London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Meet The Model Pushing For Opportunities For Creative People With Disabilities

Meet The Model Pushing For Opportunities For Creative People With Disabilities

"If your whole team looks like you, that’s a problem. The world is so diverse, and that should be celebrated. "

Disability has been an issue that society has been grappling with, even as diversity is now at the forefront of people's’ attention — but Jillian Mercado has been thinking about this form of representation for a long time. The model and actor has used a wheelchair since childhood as a result of muscular dystrophy. As her modeling career took off, she worked with friends studying photography and began to notice the lack of physical diversity on sets. Now, she is using her platform to open doors for other creatives with disabilities who may otherwise get overlooked in the fashion industry.

This past summer, Mercado, along with her sister and a close friend, started the Black Disabled Creatives database in order to connect people with companies and brands who were preaching the values of diversity amid the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. The site offers a roster of creatives from all different backgrounds and will begin posting job listings soon. Mercado spoke with BuzzFeed News about this initiative in a phone interview that touched on the power of representation, and the need for greater discussion around disability.

How did you get started?


I had always felt like the loneliest person on the planet. I would go to school in a wheelchair and be like, OK, where are the rest of us? So I had this idea in my mind from a very long ago to expand representation. After an ad campaign with Diesel went viral, people were messaging me, being like "I always wanted to be a model, but I didn’t think I could be," and they were right. Unless it was for a hospital or a charity, the opportunities just weren’t there. I was pretty lucky at the time that the creative director and I met at an event and hit it off, and it went from there. I’m still pushing true representation, which is not about checking boxes; it’s about actually giving chances and realizing that this should have been the way to go from the beginning.



I had dabbled in being the creative director of a magazine called We the Urban, where I created photo shoots and editorials. I always noticed being on set, both in front of and behind the camera, it was always the same kind of people. It wasn’t diverse at all. It was really frustrating to know that my friends and the people that I went to school with are out there, and these magazines just don’t give opportunities or see beyond the box that is given.

When I was behind the scenes, I made sure to give opportunities to others and provide access to everyone, knowing that it is really, really hard to break in. It was just like, I had to help my Latin community out; I had to help my LGBTQ community; I had to help my disabled community. The fashion industry has this really bizarre style of hiring models who are really tall, really thin, and Eurocentric, and America is more diverse than that. That’s not what I see when I go out, when I meet people. So when I had the opportunity to mix that up and show that there is beauty in every single person, that we shouldn’t be limiting the definition, I took that opportunity in full force.


Multidisciplinary Artist The Lady Ms. VaginaJenkins is one of the artists involved with Black Disabled Creatives.


Where did the Black Disabled Creatives database come from?


I was looking through my stories on Instagram, and I noticed that a lot of people were posting about Black-owned restaurants, Black-owned bookstores, with the emphasis that they were Black-owned. I unfortunately noticed that disability was left out of the conversation.

In my lifetime so far, it’s always been hard to bring disability into the forefront, for reasons that honestly I still don’t know myself. As someone with a physical disability, I do my best to talk about it as much as possible. I come from a background of Dominican parents. My dad is Black and Dominican, so I know firsthand how different the world is for us out there — and especially combining that with my disability, I know of so many disabled Black people out there.

There was no way for others to really understand how magical this group of people is, and they don’t get the opportunity to really exercise and showcase their work. I chose to focus on creative people because that’s my background. I wrote down a few ideas I had, and it started as a Google Excel sheet, and I called out to people who follow me on Instagram, asking for recommendations.

I want to use the opportunities that are given to me to help connect those brands and companies that are preaching about being more inclusive, being more diverse, and being like, “Hey, why don’t you include people with disabilities in your workplace? If you’re a creative director, if you’re putting together a photo shoot for a magazine, how about hiring a photographer who’s disabled?” Just so that we can move the needle forward. We also need a conversation about disability because 1 out of 4 people have a disability, and it’s insane how we don’t talk about it.

A friend of mine who is a web developer was like, “Hey, I’d love to help you with this.” The website is fully accessible as far as disability goes, so there are apps for [people who are] hard of hearing, or if someone is blind, for that matter. I wanted to create a platform and a place where not only can creatives and brands hire these people, but people themselves who are submitting their work can get to know there’s a community like them, who are dedicated to their work, so that they can create a sort of community.



Are you coordinating with other collectives or groups on this?


At the moment, no, but it’s something that is definitely in our list, as our organization gets bigger and reaches more people. We are in talks with a few people about joining forces, but it’s literally only been a few months, so that is likely to happen later this year or next. At the moment, we’re all alone.

Can you talk about the Instagram account?


Social media can be such a beautiful place. It really helps people visually connect with other people. We did this account so that we can educate who may not know or what to learn about the community, to further the conversation, so that people can come across a post, feel that they’re not alone if they relate to it, and to know that there are so many great disabled people out there as far as famous people who maybe you didn’t know had disabilities, and also people who are living their best lives and need an extra push to access their to a larger community.

We hope that people can understand that disability has always been here, and we should not disregard such a huge group, especially since anyone could become disabled at any time. That is not something that should be feared, but should be accepted. And we hope that we can provide support that even if that happens, if things are not the same as they were before, they can still enjoy life just the way they are. We always come together as a community and help each other out. I wanted to remove the fear of disability, which, unfortunately, is so implemented in us, in representation, so I wanted to highlight these talents in the most beautiful way.


Activist, model and speaker Wesley Hamilton

Last year, we really noticed the power of social media with any protests or social justice movements, and last year was really about showing images and getting into that emotional connectivity as far as how close we all are in reality. Especially with this presidency, everyone is saying we’re so divided, and in many ways we are. But if we stop and listen, we’re also so interconnected and intertwined. The great thing about this country is how much we’re willing to help each other through empathy and sympathy.


Any final thoughts on representation of people with disabilities?


If your whole team looks like you, that’s a problem. The world is so diverse, and that should be celebrated. There is not one type of look. It’s a positive thing to include those people and to speak up for those people who don’t have access. A lot of companies are really ableist and do things that impact us mentally, and that should be addressed. Our community is huge, and we welcome anyone who is curious or who is afraid, and know that we have a lot of patience and a lot of creativity to give.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×