I was elated — everything I had worked so hard for, committing myself to my school work, going on to study law at university , was finally coming to fruition. Then came the email. Please find attached our diversity and inclusion forms for employees. I ticked that I identify as disabled and needed reasonable adjustments, then sent it back, not thinking too much about it. Days later, I received a phone call from the interviewer, saying that they wanted to know more about my disability.
Happy to oblige, I explained and talked through the adjustments I needed — access to an accessible bathroom, permission to carry sharps and an agreement around attending medical appointments. That same day, I received an email that they no longer thought I was suited to the role and had chosen another applicant. After being forced out of full-time employment due to repeated discrimination, and feeling no other option than self-employment, I have long felt the struggle of fighting for equal pay.
They ignore the facts — and the person — before them. I have been humiliated and ostracised at work because I am disabled. That I am only there to tick a diversity box. So tired of the barriers of being disabled in business, undervalued, mistreated and without access to reasonable adjustment, I finally told myself that enough was enough.
Taking the biggest risk of my life, I left formal employment and decided I was going to work for myself , championing the removal of discrimination wherever I could. Today, I am a multi-award-winning campaigner, lobbyist, investor, and policy designer. I work closely with organisations, charities, and governments, advocating for improved equity of representation, inclusivity, accessibility, and opportunities for disabled people.
I am also the co-founder of the first policy unit in the UK that focuses on putting disability at the heart of Westminster called The Disability Policy Centre and Access2Funding, which transforms and the opportunities and outcomes for disabled entrepreneurs. I am incredibly proud of the work I have done to help shape the world for disabled people, around political representation, SEND education, business and the accessibility of the facilities around us. The barriers for disabled people in employment are rife.
