Defying the Myth

Defying the Myth is a deeply personal photographic project that has evolved over more than a decade. It chronicles the untold stories of single mothers who create safe and enduring worlds for their progeny living with severe disabilities by award winning London based photographer Carol Allen-Storey.

What began as a photographic project soon became a true collaboration with these families. Over time, through shared trust, vulnerability and care, this project has grown into something much larger—a community, a network, a family of its own. The book also features drawings, artworks, poems, and testaments made by the women and the children.

The book shines a light on the struggles, and triumphs of three single mothers raising children with severe disabilities. This project is more than just a story of survival—it is a testament to love, creativity, and hope. In it we meet mothers Shoulana, Annalisa and Nicola and their children Kallan, Mekhye, Gabriel, Maria, Jaffa and Nuch.

Carol said: “I initiated this project to create a vibrant voice for primary caregivers raising children with disabilities. The goal is to raise wide public awareness about the challenges of raising these children and the impact it has on family life. The book is an empathetic profile of the families and triggers a mandate to initiate opportunities to improve the quality of their lives”

She adds, “Defying the Myth is a celebration of resilience—an urgent and necessary story that challenges misconceptions, amplifies unheard voices, and redefines the way we understand disability and family.”

Also included in the book are forewords by Clarissa Ward, Chief International Correspondent CNN and Fiona Shields, Head of Photography for The Guardian News and Media.