Karina Sturm

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Bio

Karina is a freelance journalist from Germany who has lived in San Francisco and later Copenhagen for a total of nine years. She gained scientific knowledge through studying laboratory technology and working in research for several years. Due to a chronic illness and invisible disability, she found her passion for media production and has been working as a freelance journalist since 2013. In 2019, she finished her Master’s degree by producing a feature-length documentary called ”We Are Visible” to highlight how to improve reporting on people with disabilities in media. ”We Are Visible” has won a few awards, while Karina graduated with distinction from her journalism program. Karina’s main focus is to represent people with chronic illnesses and disabilities accurately in the media to reduce biases and stereotypes.
Furthermore, she loves producing multimedia content, including video, audio and text. Karina is co-hosting a German podcast called Die Neue Norm which runs on the radio, has authored two books – a German multimedia patient guide on the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and a book guide on ableism – and several book chapters, and currently directs a feature-length documentary called Props No More. Additionally, Karina is the editor-in-chief of a non-profit multimedia magazine published by Chronic Pain Partners and will be the News Director of the Global Disability News Network.
Karina also gives lectures, workshops and keynotes, as well as produces accessible live reporting with her team at Multimedia Inclusive. For a full list of her work, have a look here, or check out her CV.
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New Projects!

Much More Than That Title
he poster features a woman wearing headphones and speaking or singing into a microphone. She looks forward with focus. The background is turquoise. At the bottom of the poster, large white letters spell "Proud Stutter" on a bold magenta background. Blue wave lines, resembling sound or audio waves, run over the title. Below the title, in smaller white text, it reads: "A film by Karina Sturm." At the very bottom, on a red background, it says "Chronic Pain Partners Presents."
Logo Props No More, which is a purple microphone and text: Disabled Creators Tearing Down Media Barriere

Multimedia Inclusive

Logo Multimedia Inklusiv. A purple circle with three lines forming an M

Accessible reporting for all formats

Are you planning a documentary, podcast series, or accessible live event coverage – and want to ensure that disability is portrayed sensitively and without clichés?

Then you’ve come to the right place. We are an inclusive team of three media professionals specializing in accessible multimedia content – professional, authentic, and barrier-free.

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Film Projects

Film Festival Laurel: Official Selection Commffest Global Community Film & Arts Festival 2021
Black film festival laurel: Annual nomination, CFIFF, Changing Face International Film Festival, Best Documentary Feature, 2021
Festival Laurel: Official Selection, Meraki Film Festival, 2021
Black letters on white background: Official Selection, Accolade Global Film Competition, 2019

Articles

Audio

Ian Harding

Ian Harding is an actor, teen choice award winner, author, and passionate bird lover. Besides being known for playing Ezra Fitz, a controversial character on the show Pretty Little Liars, the 34-year-old is a passionate advocate for people with lupus, an empathetic son to a mother with the chronic condition, and an ally to people with disabilities around the globe. Journalist Karina Sturm speaks with Ian about his childhood in Germany, his acting career, his work for the Lupus Foundation of America, a future film project, his most kept secrets, the items he would bring to a deserted island, and disability language and ableism. 

Listen to my interview with Ian HERE.

Haben Girma

ABILITY Magazine’s journalist Karina Sturm met with Haben Girma, disability rights advocate, author and first deaf-blind Harvard Law school graduate on a sunny day in Palo Alto to speak about Haben’s advocacy, her book, the White House, the ADA, education, and employment for people with disabilities and much more.

Listen to my interview with Haben HERE.

Proud Stutter Podcast

ABILITY Magazine’s journalist Karina Sturm met with Maya Chupkov, co-host of Proud Stutter, a podcast trying to shift the narrative around stuttering. In this episode, Maya talks about growing up with a speech disability, why she created Proud Stutter and what she has learned from her advocacy work. Find out more about Proud Stutter on their website: https://www.proudstutter.com

Listen to the episode HERE.

Blogposts

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New Study Reveals Immune Dysfunction in Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome

The Norris Lab published yet another new research finding regarding hypermobile EDS: the involvement of the complement system. Chronic Pain Partners has recently reported about the Lab’s groundbreaking discovery of Kalikrein, a gene to believed…
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“It’s All in Your Head”: New Study Confirms What hEDS Patients Have Been Told for Decades

A landmark study has revealed what most people with hypermobile EDS (hEDS) already knew since disease onset: a staggering rate of psychiatric misdiagnosis among patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS). The study found that 94.4%…
A woman with a bun and an illustration of a spine along her spine
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New CCI Research: Understanding the Frequency of Neurosurgical Interventions in Connective Tissue Disorders

A recent study conducted by Ruhoy et al. investigates the frequency of comorbidities and the need for neurosurgical interventions in individuals with connective tissue disorders (CTDs), offering valuable insights into the multifaceted challenges…
11 Kapseln mit gelb und schwarzen Partikeln auf einem Tisch.
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New Pain Killer on the Market: Suzetrigine

Guest Article by Dr. Pradeep Chopra Summary The medicine is sold as Journavx, with the chemical name Suzetrigine. It works by blocking NaV1.8 channels, which are responsible for pain transmission along nerves. It only affects peripheral…
Much More Than That Title
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Much More Than That

One-liner: A family’s journey of finding their identity on the intersection of disability and queerness.  Synopsis:  Much More Than That is a 15-minute short film that delves into the lives of the Pollock family, who share…
A golden book cover: Fourth Wing

How Rebecca Yarros’ “Fourth Wing” Embodies Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome 

What if the hero of a bestselling novel shared your struggles—and your strength? Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing, the first book of a fantasy series, follows Violet Sorrengail, a young woman forced to join a brutal dragon rider academy and…
Logo Props No More, which is a purple microphone and text: Disabled Creators Tearing Down Media Barriere
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Props No More: Redefining the Scene: Beyond Representation to Authenticity

Props No More is an intersectional documentary produced by GADIM (The Global Alliance for Disability in Media) and highlights disabled creatives and their efforts to change the stereotypical narrative around disability. The feature-length documentary…
A close-up of a woman wearing headphones and speaking into a microphone. She has light brown, shoulder-length hair with blonde highlights. She looks forward with focus as she speaks into a black, professional studio microphone attached to a flexible arm. The background is blurred and neutral.
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Proud Stutter

Summary:  Proud Stutter is a short film featuring Maya, who grew up with a stutter she believed she needed to overcome, embarking on a transformative journey of self-acceptance. Realizing that stuttering is simply another way of…
a hand with purple gloves in a lab with a pipette
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Norris Lab Finds HEDS Gene: Kallikrein

Chronic Pain Partners is excited to share a significant breakthrough from the Norris Lab regarding hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). After a long wait, the research, spearheaded by Dr. Cortney Gensemer, identifying a genetic variant…
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  • Blogging

    Personal experience and information on Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and other chronic conditions and disabilities.

  • Podcasting

    Part of the German Podcast “Die Neue Norm”

  • Public Speaking & Advocacy

    Talks about EDS, chronic illness, invisible disabilities & guest blogs, podcasts and more.

  • Multimedia Inclusive

    My team and I produce accessible multimedia content for all platforms.

  • Disabled Journalist

    Chronic illness & disability / medicine & science journalism

  • Filmmaking

    Accessible documentary films about people living with chronic illnesses & disabilities.

  • Author

    German book about ableism and medical book about EDS