มองชิคาโกในมุมที่แตกต่างผ่าน iPhone และ iPad
Adetokunbo “Toks” Opeifa loves exploring Chicago. She travels the city unconcerned about losing track of a planned route, immersing herself in her environment and capturing photos of her surroundings with her iPhone. “Chicago is a grid system,” she explains. “Even if you get lost, you don’t really get lost, you just walk in the opposite direction and you’ll end up somewhere.”
In the first grade, Opeifa, now 18, was diagnosed with cone-rod dystrophy, a retinal disorder that causes progressive vision loss and light sensitivity. This year, she is participating in Photography for All, a program for youth who have low vision or are legally blind, launched by nonprofit The Chicago Lighthouse in partnership with the city of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) and Apple. Over the course of the six-week program, participants have learned technical photography, coding, and career-readiness skills, but most importantly, they’ve gained tools to help them navigate the world around them independently and confidently.
Photography for All is part of the city’s One Summer Chicago youth employment initiative, which provides people ages 14 to 24 with internships and job opportunities at government institutions, community-based organizations, and companies throughout the city. Since 2017, Apple has supported the city’s One Summer Chicago program through its Community Education Initiative, helping create opportunities for youth to develop new skills with Everyone Can Create and Everyone Can Code guides. This summer, more than 200 students experienced opportunities in photography, videography, game design, coding, app development, augmented reality, and more through Apple-supported programs.
The Chicago Lighthouse provided each of the Photography for All participants with an iPad Air, Apple Pencil, and Magic Keyboard to support their creativity. The iPad setup offered an expansive screen with tools to shoot, edit, and share their work. Many participants, including Opeifa, also used their own iPhone to capture photos on the go, seamlessly switching between devices depending on their needs.
"I like when pictures tell a story. This program is a nice starting point for writing actual scripts because I’m learning [how] to actually portray visuals."
“I like when pictures tell a story,” Opeifa says. “This program is a nice starting point for writing actual scripts because I’m learning [how] to actually portray visuals.”
Opeifa prefers film and television as a visual medium to bring her stories to life, and she sees photo editing as a way to hone her screenwriting skills. “Screenwriting and editing photos are kind of the same thing — especially working with other people who are blind, you have to be very descriptive,” she explains.
“I never get to see myself represented in television as a Black woman who is also a visually impaired, legally blind individual,” adds Opeifa, who is heading to California this month to attend Chapman University to pursue screenwriting. “Television is a way for people to see themselves in different lights and different identities.”
Opeifa is just one of several Photography for All participants with bold, big ideas for their future. Lance Gladney, who is passionate about pursuing a career in art, hopes to produce his own anime franchise. Gladney joined the program to experiment with a new form of visual art. John Johnson — participating in the program for a second year — is interested in electrical engineering or game design. And Alaula “Aihua” Sprecher is considering colleges where she can study computer science, physics, and astronomy.
