Photography, Inclusion, and the Right to Imagine

Associação F/SOS – Fotografia, Solidariedade e Obras Sociais believes in photography as a tool for inclusion, dignity, and social change. One of the causes that reflects this commitment most clearly is Dreams at a Distance (Sonhos à Metro), a project developed with CERCI Braga.

This project brings visibility to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, not through labels or limitations, but through imagination, desire, and authorship.

Dreams at a Distance is built on a simple but powerful idea: everyone has dreams, and everyone has the right to see them represented.

The Role of Photography

I, João Carlos, President of F/SOS, created the photographic images for this series. The portraits were developed in close collaboration with participants from CERCI Braga, respecting their pace, voices, and individuality.

Photography here is not documentation. It is a space of encounter.

Each image becomes a shared construction, where the subject is not observed, but actively involved in how they are seen. The camera becomes a bridge, not a barrier.

Through these portraits, dreams take form. Some are intimate, others playful, others deeply symbolic. All of them are real.

Inclusion Through Representation

People with disabilities are too often represented through absence, silence, or stereotypes. This project moves in the opposite direction.

Dreams at a Distance affirms visibility, authorship, and presence. It invites the public to engage with people not as categories, but as individuals with aspirations, emotions, and creative agency.

This approach aligns with the core mission of F/SOS, to use photography as a means of social inclusion, cultural participation, and human connection.

A Shared Commitment

This project exists thanks to a strong partnership with CERCI Braga, whose long-term work in supporting people with disabilities is grounded in care, respect, and empowerment.

At F/SOS, we are proud to stand alongside organisations that believe culture should be accessible, participatory, and inclusive. Dreams at a Distance is not a one-off action; it is part of a broader commitment to building a more just visual culture.

Because representation matters.
Because imagination belongs to everyone.

Because photography can, and should, be a space where all voices are seen.