From the
About Us section of Amputee World:
This website is the brainchild of my wife who lost her left leg above-knee after a tragic traffic accident. Ever since she was a child, my wife had dreamt of becoming a professional model. However, the eye-opener came when she entered a model competition a couple of years ago. Being ashamed of her physical condition my wife had hidden the fact that she was wearing a prosthetic leg. It was only during the last round of the contest when the judges eventually noticed the artificial leg. My wife was disqualified straight away.
Ultimately, this harsh experience was the driving force to create a website in order to help people with physical disabilities to work as professional models. ampworld.de also intends to encourage people with disabilities, tries to lift their optimism and hopes to help to overcome bias in order to reduce prejudices against all physically disabled worldwide.
Sadly, society’s general acceptance of disabled people - as models and as people who, and despite their physical challenges, manage to lead a normal life - strongly varies from country to country. For example, it is rather commonplace in the United States to wear prosthetics without any cosmetics. The Netherlands even stage an annual modelling contest for disabled people which is fully covered on television on a Saturday evening primetime by one of the largest broadcasting companies of the country. However, and predominantly in some of the eastern European countries, people with disabilities are widely discriminated against and find themselves often being socially outcast. To anyone with a disability, this kind of intolerance is a devastating strain on a positive outlook on life. Unfortunately, we have had more than one opportunity to witness this with our own eyes. Needless to say that we were shocked, distressed and grieved.
Inevitably, we cannot change all these long-standing stereotypes, intolerances and inequality issues in many countries simply over night. However, we strongly believe that every little success helps to lift the optimism of those who are concerned and conveys the important message that no-one on this planet should be coerced into a feeling of inferiority simply because of a physical disability.
Our aim is to demonstrate that, firstly, “beauty” and “disability” are by no means contradictory terms. Secondly, disabled people are as happy and have the same quality and standard of life as their able-bodied contemporaries (just why do the latter always think otherwise?). Thirdly, working as a professional model is possible. And last but not least: there is no point in worrying about finding the right guy, girl, partner or soul mate, and also no reason to hide from the world because of a physical disability.
Pictures and video-clips from our photo shootings are regularly published in our Member Area. All membership fees are used to organise and pay for future photo shootings, to carry out social projects as well as for the supply of advanced prosthetics for our models.
From the About Us section of Amputee World:
