Times Square Takeover for Usher Syndrome Awareness Day 2025

The billboards will feature a sampling of the striking portraits of individuals and families living with Usher syndrome taken for the Usher Syndrome Society’s Shine a Light on Usher Syndrome Exhibit over the last decade. The photographs have been taken by renowned photojournalists including Evan McGlinn, Gigi DeManio, and Lauren Petracca.

Please note that we tried to include as many people as possible from our Shine A Light Portrait Exhibit, however, not everyone could be represented.

You will also see footage from two powerful awareness commercials created by the Usher Syndrome Society. The first commercial features Rebecca Alexander, award-winning author, psychotherapist, keynote speaker, disability rights advocate, and extreme athlete. The second commercial features the Mullarkey family, in particular, Michael Mullarkey, the youngest of five children, who was unexpectedly diagnosed with Usher syndrome at 1 year old. Together, these commercials begin to depict the wide spectrum of experiences that define Usher syndrome.