Like what the author Aaron Sussman said, “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever.”

Looking through a 4-inch screen, 30 kids with autism and Down syndrome had a fun-filled day interacting and taking snapshots of various animals during the Photography with a Difference (PWD) event on April 22, 2012.

The activity themed, "Bulakenyo Angels' Day Out," is one of the advocacy projects of Photography with a Difference: Touching Lives Through Photography led by topnotch advertising photographer John Chua. Aimed to promote equality among pwd (persons with disability) and non-pwd members of the community, the project is a collaboration between Canon Philippines, SM Cares Committee on Disability Affairs and SM City Baliwag. Project partners including the Provincial Government of Bulacan, Baliuag University, KFC, Greenwhich and Print Mart also shared generous contributions to show their support for the advocacy.

Together with their parents, kids from the Akapin Inc. were brought to the Manila Zoo and Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center in the SM Mall of Asia for a day tour. Each kid was paired off with a photographer from Bulacan Shutters Club and Artist @ Work who taught them how to take photos using a point and shoot camera. The event became a venue for children with disability to bond with their parents as volunteer photographers assisted them in taking photos. Indeed, their hearts became the true lenses of their hand-held cameras.

Likewise, photographers from the Canon Advocacy Team headed headed by Roy Van Morales took the chance to capture the beautiful moments of PWD children. These shots will then be included in an exhibit at SM City Baliwag.