A multi-award-winning campaigner has been named the most influential disabled person in the UK.
Celia Chartres-Aris, a campaigner, lobbyist, investor, and policy designer from Laverstoke, who now lives in Whitchurch, has been named the most influential disabled person in the UK in the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 2024.
She has been recognised for her campaigning, which led to the reinstatement of the Secretary of State for Disability post after it was cut by the last government.
She has also raised awareness of employment discrimination in national articles about her personal experience and lobbied for better laws and greater inclusion to improve equality for disabled people internationally.
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Speaking about being a role model for disabled people, Celia said: "We are consistently stereotyped about what we can and cannot do.
"No. We decide what we can and cannot do, we have strength, talent, and capability, it is not for others to determine these attributes about ourselves."
She added: "I hope that my impact has been one of effective and causal change, driving forward inclusive law and policy around the world."
Celia is joined in the top 10 by adaptive fashion designer and campaigner, Victoria Jenkins, who hosted her debut runway show in 2023 and has since won plaudits from Vogue.
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Victoria said she hopes her work "has made people feel seen, that they can dress how they want to with the same freedom as non-disabled people".
In third place is Robbie Crow, a disability inclusion leader whose work at the BBC has included BBC Extend, the corporation’s project to increase diversity in their workforce.
Robbie said: "The biggest advice I can give to disabled people remains ‘be confident in your access needs.’
"We know our requirements best and should feel confident to advocate for the support we need."
The Disability Power 100 awards are publicly nominated and judged by a panel of 25 disabled champions.
National charity, Shaw Trust, runs the Disability Power 100 to raise the profile of disabled talent and challenge the disability employment gap head-on.
Head of Disability Power 100, Alona De Havilland, said: "The Disability Power 100 is all about creating change, it celebrates ambition and achievement, and plays a role in challenging society’s perceptions of disability by recognising the strengths, contributions and successes of 100 disabled individuals each year."
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