About us & our mission
Are you ready to start thinking differently about disability?
Hi, I’m Lucy Reynolds
I’m founder and Managing Director of We Are All Disabled, as well as a public speaker, academic researcher, writer, blogger and advocate for disability rights.
I have cerebral palsy and my disability is an intrinsic part of who I am.
I am passionate about changing perceptions of disability through sharing my PhD research and lived experiences as a disabled person.
Who we are
We Are All Disabled started life as a blog and grew into a movement for positive change which aims to normalise disability as part of the human experience and close the binary divide between disabled and non disabled.
We work with the Affirmative model of disability which celebrates difference and the unique skills and attributes that disabled people bring to the workplace and wider society.
Through our Disruptor programme and workshops we help organisations to open up difficult conversations to challenge perceptions, attitudes and behaviours and create meaningful and powerful cultural change in a safe and supportive way.
If you’re ready to start thinking differently about disability then get in touch today and let’s start a conversation…
Get in touchMeet our team
Lucy is a social entrepreneur, public speaker, academic researcher, blogger and advocate for disability rights. She is Founder and Director of We Are All Disabled CIC and Chair of charity Disability North. She is passionate about changing perceptions of disability through sharing the insights and knowledge gained from her PhD research and first-hand through her own experiences as a disabled person.
Julia is a fellow founder and Director of WAAD and an experienced life and business coach; helping people to define and achieve their personal and professional goals. She has considerable experience working across the corporate, public and charity sectors. Julia is also a counsellor in training and applies her knowledge of integrative counselling theories to the Disruptor programme and workshops; particularly the core conditions of Empathy, Congruence and Unconditional Positive Regard.
Since 2001 Tony has been involved in Civil and Human Rights, including prominent work in LGBTQIA+ inclusion and Disabled Rights globally. Past work includes developing Universal Accessibility in the Mobile Phone industry and the goals for Reducing Inequality for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Tony has authored one of the world’s best-selling books on Inclusion and has received many national and international awards for his work.
Anne brings significant project management experience from a career spanning across cultural and creative industries. She has strong events management skills, previous understanding of being self-employed and TV experience. Anne also worked on the Creative Partnerships programme in schools; designed to develop the skills of children and young people across England, raising their aspirations, achievements and life chances.
Our Mission Statement
We are all disabled means different things to different people. Almost everyone has something that potentially limits their ability to fully participate in society, whether they identify as being disabled or not.
We Are All Disabled is a Community Interest Company that inspires people to think differently about disability through challenging perceptions, attitudes and behaviours in a safe and supportive way.
We want to encourage discussion and debate by providing space for people to share their experiences and talk about issues which they may find uncomfortable in order to inform, educate and inspire each other.
We Are All Disabled promotes the Affirmative model of disability which encompasses positive social identities grounded in the benefits of a lifestyle of being impaired and disabled.
Our aim is to normalise disability as part of the human experience and close the binary divide between disabled and non-disabled.
Our ultimate goal is to create a global community, founded in the North East, which promotes empathy and understanding in order to improve the everyday lived experiences of disabled people and promote the effective use of people’s unique and individual strengths, no matter what their ‘ability’.
Through coming together and recognising our shared humanity we can all learn to embrace our uniqueness, celebrate our differences and feel pride in who we are.
Get InvolvedGet Involved with WAAD
We are all about communication and connection; the more people who bring their ideas, talents and enthusiasm to WAAD the greater impact we can have. If you would like to get involved in our movement for positive change then we’d love to hear from you.
