Adam Pearson is a 29 year old actor, presenter, campaigner, researcher and producer from Croydon. He has neurofibromatosis – a genetic condition that affects one in every 2,300 people and which causes non-cancerous tumours to grow on nerve tissue. In Adam’s case, the majority of these tumours are on his face.
As a result of his condition, Adam has been campaigning to raise awareness of neurofibromatosis and facial disfigurement for over a decade and always goes above and beyond for charities such as Jeans for Genes and Changing Faces to help break down stereotypes and encourage a greater acceptance of difference. Adam’s involvement as a patron with both of these charities has seen him giving speeches at multiple conferences and schools.
Adam’s tireless work to raise awareness does not stop there, as he has also made his presence felt in the media, both on the small screen and the big screen. As well as having appeared on Channel 4’s The Undateables in the UK, Adam also stars alongside Scarlett Johansson in Jonathan Glazer’s 2014 science fiction film, Under the Skin. He has also previously worked for the BBC.
In addition to this, Adam also developed, casted and presented Channel 4’s Beauty and the Beast – The Ugly Face of Prejudice, which not only provided insight and highlighted certain issues surrounding prejudice towards facial disfigurement, but also sparked debate within the UK on an issue which might not have otherwise been recognised.
Adam also does a great deal to highlight his own condition of neurofibromatosis, which affects one in every 2,300 people. He feels this is important due to the fact that although the condition is as common as cystic fibrosis, it is still relatively unheard of. His desire to highlight this condition has seen him work very closely with Dr Carly Jim at Manchester Metropolitan University to help raise awareness in wider society and to also make life easier for people who suffer from the condition. Such work allows people with neurofibromatosis to know that they are not alone and that they have a support network to fall back on.
Perhaps the most impressive thing of all is that Adam has managed to fit so much in between all of this. As well as obtaining a BA degree in Business Management and graduating from the University of Brighton in 2004, he has also undergone a staggering 31 operations.
Despite all of this, Adam has gone on to earn recognition for the awareness that he has raised, having been honoured with a RADAR Award for his work on iFace (Changing Faces’ young peoples’ website) and a Diana Award for his contribution to Changing Faces’ anti-bullying initiatives.
Adam has received over 300 nominations for the Positive Role Model Disability award at the upcoming National Diversity Awards.