From
The Daily Mail in the UK:
A group of disabled people have
stripped off for a daring new calendar celebrating the beauty of the human
form.
The brave participants, who included
Paralympic stars, followed in the footsteps of students, sports teams and
Women's Institutes for the 'Undressing Disability' calendar.
Proceeds from the calendar will go
towards a charity which encourages the disabled to enjoy fulfilling romantic
relationships.
The models - who suffer from
ailments such as cerebral palsy, blindness and deafness - posed in their
underwear in front of London landmarks such as Tower Bridge and the Houses of
Parliament.
Among those featured is Nicola
Miles-Wildin, who appeared at the Paralympics opening ceremony reciting
Shakespeare.
The 34-year-old wheelchair user, who
has juvenile chronic arthritis, is an assistant artist with the Graeae Theatre
Company, Britain’s only full-time professional theatre company made up of
disabled people.
July sees an appearance by England’s
first blind fitness instructor, James O’Driscoll. When he went blind almost
overnight, he refused let his disability hold him back.
Instead, he determined to break into
his chosen industry and was once named 'Man of the Month' by Men's Health
magazine.
Mr O'Driscoll's story is so
inspirational he ended up becoming a mentor to January's star, 23-year-old Josh
Lancaster, who was born with cerebral palsy.
While Mr Lancaster has limited movement
on his left side, meeting the trainer through charity ‘Enhance the UK’ inspired
him to pursue his life-long passion for the fitness and sport industry.
He now hopes to become a certified
personal trainer himself, and is looking to feature in the 2016 Paralympics in
Rio de Janeiro.
Also appearing is actress Kiruna
Stamell, who played La Petite Princess in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge and
appeared in EastEnders as Sandra Fielding.
Undressing Disability, a project by
Enhance the UK aims to celebrate disabled bodies which are normally ignored by
society.
Donations received from the calendar
go towards the charity's sex education scheme.
