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The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) honored The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at its annual Leadership Awards Gala Tuesday night in Washington, D.C. The Church received the 2013 AAPD Image Award for “outstanding work in mass media which positively change public perceptions and opinions about people with disabilities.”
The award recognizes the Church’s representations of members with disabilities in its "I’m a Mormon" campaign profiles on Mormon.org. AAPD President and CEO Mark Perriello called the profiles "powerful," and said, "They tell the disability experience in a way that is real, no apologies, and it's absolutely astounding."
Ron Wilson, senior manager of Mormon.org, accepted the award and received a standing ovation from the audience. He said the goal of the campaign was to provide a glimpse into the lives of Mormons from all over the world, which naturally included members with disabilities.
“Mormons come from all paths of life, geographies, ethnicities, personal challenges, and abilities, but we are bound together by a common belief in Jesus Christ and a desire to follow His teachings,” Wilson said.
The Church works to provide resources for and meet the needs of people with disabilities. For more, see Church Provides Wide Array of Disability Resources.
More video profiles that share the lives of members with disabilities are below. See Mormon.org for more profiles of Church members around the world — over 120,000 as of February 2013.
More Mormon.org Profiles of Members with Disabilities
- Vance http://mormon.org/vance
- Rochelle http://mormon.org/rochelle
- Jarem http://mormon.org/jarem
- Lorin http://mormon.org/lorin
- Pierre http://mormon.org/pierre
- Denny http://mormon.org/denny
- Tessa http://mormon.org/tessa