Gina Badenoch

• Founder and Chief Executive Officer
  Ojos que Sienten AC

Gina Badenoch is a professional photographer and the youngest of Ashoka's Fellows in Latin America when selected in 2008. Seven years ago, she decided to create photography workshops for blind and visually impaired people around the world as a tool through which they could be heard and seen with what they have. Badenoch is transforming expectations about what people with disabilities can achieve personally and professionally by focusing attention on the value they have as actors in society and their strengths, rather than what they do not have. Badenoch's organization, Ojos Que Sienten, uses a model based on photography and sensory experiences to change both blind and sighted people's understanding of human potential and the added value diversity can offer. Ojos Que Sienten is changing perceptions and breaking down the psychological barriers that prevent blind and visually impaired people from achieving full integration. Badenoch aims not only to include the visually impaired, but also to change perceptions towards disability around the world by focusing on ability.