Jim Rakete's portraits of disability
"We Are Many" is the title of star photographer Jim Rakete's series on disabled people. His exhibition in Berlin coincides with the main memorial event in the German Bundestag to remember the victims of the Nazi regime.
Human dignity shall be inviolable
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities addresses the issue of applying human rights to differently abled people. The German government its own bureau tasked with implementing the UN statute. Particular emphasis is put on inclusion. Pictured here are Monika Fitze and Karin Kersche.
A matter of equality
These photos come from Jim Rakete's Berlin exhibition "We Are Many" in the Paul Löbe House. The show is part of the 150th anniversary of the Bethel Institution, which has been taking care of young people with epilepsy in the north-western German city of Bielefeld since 1867. Today, the institution is one of the largest charitable outreach organizations in Europe. Pictured here is Jakob Buddenberg.
Resistance among health professionals
When the Nazi regime told the Bethel Institution to euthanize its disabled patients they refused by not listing the names of the patients concerned. Doctors working at the institution rejected the idea of being part of government-mandated "euthanasia," although they were symphatetic to practices of eugenics and sterilization in some cases. Pictured here is Friedhelm Fleischmann.
The stars of the show
Star photographer Jim Rakete explained that encountering people with disabilities in cities like Bielefeld, Berlin, Hanover and Dortmund was a unique experience for him. "These wonderful people we had the privilege of photographing really touched us deeply," he said. Pictured here is Aananthabairavy Pooventhiranathan with Jim Rakete.
The beauty of life
Jim Rakete's photos show people with various disabilities, ranging from epilepsy to mental illness to addiction. There's a moving honesty to the portraits, as they were taken in the subjects' own spaces: their homes, schools and work places. The majority are spur-of-the-moment shots - without any posing or make-up necessary. Pictured here is Amine Öngün.
More participation
About 7.6 million people in Germany have severe disabilities, 84 percent of whom were not born with their conditions. Jim Rakete is giving these people a voice. Vice-President of the Bundestag Ulla Schmidt said Germany's disabled population "still has to struggle to get noticed in any social setting." Pictured here are Katharina und Jakob Buddenberg.