I’ve been embedded in inclusion for as long as I can remember, though I didn’t always have the language for it, likely due to education and upbringing.
Growing up in a world that wasn’t built for me
When I was born, the world already had a box waiting for me, a neat little shape labelled with assumptions about what I could do, who I could be, and how far I might go. I didn’t fit inside it then, and I certainly don’t now.
Growing up disabled meant constantly facing barriers that weren’t designed with me in mind. Not because there was anything wrong with me, but because the world around me hadn’t caught up. In the 1990s it was heavily implied the problem is me and I was to be fixed.
I’m not disabled by my body or mind. I’m disabled by barriers, attitudes, and environments that refuse to stretch and accommodate me.
The spark began!
I didn’t want to shrink myself to fit the box. I wanted to challenge the box entirely. I wanted to create solutions for all the barriers disabled people like me were facing.
Over the years, I started to raise a lot of money for When You Wish Upon a Star (£175k). I published two books around living with Neurofibromatosis (NF1) and Scoliosis, and previously created an NF1 Community. I wanted to gain traction to raise awareness.
Growing up, everyone I came into contact with basically put me down, I would not go to university, and I certainly would not create a career out of what I love most. – Telling Stories and making a difference. My number one supporter though was my Dad
Seeing the gap first hand
When I was 21, I started my first full time job and I was straight in their to be a member of the Disabled Staff Network. The staff network chairs were carrying the emotional labour of whole communities, with little support from management. Since being a disabled parent, I have experienced first hand inaccessible systems and equipment and had to create my own solutions to this. As solo parents, we are juggling everything with no safety net and often not a reliable village. Employers need to look at their policies to ensure they are supported to bring their full self to work. I barely see myself represented on TV, storylines do not reflect my lived experience and presenters continuously use the incorrect wording. I recognise that feeling of being pulled in every direction while still trying to show up for others.
Why it matters!
That’s why I care so much about supporting people who are holding so much. They deserve space to breathe, to be heard, to be supported rather than stretched. They deserve someone who understands that “overwhelm” isn’t a personal failing.
At the core of everything I do is a simple belief. Belonging is about being welcomed as you are, not as a polished, edited version of yourself, but as the whole, complicated, brilliant human you’ve always been and for you to be fully respected.
I believe in workplaces, classrooms, and communities where people don’t have to apologise for their needs or hide parts of themselves to be accepted. I believe in storytelling that reflects disabled lives with honesty and respect. And I believe that when we remove barriers — physical, cultural, emotional people don’t just “fit in”. They thrive.
We’re in this together
That’s why I do this work. Not to help people squeeze into boxes, but to help reshape the world so fewer boxes exist in the first place. To ensure I can provide a platform to amplify what needs changing and provide you the solutions. We are all in this together.