People Of The Year Awards 2009 Shortlist
Person of the year
Mike Adams for his leadership in – among other things – creating sustainable and successful user–led organisations (ULOs). Mike has turned Essex Coalition of Disabled People into a beacon ULO: empowering disabled people to influence local services, forging new partnerships, delivering first class services, and setting up a think–tank.
Joyce Cook, for her tireless campaigning for real equality and inclusion for disabled football fans. Joyce has transformed the National Association of Disabled Supporter into a powerful force for change, battled for access improvements to stadia and facilities in the UK and secured a new Centre for Access to Football in Europe.
Ravi Low–Beer of the Public Law Project for working to challenge local authorities that fail to comply with their legal obligation to promote disability equality, in partnership with disability activists from Hammersmith and Fulham Coalition Against Community Care Cuts (HAFCAC)
Alison Olsen for helping to drive forward disability equality across leading financial services group Scottish Widows and effectively supporting fellow disabled staff.
Andy Wright for pioneering barrier–free tourism and accessible holidays for disabled people. He has built and sustained a hugely successful award–winning company – Accessible Travel and Leisure– which has transformed holiday and leisure opportunities for disabled people.
Disabled Young Person of the Year
Andrew Bird, Patrick Fitzgerald and Katie Fraser for establishing the only employment preparation project run by and for disabled young people in the country. WorkABILITY has supported and mentored over 50 young disabled people so far.
Riam Dean who wears a prosthetic arm brought a successful DDA case against global fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch when they took her off the shop floor and consigned her to the backroom.
Anthony Ford–Shubrook followed up a landmark DDA case on access to the sixth form college of his choice with broader campaigning for better education opportunities, access and inclusion for disabled students and children in the UK and South Africa.
Hadleigh Youth Centre A group of 10 young disabled people from the HYC in Essex who were tired of being told what they couldn’t do and are in the process of completing their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award fresh from a gruelling expedition along the River Wye by canoe.
Stuart Mangan who sadly passed away in August 2009 made a huge impact on attitudes towards young people with severe spinal cord injury. Injured in a rugby accident, Stuart used Dragon access technology to live life to the full. Before this death he was pursuing ideas for technological innovations that would improve independent living for others affected by spinal cord injury.
Sophie Morgan, disabled artist and TV presenter has campaigned for more disabled people onscreen and set up innovative campaign IMperfect to draw attention to disability discrimination and offer support to other disabled people who have been the victims of inequality or prejudice.
Trailblazers – a network of 160 young people living with muscle disease or a related condition – for their powerful Inclusion Now! Campaign. Their reports on accessible transport and higher education have empowered others and influenced politicians and the media.
Jamie Robertson has dedicated his career to fighting for equality for disabled people and was recently part of a 5 News undercover investigation into the accessibility of shops, transport and services in London. He currently works for Scope’s campaigns team where he travels round the country advising other disabled people how they can start their own campaigns on local issues.
Lifetime Achievement
Roger Berry MP has been a tireless and hugely effective campaigner for disability rights since he entered Parliament in 1992. Working across party lines he has led campaigns for independent living, full civil rights and an end to disability–related poverty and helped deliver real improvements to the life chances of thousands of disabled people.
Julie Jaye Charles has built a national movement for Black and Minority Ethnic disabled people and carers – Equalities National Council – from the bottom up. With 26 years of community activism under her belt she has played a key role in developing holistic advocacy services, promoting take up of direct payments in BAME communities and increasing user involvement in tackling race discrimination in mental health care.
Sir Bert Massie CBE has been a disability rights campaigner for 40 years. He has given commitment and passion to his work for disabled people’s rights in numerous roles including as CEO of RADAR, as Chair of the Disability Rights Commission (creating a formidable legacy) and latterly as Commissioner for the Compact between Government and the voluntary sector.
Doing Access Differently
The Aim Project – Bradford Talking Media which has trained people with learning disabilities to develop accessible health information. Their work on take–up of annual health checks has produced staggering results: the numbers of people with learning disabilities having health checks in the area has gone up from 73 (out of a total of 2,000 eligible) to 950 in just six months.
Nottinghamshire County Council for implementing Terry Gallagher’s idea of a Disabled Person’s Registration Card. The card helps people with hidden disabilities access the services they are entitled to and has made a real difference to the lives of the 1400 disabled people who’ve taken it up so far.
Post Office Ltd for its massive programme of access improvements. All 11,500 branches have been access audited and the results made available online and millions invested in access improvements such as hearing loops, ramps, inclusive signage, good colour contrast and textured flooring as well as awareness training for sub–postmasters.
Promote the Vote – Speaking Up. With funding from the Electoral Commission six young people with learning disabilities have delivered dozens of interactive workshops for other people with learning disabilities on getting involved in voting and democracy, inspiring and empowering hundreds to register to vote for the first time and feel confident to take part.
Safety First for providing and rolling out the first fire evacuation training scheme for drivers of taxis, minicabs and community transport vehicles which integrates effective training on safe evacuation of wheelchair users and other disabled passengers.
Doing Care and Support Differently
Cool2Care for making it easier for disabled children, young people and their families to access support. Their innovative approach has given families a freedom, flexibility and choice they just don’t get from standard provision.
Hasler Company Royal Marines is a new more personalised, joined–up care and support service for Royal Marines seriously injured in Afghanistan. Alongside support with initial recovery and rehab, marines will be retrained and supported back into employment.
Katy Etherington / PA Pool for the first dedicated website for PA users who are recruiting and PAs looking for work with over 4,000 members. It makes the recruitment process cheaper and easier, allowing disabled people and prospective PAs to interact with each other.
Southampton Centre for Independent Living for its pioneering work. It provides disabled people across Southampton and Hampshire with Direct Payments Support Services, peer advocacy and support brokerage services and is trailblazing individual budgets for people with continuing health care needs.
Vitalise New Horizons Centre in Derby helps people with sometimes complex physical disabilities get their life back, increase their independent living skills, manage their lives with less intensive support and access social, vocational and leisure opportunities in their community.
Services for Independent Living in Herefordshire has pioneered new ways of offering disabled people with high and complex support needs who can’t manage direct payments real choice and control over their own support. It is rated as ‘excellent’ by the Care Quality Commission.
Doing Careers Differently
The Association of Disabled Professionals for pioneering practical advice, peer support and networking opportunities for disabled people in professional and managerial positions and challenging the notion that disabled people should just stick to low–skilled, low–paid jobs. It provides in–depth support to disabled professionals to stay in top jobs, start their own business or update their skills and get back into professional work.
CHH Recruitment is one of the few recruitment agencies focused on taking positive action to break down barriers to employment – including senior, executive positions – for disabled people. With a trackrecord of boosting workforce diversity, CHH works in partnership with user–led disability organisations and is supporting leadership development programmes for disabled people.
Carers Federation – Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) for going above and beyond in supporting a disabled worker who thought their career was over to secure and excel in a top management job in the organisation, making a huge range of adjustments and demonstrating the benefits of investing in senior disabled staff.
Doing IT Differently
Ability Net for developing GATE – The Global Assistive Technology Encyclopaedia. With 33,000 users GATE gives impartial, timely and accessible information on assistive and adaptive technology for disabled people.
CBBC for their Accessible Newsreader which has made news and current affairs accessible to some of the most excluded disabled children, boosting IT skills and media literacy into the bargain.
Disabled Holiday Information for their unique and innovative website providing search facilities on accessible accommodation across the UK (vetted by disabled people and used by 22,000 people a month).
Jun Li of London Metropolitan University for working with Disability Essex to develop the ‘intelligent adaptive keyboard’: a software programme that can be used with any computer and that will support people with degenerative conditions stay in work.
Navevo Ltd for the development of the BBNav Sat Nav which tells you where to find disabled parking spaces, accessible toilets and a range of other accessible facilities.
Nuance Communications whose “Dragon Naturally Speaking” software has empowered those with the most severe spinal cord injury to send emails, text and change TV channels.
Scope/BT’s Wheeltop Project – a portable personalised computer system that gives disabled students with communication and other impairments a 'voice', equal access to a range of communication technologies and real autonomy.
Signed Stories – ITV SignPost, for creating a fully accessible, inclusive and fun webspace where deaf children can share the joy of stories with siblings, family, friends. Every story is available simultaneously in sign language(BSL), text, sound and vision.
Doing Money Differently
HSBC Bank for its proactive work addressing access to banking for people with learning disabilities and people with mental health problems. Having listened to its customers HSBC has ensured a range of consistent banking options are available to anyone who needs support with managing their money, improving opportunities for independent living.
Mind for their work on debt and mental health which has: encouraged financial institutions to provide an appropriate service to people with mental health problems; resulted in more advice and support about debt being available to people with mental distress (both directly and through mental health services) and helped people become more financially capable and confident in engaging with financial institutions. 56,997 people have also accessed money advice via Mind’s website.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People for providing 26,000 people this year with basic money advice and benefits assessment as part of a new holistic, individually tailored approach to advice and support and for generating £6 million worth of benefits for blind and partially sighted people as a result. Thousands of people are also now able to make informed choices about their retirement and tax situations through RNIB’s accessible publications and advice.
United Response/Association for Real Change for creating the unique “Making Money Easier” website and resources. This accessible on–line guide to choosing, opening and managing a bank account, complete with a glossary of easy to understand financial terms and pictures, was road tested with people with learning disabilities and forms part of a wider campaign on financial inclusion and capability for people with learning disabilities.
Doing Media Differently – factual
- Wounded – BBC One
- Otto: Love, Lust and Las Vegas – BBC Three
- Wicked – Remark! Production
- Hidden Camera News Piece with Jamie Robertson (Scope) – Five News
- Blue Peter – Children’s BBC
- A Mother like Alex – Sky Real Lives
- Tourettes: I swear I can’t help it – Prospect Pictures for BBC One
- The Autistic Me – Firecracker Films for BBC Three
- Time to Change TV advert and films: Schizo the Movie and Kids Party
- Life Flows Better With Visa – with Bill Shannon (advert) – Visa Europe
Doing Media Differently – Fiction
- Crisis Control – Children’s BBC
- Eastenders – BBC
- The Pursuits of Darleen Fyles – BBC Radio Drama
- Hollyoaks – Lime Productions for C4
- Emmerdale – ITV
