Team Peri Step Out of Line

The cultural landscape around disability often overlooks beauty, fashion, and art; they’re seen as “extras,” not essentials. But for many of us in the disability community, those creative pillars are just as vital to identity and self-expression. Xian Horn's nonprofit, Give Beauty Wings, recognizes this truth. Their work reminds the world that inclusion in art and design matters, that everyone deserves to feel seen in beauty.Too often, society assumes disabled people should simply be content with what they have, no matter how limited the options, even something as basic as shoes. Expanding access to beauty and fashion isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a movement toward greater equality, one that ripples far beyond what we wear.

When you have a visible physical disability, you face two options: spend your energy hiding your differences, or accept who you are—and if people stare, let them. This was the beginning of Angela Yoder Stepping Out of Line and into the life she wanted. As a photographer, she captures people in the moment by interpreting their unspoken thoughts and feelings through the lens of her camera. Yet for years, she didn’t admit what she was asking from others: to be transparent and live their own unique truth. She soon recognized that it was time for her to be open about her life, her medical challenges, and all that is in between so that others like herself would not feel so isolated and alone.

Dana Arschin is a 3X Emmy Award-winning journalist, mother of two, granddaughter of an Auschwitz survivor, and a dedicated Holocaust storyteller. Her life’s work is centered around one mission: ensuring the stories of survivors are never forgotten. Her dream was to ‘make it’ as a journalist in New York, and that journey began at News 12 in Brooklyn. She later joined Fox 5 NY, where she launched a powerful series featuring interviews with Holocaust survivors. The rest, as they say, is history.But when we say “never again”, what do those truly mean? As history continues to repeat itself, it’s fair to ask whether telling these stories really makes a difference for the next generation. The simple answer is yes. These testimonies—whether from the Holocaust or other genocides—are sometimes all we have left, and as such, it is our collective responsibility to keep their memories alive. And still, it is often times more complicated than that.

How many times must someone be tested to prove they can handle anything? Ramy Gafni, author, comedian, makeup artist, and CEO of Ramy Cosmetics/Ramy Beauty Therapy has been tested—again and again (3 times because why not?!). From beating cancer to managing type 2 diabetes and surviving a near-fatal moped accident that left him with a traumatic brain injury, his resilience, perseverance, and dark sense of humor have carried him through it all.Despite these challenges, Ramy built a successful career while maintaining an infectious positivity (which he more than likely inherited from his mother). His sharp wit and humor led him to perform in comedy clubs across New York City prior to the pandemic. Though currently on hiatus, he hopes to return to the stage again.

Seamlessly integrating her passion for adaptive fashion design with her career as a costume designer/wardrobe stylist in the entertainment industry, Lynn Brannelly decided to maximize her superpower for the greater good. Presented with an opportunity to work with models of all abilities at Runway of Dreams with Alexander Andronescu (her now business partner in their adaptive adventure, Sewn Adaptive) at New York Fashion Week. Lynn came to the realization that she had at last found her passion. As soon as she entered and embraced the disability community, she naturally fell into the adaptive design world and began to make considerable headway into filling the gap existing between fashion and its accessibility through design. Undiagnosed with Dyslexia up until the age of 35, Lynn was often ashamed and very much aware of her limitations. As with any protagonist of a story, Lyn’s weaknesses soon became her strengths as she realized that her disability and the way that she was able to uniquely envision design and its adaptability was easily her biggest attribute and superpower.