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24 Genuine Portraits By Hilary Gauld That Shine A Light On Down Syndrome
Interview With Artist
For over a decade, photographer Hilary Gauld has been dedicated to capturing honest and powerful images of the Down syndrome community. What started in 2014 as a small project with the Waterloo Wellington Down Syndrome Society (WWDSS) has grown into a meaningful effort to change perceptions and promote inclusion through authentic storytelling.
This journey inspired DECADE, the 10th installment of Gauld’s collaboration with WWDSS, which was released on October 27th, 2024, during Down Syndrome Awareness Month. The DECADE documentary highlights the profound impact of Gauld’s work, featuring 62 individuals aged 1 to 36 and showcasing their diverse life experiences. Produced by Gauld and Digital Sabbath Film Company, it captures the journey of Gauld, WWDSS, and three families across three generations, reflecting on the progress made in media representation and the growing visibility of the Down syndrome community. For this article, we have collected 24 photographs from the series to share with you.
More info: Instagram | hilarygauld.com | decadedocumentary.com | x.com
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Rianna
"DECADE is the celebration of a photo series with the same individuals with Down syndrome every year for a decade. This series was created to mark this incredible milestone and the impact our community project had on the world," Hilary Gauld told Bored Panda.
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#2
Jonny
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 7 months ago
I read that as "He's got pizza"! Does look like he's holding an imaginary pizza.
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Roni Stone 7 months ago
That guy also got his own attitude! Love to see it.
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#3
Seamus
According to Gauld, when she began this series years ago, there was very little imagery of people with Down syndrome available online. What did exist was often low quality and reinforced harmful stereotypes. "I recognized the gap and committed my time alongside this community group to help build better imagery online with those who have Down syndrome to better represent their lived experiences."
#4
Evan
#5
Adam
"Each year, we took on a different stereotype and created a photo series around it to help educate our local community. This quickly grew and spread worldwide. Today, things look much different, and there is a far better representation of people with Down syndrome. We are proud of the work we did and will continue to do in this space."
#6
Faye
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 7 months ago
Ah, a fellow ginger! She, of course, carries it off much better than I ever did!
#7
Kira
#8
Noelle
#9
Ren
#10
Emma
#11
Kaia
#12
Zachary
#13
Chase
#14
Lucy
#15
Dadyar
#16
Jamie
#17
Amiera
#18
Liam
#19
Ella
#20
Taylor
#21
Colin
#22
Faith
#23
Jessica
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Forrest Hobbs 7 months ago
So much better than the celebrity dross BP seems to be filling up with. Every photo put a smile on my face. Thank you. A welcome antidote to the general badness of the news.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
What are we pretending that they aren't? Human beings? Because that's what they are. HUMAN BEINGS. We do not practice eugenics in civilized countries, nor do we classify humans as "less than" others just because they are low-functioning, have trouble communicating, or need constant care for their entire lives. I don't understand how you can look at these lovely photos of all of these wonderful individuals and DISMISS their humanity by saying "they're just playing dress-up". How repugnant. It doesn't matter if they need to be in care for their whole lives. It doesn't mater if they'll never drive, or have children. Is THAT what we measure a human's worth by? Whether they can drive a car or not? Whether they can marry and have children? I'm not married nor have children, so I guess I'm "low functioning" as well, by your definition, and I'm apparently worth just as little as an individual human being as these wonderful people in the photos are.
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Forrest Hobbs 7 months ago
So much better than the celebrity dross BP seems to be filling up with. Every photo put a smile on my face. Thank you. A welcome antidote to the general badness of the news.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
What are we pretending that they aren't? Human beings? Because that's what they are. HUMAN BEINGS. We do not practice eugenics in civilized countries, nor do we classify humans as "less than" others just because they are low-functioning, have trouble communicating, or need constant care for their entire lives. I don't understand how you can look at these lovely photos of all of these wonderful individuals and DISMISS their humanity by saying "they're just playing dress-up". How repugnant. It doesn't matter if they need to be in care for their whole lives. It doesn't mater if they'll never drive, or have children. Is THAT what we measure a human's worth by? Whether they can drive a car or not? Whether they can marry and have children? I'm not married nor have children, so I guess I'm "low functioning" as well, by your definition, and I'm apparently worth just as little as an individual human being as these wonderful people in the photos are.
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