Giles Duley, photographer. Awarded the first IC2A Inspirational Medal.

On 8 May 2017, Giles Duley, photographer was awarded the first IC2A Inspirational Medal after his nomination by Laura Burgess to give the inaugural IC2A Inspirational Lecture during the opening ceremony of the 16th World Congress of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics in Cape Town, South Africa.

Following a call for nominations from the IC2A Amputee Association members and the ISPO Board members, Giles Duley was selected from a shortlist of ten excellent nominations by a panel of two representatives of IC2A and two representatives of ISPO.

About Giles Duley

Giles Duley, Hon FRPS, worked as a successful fashion and music photographer for ten years. However, having become disillusioned with celebrity culture, he decided to abandon photography and left London to begin work as a full-time carer. It was in this role that he rediscovered his craft and its power to tell the stories of those without a voice.

In 2000, he returned to photography, personally funding trips to document the work of NGOs and the stories of those affected by conflict across the world. In 2011, Duley lost both legs and his left arm after stepping on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Afghanistan whilst photographing those caught up in the conflict. He was told he would never walk again and that his career was over. However, characteristically stubborn, Duley told his doctors “I’m still a photographer”, and returned to work less than 18 months later.

Duley has since documented stories in Lebanon and Jordan, and went back to Afghanistan in October, 2012, to complete his original assignment. His return was the feature of the award-winning documentary, Walking Wounded: Return to the Frontline. His work has since been featured in numerous papers and magazines, and he has talked about his experiences on television, radio and at several international and national events. His TEDx talk was voted one of the top ten TED talks of 2012.

Duley is a Trustee for the Italian NGO Emergency and ambassador for Sir Bobby Charlton’s landmine charity Find A Better Way. In 2013, he won the May Chidiac Award for Bravery in Journalism and the AIB Founders Award for Outstanding Achievement, and was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.

 

Presentation of the 2017 IC2A Inspirational Medal