Published TUESDAY June 3, 2025: See Me, Hear Me: A Mother's 'Fight Club' Pictures by 2024 Alan Hagman Grant Recipient ZUMA Press contract photojournalist Robin Rayne: For decades, disability narratives have been shaped by outsiders, stories told about, rather than by, those living the experience. See Me, Hear Me: Disability Nation is an in-depth documentary photojournalism project that gives voice to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to the families, caregivers, and advocates who fight every day to ensure they are seen, heard, and valued. These selected images from Robin's ongoing documentary project offer a glimpse into lives too often overlooked and devalued. For over 30 years, Rayne's photography has documented the disability community with depth, empathy, authenticity, and an unflinching eye. Welcome to See Me, Hear Me: A Mother's 'Fight Club'
© zReportage.com Issue #992 Story of the Week: Published TUESDAY June 3, 2025: See Me, Hear Me: A Mother's 'Fight Club' Pictures by 2024 Alan Hagman Grant Recipient ZUMA Press contract photojournalist Robin Rayne: For decades, disability narratives have been shaped by outsiders, stories told about, rather than by, those living the experience. See Me, Hear Me: Disability Nation is an in-depth documentary photojournalism project that gives voice to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to the families, caregivers, and advocates who fight every day to ensure they are seen, heard, and valued. These selected images from Robin's ongoing documentary project offer a glimpse into lives too often overlooked and devalued. For over 30 years, Rayne's photography has documented the disability community with depth, empathy, authenticity, and an unflinching eye. Welcome to See Me, Hear Me: A Mother's 'Fight Club'
BETH HODGES, single mother, with her 19-year-old son JACK, who has a rare seizure disorder called Dravet syndrome, as well as level three autism. ''He has the needs of a toddler in a man-sized body,'' she explains. Jack requires 24/7 care. Beth plans to leave the state once Jack has aged out of the state's education system at 21 years old. ''There's nothing for him here,'' she said.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
BETH HODGES enjoys 'coffee time' with her 19-year-old son Jack as they wait for a bus to a special school for children with developmental disabilities. Jack has a rare seizure disorder called Dravet syndrome, present since birth, which causes frequent, unpredictable seizures lasting from 15 seconds to minutes. He also has Level 3 autism the most severe end of the spectrum requiring extensive, round-the-clock care.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
ARRIELL BENNETT, a caregiver, helps JACK in the kitchen before his bus ride to school.''He has the needs of a toddler in a man-sized body,'' explains his mother, Beth Hodges. Jack once lived in a state-run residential school in Elgin, South Carolina, an experience Beth calls her worst mistake.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
BETH HODGES watches as caregiver ARRIELL BENNETT helps JACK with his jacket before his school bus ride to a special school for students with severe intellectual disabilities.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
Caregiver ARRIELL BENNETT helps JACK walk to a school bus for his ride to a special school for students with severe intellectual disabilities.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
ALLISON BIRD, a teacher at Melmark Carolinas, works with JACK COLLINS in a classroom at the specialized school in Charlotte for children with complex developmental disabilities.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
ALLISON BIRD, a teacher at Melmark Carolinas, works with JACK COLLINS in a classroom at the specialized school in Charlotte for children with complex developmental disabilities.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
BETH HODGES secures her son JACK in the rear of her SUV after collecting him from his school after he suffered a lengthy seizure.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
BETH HODGES steadies her son JACK as they enter their home after she picked him up following a lengthy seizure he suffered at his school.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
BETH HODGES comforts her son JACK after a seizure sent him tumbling to the ground outside their home following an earlier seizure at his school.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
BETH HODGES comforts her son JACK after a seizure sent him tumbling to the floor at home following an earlier seizure at his school.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
BETH HODGES joins her 19-year-old son JACK on the living room floor as he plays with a simple puzzle, feeding him a pudding snack. Jack has a rare seizure disorder called Dravet syndrome, as well as level three autism.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
BETH HODGES jokes with her 19-year-old son JACK, who has a rare seizure disorder called Dravet syndrome, as well as level three autism. Jack will age out of the children's education system at 21. And in South Carolina, the options for adults with his level of need are bleak.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
BETH HODGES jokes with her 19-year-old son JACK, who has a rare seizure disorder called Dravet syndrome, as well as level three autism.
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
BETH HODGES comforts her son Jack after a seizure sent him tumbling to the floor at home following a seizure at his school earlier in the day. For Beth, every day is a battle to protect her son's dignity, safety, and future. She calls it her 'fight club.'
© Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire
