How Did We Get Involved In The Disability Rights Movement? DR UK Staff Blog Series! Part Four

We have launched a new blog series that goes into the personal and activist history of Disability Rights UK staff members. This came about after a Team Day exercise where we each shared our pathway into the disability movement, and learned just how much history and passion lies within our own staff body. There are so many personal stories we wanted to share! In the fourth part of the blog series, we'll hear from Kamran, Ella and Fazilet about how they became involved in the fight for disability rights.

Kamran

Kamran got into the disability rights movement due to a combination of personal experiences and a lifelong commitment to the not-for-profit sector. Having contracted polio as a child and using a wheelchair, he has firsthand knowledge of the barriers that Disabled people face. His time in both special and mainstream schools underscored the critical need for inclusive education, shaping his belief that everyone, regardless of disability, deserves equal opportunities.

Leading Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) for the past 20 years, including his tenure at Aspire and Action on Disability, has further fuelled his passion for advocacy. Joining Disability Rights UK (DR UK) in 2017 as its CEO was a natural progression for him. Throughout his career, Kamran has been driven by the desire to ensure that Disabled people have better opportunities than he did. This motivation is reflected in his involvement with various organisations, from serving on the boards of the Lloyds Bank Foundation and Wheels for Wellbeing to his previous roles with the Candoco Dance Company and Inclusion London.

Recognition, such as being listed in the Shaw Trust’s Power 100 and receiving the Celebrating Diversity award, is gratifying, but the true measure of success for Kamran is seeing a more inclusive society where everyone, regardless of their abilities, can thrive. This commitment to inclusion and diversity continues to drive his work every day.

Ella

Ella has always been deeply passionate about making a meaningful impact in the charity sector, which naturally drew her to Disability Rights UK. With a background in business management and over three years of experience as an Executive Assistant, Ella brings a blend of organisational expertise and strategic insight to her role at DR UK.

Ella was particularly inspired by DR UK's vision of creating an inclusive society where Disabled people have equal power, rights, and opportunities. The organisation's mission to support the Disability Rights movement and campaign for the rights and justice of all Disabled people resonated with her personal values. She is driven by the organisation's commitment to bringing the lived experiences of Disabled people into every aspect of its work and challenging policy makers, institutions, and individuals to remove existing barriers.

Fazilet

Fazilet has only been in the DPO sector since 2020. Despite losing her sight as a child, she was initially in denial about being Disabled, feeling self-conscious and embarrassed. She didn’t want to be different. It took her a long time to get her head around the fact that she was different, and that difference was her.

Fazilet has always cared about injustice – she trained as a laywer and wanted to fight injustice.

She worked for local authorities, then a disability charity. She worked hard to improve the representation at that disability charity, and pushed for lived experience to be heard. She also worked on improving governance, ensuring it was led by visually impaired people. However, it was still a non-disabled led organisation.

Coming to DR UK has brought her in touch with Disabled people directly. DR UK feels like the right place to be, where she can be authentic. It has emphasised even more to her how important representation is, as an organisation and within the workplace.