Karina Sturm

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  • Black and white photo of Karina, a woman with short brown hair, a black hat, a black shirt is sitting behind a camera with a microphone attached.
  • Side view of a woman with short, brown hair holding a camera with a big microphone in front of her face and filming out to the ocean.
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Short Bio

Karina is a multi-media journalist and filmmaker from Germany who has lived in San Francisco for seven years. She gained significant 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 several movie awards, while Karina graduated with distinction from her journalism program. Karina’s main focus is to represent people with illnesses and disabilities accurately in the media to reduce biases and stereotypes. She thinks disabled journalists should be reporting on disability.

New Projects!

#AbleismusTötet

A heart with a knife through its middle.

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

Dr. Lilian Holm on EDS & Physical Therapy. Dr. Lilian Holm, a woman with shoulder-long brown hair and bangs, is sitting in her office, which is a large room with a turquoise wall behind her and an open fireplace. She sits on a beige chair and wears a black shirt and a delicate golden necklace. In the background is a treatment bench in the foreground two red flowers.
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EDSed Episode 2: Dr. Lilian Holm on Physical Therapy & EDS

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An illustration of a blue and purple nerve cell and a magnifying glass on yellow background. Text: New research on EDS, POTS & SFN. Small Fiber Neuropathy is a Common Feature in HEDS, Research Finds.
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Small Fiber Neuropathy is a Common Feature in Hypermobile EDS, Research Finds

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A super close up of a woman's face. She is smiling slightly and wears huge silver earrings and red lipstick.
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Hi, this is me: Karina

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  • Disabled Journalist

    Chronic illness & disability / medicine & science journalism

  • Filmmaking

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

  • Author

    Memoirs and medical books on EDS & other chronic illnesses.