Justin Cooper is a Black visual artist and disability advocate who has worked professionally in art and film since 2012. The lack of media representation amongst disabled people motivated him to work on his documentary film The Wheelchair Chronicles. As an advocate, Justin is the President of the Young Professionals Council at Access Living and works with the racial and social justice advocacy group AYLP (Advance Your Leadership Power). He also works as a committee member for the annual Chicago Disability Pride Parade, board member for Illinois Partners for Human Services (IPHS), and as co-host of the Crip Crap Podcast.
As an artist, Justin founded his own media company, Cooper Industries, in 2018. This company focuses on his filmmaking, film production, and photography work. In 2020, Justin was selected as a Junior Artist In Residence for the Disability Culture Activism Lab (DCAL) in conjunction with Access Living. In 2021, he was a 3Arts/Bodies of Work Residency Fellow. Justin views his work as a personal form of expressing himself. He combines his artist, advocacy, and activist work to highlight how disability is defined by societal, environmental, social, and physical barriers.
