(She/her) 2024 | Studying MSc Disability Studies, Rights and Inclusion, University of Leeds

I am a disability advocate with a passion to empower the voices of disabled people. However, my relationship with disability hasn’t always been what it is today. Growing up, I felt the discourse around disability didn’t allow me to positively identify with my impairment, nor did it give me the chance to explore what disability meant for me.

My mindset shifted when, in 2019, I delivered my TEDx Talk which focussed on societal perceptions of disability and how I’d begun to embrace my own. Since then, my determination to become a change-maker for and with other disabled people has enabled me to work on local, national and international projects. With expertise in centralising the voice children and young people in policy and practice, I have led on award-winning training offers, high-profile projects (e.g., within the UK Government’s Change Programme Partnership). Alongside this work, I’m a member of several influential Advisory Boards (e.g., Universal SEND Services, funded by the Department for Education).

In addition to my drive to amplify youth voice, I facilitate and promote accurate representation of disability within the creative industries. This passion has afforded me a plethora of opportunities, from curating a professional development workshop with internationally recognised artist, Jason Wilsher-Mills as the keynote speaker, to designing of a toolkit that provides actionable recommendations for arts organisations to develop accessible programming.

Having been accepted onto the Disability Studies, Rights and Inclusion MSc at the University of Leeds, I am eager to broaden deepen my understanding of the field and expand my professional network. Couple this with the privilege of being a DLN member and this year’s Internal Events Lead, I am certain that collectively we can bridge the disability employment gap, thus shaping the narrative around disability.