The Color of Life: A Thousand Words Photography Project

Everyone knows that "a picture is worth a thousand words" - but what if a picture spoke your only words?

The goal of The Thousand Words Photography Project is to give a voice to people of all abilities through the visual art ofphotography. An image stands on its own - you can't tell anything about the photographer by looking at a picture. And yet, a photograph becomes a window to a world, captured in a moment, with a story much deeper than initially meets the eye.

Teams consist of people with and without disabilities who collaborate and produce photographic works that relate to aspecific theme. The photographs are available to the public through art shows and ultimately are sold at a fundraising auction to support future project programming.

The inspiration for the project came from the 2009 documentary "Shooting Beauty" which chronicles fashion photographer Courtney Bent's career and how it changes as she meets a remarkable group of community members who have neverexperienced the thrill of capturing an image on a camera. By adapting cameras for people with disabilities and providing aplatform to share their stories, Bent discovers an entirely new perspective on the world she calls home. And she gains a whole new circle of friends in the process.ConnectAbility took the concept of sharing stories through art and added an opportunity to build relationships betweenphotographers of all abilities, ages and skill levels through the common interest of photography.

With the belief that everyone teaches and everyone learns, The Thousand Words Photography Project has resulted in almost a decade of friendships, unique perspectives, beautiful art and stories being told all over the community. ConnectAbility builds communities where people of all abilities are valued, included and empowered. We serve 6,000 individuals and families each year, connecting them through shared purpose, mutual respect and friendship.

All opportunities are provided at no cost to participants. Donations are welcomed and appreciated.