People of Determination form part of the world’s biggest minority, but despite the community’s size, these individuals are often shut out from the spotlight in their respective industries. People of Determination is only an umbrella term for anyone living with a disability, yet the complexity of different types of disabilities is more than often taken for granted and not individualized per disability.
We have gathered influencers of determination from all walks of life and across the world, whom you should follow to rejoice in their triumphs and achievements that’ll remind us of the joys of living boundless to the constraints of society’s expectations.
Top 5 influencers of determination changing the perspective of disability representation on social media
Tess Daly
Makeup is an expression of art, beauty, and self-love and no one shines brighter than Tess Daly. Beauty and fashion influencer, Tess Daly is a disability activist and embodiment of not letting living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2 get in the way of her and her makeup brush.
What sets Tess apart is that she creates a safe space for people of determination to get inspired by fashion and beauty by not letting the exclusive industry get the better of them. There is a clear lack o representation within the fashion industry, as all its luxury runways and coveted exclusivity hinders people of determination to find their place within a field they care about. Tess is changing all of this as she has worked with some of the most reputable names in the beauty and fashion industry, including M.A.C Cosmetics UK, BPerfect, Primark, Boohoo, and Pretty Little Thing to be the face that people with disabilities can look up to.
Ellie Goldstein
You might not know her name, but you sure have seen Ellie’s face plastered on billboards across the world and graced some of the most renowned pages of beauty magazines. Ellie Goldstein is a 20-year-old model with Down Syndrome, tackling the representation of people with determination in the modeling industry.
Similar to Tess Daly changing the representation of fashion inclusivity, Ellie is doing the same for a cut-throat and highly unrealistic modeling industry that has come under scrutiny for being exclusive to body types, ethnicities, and gender.
Ellie has made history by being the first model with Down Syndrome to feature in huge luxury brand campaigns like Gucci Beauty and being the brand ambassador for Adidas. Be sure to follow Ellie to stay up to date on how her beauty is breaking barriers for other aspiring models.
Bernadette Hagans
Bernadette Hagans is a 25-year-old influencer of determination who had her leg amputated to stop a rare form of cancer from spreading. The ambitious influencer has not let living with a disability distinguish her from other influencers as she travels the world and documents her extraordinary life for her thousands of followers to see. A true beauty with killer style, she often embraces her prosthetic leg and even shows it off as a form of pride that she overcame and conquered cancer.
Bernadette has even received the prestigious Diana Award for her work promoting and celebrating difference and inspiring children and young people diagnosed with cancer. A true activist and lover of life, Bernadette is definitely an influencer of determination to follow.
Samantha Renke
If there is one influencer of determination that does it all then Samantha Renke is at the top of the list. Samantha has an array of accomplishments behind her name from being a broadcaster, actress, columnist, and author to podcast host, speaker, consultant, and disability activist; a true mouthful to say the least! She was born with osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bones disease) and she has broken her bones more than 200 times.
On 21st July 2022, Samantha released her autobiography You Are The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread, in which she shares how she went from being a young girl who was constantly underestimated, to succeeding in becoming a strong independent woman who followed her dreams and stopped letting other people hold her back.
Eddie Ndopu
Eddie Ndopu is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed activist, influencer of determination, and humanitarian from South Africa. Eddie’s diagnosis of SMA, similar to Tess Daly, at the age of two, was only given a life expectancy up until 5 years of age, yet today at the age of 31, Eddie has become a beacon of hope and a world leader of representing the possibility for people with disabilities.
Eddie has no limits to what he can do or contribute to the world as he is one of the United Nations Secretary-General’s 17 officially appointed advocates for Sustainable Development Goals and a global champion for human rights. What makes Eddie as an influencer of determination even more inspiring is that he exceeded society’s expectations of people with disabilities and intellectual capabilities by academically excelling at the prestigious University of Oxford, having a Master’s in Public Policy.
Eddie is currently setting in motion plans to deliver a televised address to the UN from space, to inspire greater ambition around the Sustainable Development Goals. This will make him the first physically disabled person to travel into space.
Stay tuned to all the latest news by subscribing to ITP Live’s newsletter below.