Kamran
Kamran got into the disability rights movement due to personal experiences and a lifelong commitment to the not-for-profit sector. Having contracted polio as a child, he became a wheelchair user when he got his first chair at the age of seven when he came to the UK from Pakistan, where he was born. As a wheelchair user, he has firsthand knowledge of the barriers that Disabled people face every day and at every stage of their lives. His time in special and mainstream schools underscored the critical need for inclusive education, shaping his belief that everyone deserves equal opportunities regardless of their impairment or health condition.
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 next generation of Disabled people have better opportunities and choices 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.