Invisible No More: A Photographic Chronicle of the Lives of People With Intellectual Disabilities

For too long people with intellectual disabilities have been shut out of most societies around the world, or more accurately, they have been shut in---forcibly confined in mental institutions, quietly hidden inside their families' homes, isolated from public view as much as possible, and prevented from achieving the full potential that any human being inherently enjoys. invisible No More rights this wrong.

Words and Images from the Heart of Vincenzo Pietropaolo...

"When I began to work on Invisible No More, I truly had no idea of the intense involvement in people's lives that it would entail. To make the pictures, collect interviews, and simply spend time with people informally, I visited forty towns, cities, and villages. I broke bread---sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively---with over one hundred families and individuals in homes, workplaces, parks, schools, shopping centers, and places of worship from coast to coast. But it was much more than a journey across the land. It was a journey through a terrifyingly beautiful human landscape, a sea of humanity known as the disability community. Everyone needed to have someone listen."

In Invisible No More renowned photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo presents a moving photographic chronicle---a celebration---filled with more than one hundred dynamic images and thirty evocative stories of people with intellectual disabilities, those who may have been born with Down syndrome, autism, or who are "otherwise abled." Pietropaolo's photos tell their stories and his words provide context for their lives. Respect resonates on every page as he welcomes us into the daily lives of families and individuals who, in his words, "make raindrops, dance with wheelchairs, walk in the park, perform piano concerts, work for a living, and navigate through all the traffic ahead."

Vincenzo Pietropaolo is a documentary photographer and writer who has been exploring social issues for over thirty years. He artistry and social commitment have won him worldwide recognition. He exhibits his work frequently and has published seven previous books of photography, including Harvest Pilgrims: Mexican and Caribbean Migrant Farm Workers in Canada.