Our Story

A Mother’s Love

Nashville-area resident, Jen Vogus gave birth to a healthy baby boy in Spring 2002. Shortly after birth Aidan began having seizures and was not meeting age-appropriate milestones. Jen and her husband, Tim, would learn eight years later that his developmental delay was due to a novel chromosomal deletion (STXBP1). Because of this, Aidan has significant physical and intellectual disabilities and does not communicate verbally. When Aidan entered school, Jen wanted others to see all of the positive traits she saw in her son. She shared stories with his teachers about the things Aidan enjoyed and all that he loved to do, but the stories got lost shortly after they were told.

A Son’s Voice

Jen sought to share his interests and strengths in a more permanent and visual way. So her solution was to photograph the things Aidan relished and all that he was capable of doing. This opened up Aidan’s world! Teachers and peers learned about his favorite superheroes, extra-curricular activities, and the people he loves most. “This is so cool, Aidan! I like those things too!” his students said. The pictures helped people realize that Aidan is more like, than different from, other kids. These photos, which Jen began organizing in books, were a catalyst for him to build lasting and meaningful relationships with teachers and peers.

A New Passion

As a result of taking photos of Aidan through the years, Jen became interested in the technical and artistic aspects of photography and immersed herself in this visual medium. What initially was a solution to a problem, resulted in an outlet that is creatively, intellectually, and professionally stimulating. She is grateful to Aidan that she sees the world more closely now, noticing and appreciating those “little things” more than ever. Jen combined her passion for education, photography, and people with disabilities to create AbleVoices in 2018. She is the AbleVoices’ founder and executive director, but most of all loves working directly with the student photographers. View Jen’s CV and photography work here:

Jen's Website