Kyle Jordan and Kimberley Burrows, are DLN members and previous Snowdon Trust Scholarship recipients, they have both been nationally recognised in the Disability Power 100 2023.
Kyle is a finalist in the category of Education, and Kimberley is recognised for her work in Visual Arts, Fashion and Design.
Kyle and Kimberley have been named in the Disability Power 100 as two of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK – working to break the stigma around disability to create a more accessible and inclusive world for all.
All about creating change, the Disability Power 100 celebrates ambition and achievement, and plays a role in changing society by recognising the strengths and talents of disabled people who are pioneers, changemakers and influencers.
Kyle is a finalist in the Disability Power 100 Education Category.
Kyle joined the Disabled Leaders Network after receiving a scholarship from the Snowdon Trust to study an MA in Archaeology and Heritage of Egypt and the Middle East at University College London.
Kyle has been passionate about Egyptology since the age of six, and ever since the age of ten his ambition has been to become the Director of the British Museum. Through his research, Kyle has become an internationally recognised early career scholar who specialises in the study of disability in antiquity. He is also passionate about tackling contemporary challenges within the social sciences and heritage sector; sitting on the Advisory Council of the British Museum, Kyle is a strong advocate for decolonisation and the imperative agency of scholars beyond traditional approaches. He believes in museums and other cultural institutions as strong potential agents of social change through education and engagement. Kyle previously wrote a blog for the DLN on Disability, Culture and Society – reflecting on his work and learning in academia to date.
After graduating from his MA, Kyle Jordan became the Curating for Change Fellow working with both the Ashmolean Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. He will soon be launching a display about his research on disability in Ancient Egypt and the Middle East, and a co-produced gallery trail on experiences of disability told through objects in the Pitt Rivers collections.
Reflecting on his inclusion in the Disability Power 100, Kyle said:
“It’s vitally important that the achievements and contributions of disabled people be recognised, both past and present. Not only so as to inspire a new generation of disabled leaders for the future, but to show how experiences of disability shape all our lives.”
Kimberley is a finalist in the Visual Arts, Fashion and Design category.
Kimberley is an interdisciplinary artist, disability advocate and model living and working in London. Kimberley first joined the Disabled Leaders Network after receiving a Snowdon Trust Scholarship in 2022, and has since graduated from an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art.
Kimberley’s artwork is informed by her sight loss. Shifting from illustration to painting, she developed accessible systems of creating to make outcomes which are both engaging and profound. Abstract painting, printmaking and poetry allow Kimberley to understand the world around her whilst, simultaneously, challenge her ongoing intimate relationship with grief and loss. Muscle Memory, spatial awareness and touch interplay to create dimensional surfaces.
You can find out more about Kimberley and her work here: https://www.kimberleyburrows.com/
Background of the Disability Power 100
A fifth of the UK’s population has a disability or impairment, however, there is very little recognition of successful and influential disabled people. Disabled people are more likely to be unemployed, and the gap is widening, and until we change the public perception of disability, to recognise strong, successful, influential people who are leaders in their field, this gap will continue. According to government figures the disability employment rate has increased by 9.2 percentage points from 43.4% in July to September 2013 to 52.6% in July to September 2022.
Previous winners of the Disability Power 100 number one spot have included comedian and presenter Alex Brooker, campaigner and peer Baroness Jane Campbell, BBC disability journalist Nikki Fox.
The 100 finalists were selected by an independent judging panel chaired by Andrew Miller MBE from more than 1,500 public nominations. Full details of this year’s finalists can be found on www.disabilitypower100.com.
The top 10 and all-important top spot, will be announced on 8 November from The Drum, Wembley. To receive updates please follow Shaw Trust on socials X; Insta;
LinkedIn or contact Powerlist@shaw-trust.org.uk to attend or cover the event.
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