All the photographs on the PA’s Promise website (except for family stories) are of actual Pennsylvania families. We are grateful to them for volunteering to serve as a representation of families in Pennsylvania. We are also grateful for the photographic talents of Cecilia Lee who photographed the wonderful families. Cecilia has a special commitment and passion for Pennsylvania families and ensuring their photographs reflect who they are.

Cecilia Lee has been working as a photographer since 2001. After attending School of Visual Arts in New York city, she moved to Seoul to continue her studies. While attending the Korean National University of the Arts, she started working as a performance photographer, photographing some of the biggest actors/performers in Korea.

After meeting Jacob, her husband of 14 years, who was just as busy being an actor in the theater community, they struggled when thinking about their future together, especially raising a family. They decided to wrap their careers in the arts and move to the United States to start a family and be full-time parents.

It wasn’t until their second child, Alex, was born with a medical diagnosis of Down syndrome that Cecilia decided to take photos again, only because when other people took photos of Alex, Down syndrome was the first thing that was visible.

Cecilia also realized that too many images of people with disabilities were taken like the medical reference images, and so joined by her husband, they teamed up with PA Early Intervention Services and Family Supports and started building a photo library of children with disabilities who were receiving early intervention services in Pennsylvania.

Their dream is to replace ALL of those medical reference-looking photos that depict disability and isolation with beautiful images of real kids who happen to have disabilities that show them as kids first, being surrounded by family and friends and included in their community.

They have also been having a great time meeting with and photographing adults with various disabilities and photographing typically developing kids and the professionals who love to work with kids of ALL abilities.

They are proud parents of two extraordinary kids–Isabelle and Alex.

Comments are closed.

Close Search Window