Local activist included in the Disability Power 100 list 2018

Heather Lacey has been named as one of the most influential people with a disability

A disability activist who grew up in Rochdale was announced as one of the most influential people with a disability in the UK at a reception at the South Bank Centre on Wednesday, 17 October.

The Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List is an annual publication of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK, receiving more than 700 nominations for the 100 places.

Heather Lacey, named as one of the most influential, began advocating for disability rights' through her blog, nosuperhero.co.uk, to provide an honest and open look at disability through her own lived experience. Heather’s writing aims to raise awareness of disability and the ways it interacts with other aspects of a person’s life.

Using her own lived experience of both cerebral palsy (CP), Scheuermann’s Kyphosis - a form of spinal curvature - and fatigue, Heather writes about the many ways disability influences other elements of her life.

Heather has also written articles for Scope and the Huffington Post, and more recently - as an Inclusion Ambassador for Inclusive Minds - she recently spoke at the Children's Media Conference regarding media accessibility and its' importance as part of the Changemaker strand, sponsored by BAFTA.

Heather graduated with a M.Res degree from the University of Hull, having written a thesis exploring how disability is portrayed in contemporary literatures.

She said: “I think we often forget that disability does not discriminate: it doesn't care who you are or where you're from. Now is the time we celebrated the disabled experience for the rich, positive, diverse experience that it is, and it is only through educating - and in turn empowering others - that we can begin to do so.”

Nick Bell, Interim Chief Executive of Shaw Trust - a charity helping to transform the lives of young people and adults across the UK and internationally, said: “The judges were beyond impressed by the standard of nominations but selected the most influential people who are proving that disability or impairment is not a barrier to success.

“One of our aims for the Disability Power 100 list is to demonstrate to young people that they can achieve their ambitions. At Shaw Trust we work with government, local authorities and employers to support people overcome barriers which hold them back from achieving their potential.”

The Disability Power 100 List is compiled by an independent judging panel, chaired by Kate Nash OBE, the world's leading authority in 'Networkology' - the science behind the growth of workplace networks and resource groups.