Cool C.A.T.S. Club

When you look at an individual, what’s the first thing you see? It’s often the case that differences stand out to us first — differences in race, ethnicity, hair color, style, and more. Any number of perceived differences could stand out. For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their unique humanity is often clouded when their disability is the first thing that others notice — this often relegates these individuals to a place where the term “disability” becomes an identity.

Through his nonprofit, Positive Exposure, Rick Guidotti, an award-winning fashion photographer, challenges this mindset by capturing the beauty and humanity of those with differences. Positive Exposure utilizes photography, film and narrative to transform public perception of people living with genetic, physical, intellectual and behavioral differences.

This fall, The Resource Exchange, Chapel Hills Mall and the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR) are partnering with Positive Exposure to host an extraordinary photography exhibition, “The Spirit of Difference.” Among the exhibition’s stunning photo subjects are many of The Arc Pikes Peak Region’s own volunteer models. You can catch a glimpse of our models’ recent photo shoots at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center in the gallery above. And mark your calendars for Positive Exposure’s “The Spirit of Difference” Photo Exhibition: Saturday, October 8, 2016, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs.