Jen Vogus uses photography to help people with disabilities communicate. Through her Able Voices program — at Franklin High, Centennial High, Borderless Arts Tennessee, Project 22 — Jen teaches people different ways of seeing the world around them and shares with them how they can communicate through their photographs to communicate: what they consider beautiful, or who they consider important, or what they want, or why they do something the way they do something. The adage that “A picture is worth a thousand words” means that complex and sometimes multiple ideas can be conveyed by a single still image, which conveys its meaning more effectively than a verbal description. In tonight’s class, Jen will introduce you to some free apps that will help you do creative photography.

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center has a free exhibit from January-March featuring photographs by some of Jen’s students from Centennial and Franklin High Schools. The images represent the young adults’ strengths and/or depict the people, places, and things that are most important to them and that define them as individuals. This experience amplifies the voices of the participants and illustrates the power of self-expression. There’s another free exhibit called Kindred Stories: Civic Engagement and Disability, featuring photographs (taken by Jen) of Tennesseans with disabilities and their families who are using their voices to vote, to educate legislators and policymakers, and to stand up for their own rights for the right of others.