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The Association of People with Disability (APD) has launched AS i AM, a national photography and videography movement challenging the way people with disabilities are represented in India’s visual culture. The initiative invites photographers, videographers and visual storytellers across India to capture the real, everyday, joyful and diverse lives of people with disabilities, creating a permanent visual repository that changes how disability is seen. Submissions are open until midnight on October 31, 2026, with winners to be announced on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, December 3, 2026. The three categories are Best Entry, Best Emerging Storyteller, and Best Photographer with a Disability, with prizes in cash and kind, one-on-one mentorship, global stock image library access with royalties in perpetuity, public exhibition opportunities, national media features and APD certification as a Certified Disability-Sensitive Visual Storyteller.
AS i AM is supported by a distinguished jury comprising filmmaker and screenwriter R. Balki, cinematographer Santosh Sivan, BBDO India Chairman and CCO Josy Paul, Nirvana Films founder Sneha Iype, Indian para-badminton champion Manasi Joshi, filmmaker and visual artist Ishaan Nair, Know Disability founder Mohit Ahuja, and Indian School of Public Policy co-founder Luis Miranda. Tanishq from Titan Company, as Lead Sponsor, and the Azim Premji Foundation have joined as anchor supporters. Pelki Tshering, Chief Marketing Officer, Tanishq, said the initiative celebrates the rich and layered lives of people with disabilities and aims to change the conversation around disability. Jacob Kurian, The Association of People with Disability (APD), urged visual storytellers across India to use their perspectives to show what has long been overlooked.
Manasi Joshi, Para Badminton Champion and Jury Member, AS i AM, highlighted the need to change the way people with disabilities are represented in everyday imagery. Founded in 1959, APD is one of India’s oldest disability-focused organisations and has worked for over 67 years across healthcare, education, employment and advocacy in urban and rural South India. To participate or learn more, visit www.asiamapd.com or contact asiam@apd-india.org. More information about APD is available at www.apd-india.org.