.
Depicting people with disabilities in professional settings isn’t just about authenticity and accuracy—it’s about visibility.
Media representation shapes the way we perceive who belongs in certain spaces. In both Europe and the US, the unemployment rates for individuals with disabilities are almost double those of their able-bodied counterparts. For those who secure jobs, inaccessible environments, technologies, and equipment can pose unique difficulties. Showing people with disabilities as active participants and leaders in their fields challenges unconscious biases, disrupts preconceived notions, and reduces social exclusion. Stock images featuring professionals with disabilities can increase their workplace visibility and highlight the need for more accessible workspaces.
Getty’s grant applicants will be judged by a panel of creative industry judges and disability activists, and photographers and videographers with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Three successful applicants will receive grants of $10,000, $7,000, and $3,000.
Both the “Disability in Focus” Creative Grant and The Disability Collection are positive, productive efforts. However, Getty’s Disability Collection makes up less than .5 percent of its 477 million assets. And while the $30,000 grant is a meaningful investment, it’s a small fraction of the $135 billion combined revenue of Getty Images and Verizon Communications in FY 2024.
Nevertheless, these efforts matter. They have real and important effects on individuals around the world. At a time when corporate DEI initiatives are being scaled back throughout the United States, Getty Images and Verizon are choosing to double down on disability inclusion in the workplace. The significance of both the decision and the timing shouldn’t be overlooked.
Applications for the Creative Grant closed on Friday. I can’t wait to see the winners.