Positive Images of People with Disabilities Now Available on Getty Images

Raleigh, NC, Sept. 13, 2007. Lorraine Woodward, owner of Raleigh-based Realistic Reflections, an online photo library that offers images of people with disabilities in the community, at work, and at play, is now offering its images through the internationally renown Getty Images, the world´s largest creator and distributor of visual content. Woodward started Realistic Reflections in 2004 based on her dissatisfaction with the lack of photographic representation of people with disabilities.

Realistic Reflections offers a growing library of stock photos that depict how people with disabilities are valuable, contributing members of society and communities and some of the obstacles people with disabilities face. Getty Images will represent up to 3,000 of Realistic Reflections’ images on its industry-leading website, http://gettyimages.com.

"The idea to create Realistic Reflections came out of a frustration from not finding images that not only represent the disabilities community, but that can also serve as both effective communications and advocacy tools,” said Lorraine Woodward, who also happens to have muscular dystrophy. "My hope is that these images will find their way into major marketing and communications campaigns in order to reach the disabilities community".

Woodward has owned a successful and growing communications business, Woodward Communications since 1993. Many of her clients are nonprofit organizations, some of whom represent people with disabilities.

While many communications professionals know the tools of the trade and can find and purchase images intended to target many different audiences, images of people with disabilities were scarce. In efforts to provide the same high-quality photo imagery to those interested in reaching the disability community, Woodward and her peers found virtually nothing available.

"By partnering with Getty Images, Realistic Reflections is now available to reach thousands of customers around the world who are seeking positive images of people with disabilities living their day to day lives", Woodward comments.

Lorraine Woodward is the current president and founder of Woodward Communications and president and founder of Realistic Reflections, both based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Triangle Business Journal named Woodward Communications the number four Top Public Relations Firm in 2003.

Realistic Reflections offers images of people with disabilities living active and engaging lives. In addition to offering the imagery on Getty Images’ website, Realistic Reflections offers nine different CD collections of images. To get more information about the CD collections, visit www.realisticreflections.com.

Founded in 1995, Getty Images creates and distributes the world´s best and broadest imagery collections. Each month, gettyimages.com serves an average of 3.2 billion thumbnails, 7.3 million total visits and four million unique users.