Ingrid Pfau and Harper Nichols

Harper Nichols, Artist

Harper Nichols (pictured, right) is a December 2022 graduate of UAB, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in photography. She has always loved working with people and incorporating vibrant colors in her work, and her most recent personal projects relates to her own physical disability, cerebral palsy, that affects the use of her right arm.

In completing this project, Nichols has begun to feel less alone in her own experiences with ableism and internalized ableism. She has been very encouraged by the willingness of the participants to share their own experiences and stories – something she was previously hesitant to do.

“I hope you find this exhibition thought-provoking and encouraging. I would love for you to explore the resources we are sharing to better understand ableism and internalized ableism in regard to how we think about people with disabilities,” Nichols said.

If you want to learn more about her and this project, please watch the short video Strength in Vulnerability with Harper Nichols opens a new website.

Ingrid Pfau

Ingrid Pfau, Filmmaker

Ingrid Pfau is the Lead Digital Media Producer, School of Health Professions, UAB. She is one of five filmmakers that works for NCHPAD, and has worked with them for eight years now. Born with CP on the right side, she immediately connected with Harper’s story and wanted to document the process of the project “Strength in Vulnerability.”

Ingrid also allowed Harper to take her picture with regards to the concept of ableism and internal ableism for three hours at the very beginning of the project. During the photoshoot Ingrid had a seizure where she was unable to speak properly for over 30 minutes, but still function physically. After that photoshoot, Ingrid helped record or film the majority of the 19 interviews that are part of this project. With the assistance of Harper, Adrian Walston, and Matt Henton, she also edited the videos that are connected to each of the photos.

Vulnerability is something Ingrid connects with well since she has to tell people she has epilepsy when they first meet her since she does not want them to call 911, and instead simply give her emergency medicine that she always carries with her if she has a seizure in front of them.

Harper and Ingrid are friends now and they are both grateful to have met all the people that were willing to share their personal stories with them. If you want to know anything more about Ingrid’s personal story with regards to epilepsy simply look up her 2014 MFA film Seizing the Unrecorded opens a new website.