Power 100 The Power 100 2019 #disabilitypower100 Britain’s most influential disabled people The Power 100 2019 1 Power 100 2 shaw-trust.org.uk Power 100 Welcome Welcome to the 2019 Shaw Trust Power List, a celebration of the 100 most influential disabled people in Britain. Our sincere congratulations to our top 100 influential people who have been nominated and judged by their peers to be role models, advocates, campaigners, activists and social changers. Reading each person’s story, it is clear that there is still a huge way to go to achieve equality and inclusion, but that incredible progress is being made – in the public arena and in private spaces, digitally and in real life, to many lives and to individuals – and that these changes will benefit society as a whole. Thank you to everyone who nominated someone who they felt was influential this year. Year on year the number of nominations we receive is astounding as the level of awareness and inclusion increases. But we still have much to do to create a fully inclusive and fairer society. As last year’s winner, Alex Brooker says in his interview with us (page 128): “Soaps and comedies need more disabled people in roles where it’s not all about their disability because we live normal lives too. You don’t get a lot of that in programmes. But the more you get, the more normalising it is.” This year’s nominees have come from a diverse range of sectors and have been nominated by members of the public, colleagues and those inspired by their stories. I am very grateful to the chair of our judging panel, Kate Nash and to our panel of excellent judges who volunteered their time to read and qualify every entry. And while choosing the top 100 has been a huge task for our judges, I hope in the coming years this task becomes harder as more powerful, influential and everyday role models are nominated for the Shaw Trust Power List of Britain’s most influential disabled people. Our work with the Power List aims to change perceptions of and normalise disability, tackle social exclusion and, as importantly, provide role models for the young and talented leaders of tomorrow. Since 1982, Shaw Trust has been supporting disabled people, creating opportunities for employment, independence and social inclusion. We have now grown to be one of the top 25 charities in the UK supporting people from all backgrounds and abilities across the country and internationally. Our purpose is to help to deliver a fairer more inclusive world, in which accessibility is the norm and not the exception. We work closely with government, employers and local authorities to challenge the status quo, opinions and crucially close the disability employment gap by creating opportunities for all. Chris Luck Chief Executive, Shaw Trust The Power 100 2019 3 Power 100 Inside Pages 3 11 23 Arts, Fashion and Business, Finance Education Public Design and IT and Third Sector 51 62 83 Entertainment Media and Politics and Law Publishing 90 103 111 Sport Judges Choice The Top 10 Features 117 128 132 Feature Hall of Fame In memory Caroline Casey Alex Brooker Mike Oliver 4 shaw-trust.org.uk Arts, Fashion and Design Arts, Fashion and Design The Power 100 2019 5 Arts, Fashion and Design Andrew Miller Arts Consultant, Campaigner & Broadcaster For 30 years Andrew Miller has been blazing Advisory Forum and is Disability Advisor a trail across arts and broadcasting. He to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Andrew is began in children’s television presenting also the UK Government’s first Disability Channel 4’s Boom! in 1989, a ground- Champion for Arts & Culture, establishing breaking series that integrated disabled the role as a powerful platform to children with their non-disabled peers at a campaign for greater inclusion across time when education was largely segregated. the arts, museum and film sectors. As one of the first generation of disabled presenters on mainstream British television, In all these roles, Andrew advocates for Andrew became known for pushing his limits disabled people as artists, employees parascending and crashing hot air balloons. and audiences aiming to improve training and employment opportunities alongside Later moving behind the camera, Andrew promoting equality of experience. made BAFTA nominated documentaries on leading artists such as Antony Gormley and Andrew says: “I want to use my influence Gerry Rafferty. He then switched careers to further democratise our national culture, again and established a new arts centre at to ensure it is accessible to everyone.” He the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama is currently developing a free national arts in Cardiff, becoming the first wheelchair access card for disabled audiences and user to run a major entertainment venue. exploring how an Inclusive Cultural Strategy could make the UK’s arts sector the most Uniquely, Andrew is a member of the accessible in the world. In 2019 Andrew National Councils of both Arts Council was shortlisted for Lifetime Achievement England and The Arts Council of Wales. at the National Diversity Awards. He is a trustee of Welsh National Opera and UK digital arts agency The Space, chairs the British Film Institute’s Disability 6 shaw-trust.org.uk Arts, Fashion and Design Kat Pemberton Activist model & vlogger Kat is a 22-year-old disability activist, about how disability can be represented model and vlogger from Yorkshire. She better in the fashion and beauty industries. began vlogging on YouTube to share, and demystify, her day-to-day life as a young In 2017 Kat made a short, snappy film with woman with Spinal Muscular Atrophy type Fixers UK about disability stereotypes and two (SMA2). Aware that many people the awkward comments she is fed up of cannot get past the wheelchair, Kat uses hearing, and spoke on ITV news about it. online platforms to educate others. She shares her interests, experience and Kat adds her disability perspective to creativity along with what her life is like conversations in the LGBTQ+ community as a young disabled gay woman: including (such as about physical access at Pride very ordinary things like shopping, going to parades) and adds her LGBTQ+ experience college and spending time with friends. to conversations about disability. Kat took part in HSBC’s Portraits of Pride campaign, She says: “Something that I try to live by as one of four LGBTQ+ campaigners who is ‘People will stare, give them something had their portraits painted and displayed to look at!’ Just as I’ve grown up with throughout the UK during Pride month. strangers staring or asking invasive questions. I feel strongly motivated to challenge Recently Kat has been appointed as Yorkshire people’s perceptions, whilst having fun regional champion for national disability and embracing my individuality!” organisation AccessAble. She promotes AccessAble’s accessibility information through Kat loves fashion and beauty, with a personal videos and media appearances. She has also style she describes as: “80s Barbie and run workshops in schools and colleges (with mermaid.” She joined modelling agency students and tutors) and given talks at events Zebedee Management and has modelled including the Women of the World Festival. for the BooHoo ‘All Girls’ campaign. Kat also took part in a BBC 5 Live discussion The Power 100 2019 7 Arts, Fashion and Design Natasha Trotman Inclusive designer, maker, researcher Natasha is an artist, inclusive designer, differently, building empathy, growing sensory maker and researcher whose work focuses repertoires and expanding sensory lexicons. on mental difference and neurodiversity She has exhibited widely, creating sensory as a way to foster new conversations workshops and exhibits at huge cultural and new approaches to the world around institutions and organisations including The us. Her work examines different ways of Victoria and Albert Museum, The London experiencing and processing the world Design Biennale at Somerset House, the - from people with hidden disabilities National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain. and neurodivergent communities such This year Natasha has been working as a as people with dyspraxia and autism, Research Associate at The Royal College through to people living with dementia; of Art’s Helen Hamlyn Centre for Inclusive she also works with neurotypical people. Design as well as at The Wellcome Collection Hub on their Design and The Mind Natasha studied Information Experience Research project. She recently co-authored Design (IED) at the Royal College of Art a universal design and higher education and has a Masters degree in IED, with a in transformation (UDHEIT) paper on co- background in Graphic Design, Inclusive creating with neurodiverse communities. Design and Data and Systems analysis from Oxford. She is also a special educational Natasha is a Fellow of the Royal Society needs/disability (SEN/D) practitioner of the Arts and a Member of the Chartered working with children and young people Society of Designers and has been with disabilities. Combining these various honoured at 10 and 11 Downing Street. strands that she calls transcendence, Natasha Natasha is currently an artist in residence is able to hover over her varying skill set; at Somerset House’s Studio 48 and has creating interactive, playful provocations, been selected as a 10x10 emerging Artist objects and creative dialogues which invite by the British Council and will be featured audiences to sense and explore the world in this year’s London Design Festival. 8 shaw-trust.org.uk Arts, Fashion and Design Samanta Bullock Model, designer, athlete Samanta began modelling aged 8. In 1992, Northern Ireland. She participated in London aged 14, a bullet wound left her with Fashion Week and Fashion’s Finest as both life-changing injuries and she has been a model and a panellist.