25 people who are changing the face of disability

We believe in breaking down barriers here at The Brain Charity and we want to try to enable people to live the life they want by providing the services that we do. We thought that for our 25th birthday we’d look at people who are changing people's perception of what disability is and how they’re using their public platform to break down  barriers that still exist.
So here’s our top 25 influencers who we think are pretty good at what they do!

	Dame Sarah Storey Sarah is Britain’s most decorated female Paralympian of all time and holds 75 World Records.
	Ade Adepitan Ade is a Paralympian and TV presenter. He uses his public platform to campaign for disability rights, does a lot of charity work and is Patron of Go Kids Go!
	Alex Brooker Alex is a TV presenter, comedian and sports journalist. He’s probably best known for co-presenting Channel 4’s ‘The Last Leg’. He holds a journalism degree from John Moores University and began his career with the Liverpool Echo.
	Liz Sayce OBE Liz is the CEO of Disability Rights UK Britain’s leading Disability Rights organisation which is dedicated to creating a society where everyone can participate equally.
	Patrick Burke Patrick is one of the founding members of People First Merseyside. He helped to set up the group in 1988, after leaving long-term institutional care, with the aim of getting people with learning disabilities to speak up and to make sure they have a chance to be listened to.
	Liz Carr Liz is a comedian, actress and disability activist. She is probably best known for her portrayal of Clarissa Mullery in the BBC series Silent Witness.
	Melanie Reid MBE Melanie is a columnist with The Times newspaper, she writes a ‘Spinal Column’ every week, a very honest account of her life as a tetraplegic raising issues around quality of life and dignity. She was appointed MBE in 2016 for her services to journalism and disability rights.
	Madeline Stuart Madeline is an Australian model. She has appeared on the New York Fashion Week catwalk twice and has since appeared in Vogue. She has been described as the world’s first professional model with Down syndrome.
	Tom Dowling Journalist and editor of the charity newspaper ‘All Together Now!’ Tom was left with a spinal injury after he was shot by Afghan bandits during an overland trip in the 1970s. He has gone on to become one of the region’s leading voices on disability issues.
	Katie Piper Katie is a TV presenter, writer and campaigner. She’s written several self help books around body image and set up the Katie Piper Foundation that aims to raise awareness of the plight of burn victims and other disfigurement injuries.
	Dr Ian Basnett Dr Basnett is a doctor and was appointed as Barts first Director of Public Health. He is an advocate of independent living and a campaigner for a right to life for people with disabilities. He also writes for the Guardian newspaper and lecturers at the London school of Tropical Medicine.
	Tom Shakespeare Tom is a social scientist who has published many works around the conceptualisation of disability, during his time at the World Health Organisation, and co-authored the report on World Disability. He’s a regular contributor on Radio 4 and enjoys performing stand-up comedy.
	Sophie Morgan Sophie is a TV presenter, artist, designer and consultant. She’s a Patron for Scope and an Ambassador for Parallel London the fully assessable fun run open to all ages and abilities.
	Jack Carroll Jack is a comedian and actor. He first came to the nation's attention when he competed in Britain’s Got Talent aged just 14. His stand-up comedy routine challenged perceptions of disability and he went on to finish as the runner up in the series. He won a Pride of Britain Award in 2012.
	Eyi Reimer Eyi became the first person with Down syndrome to reach the base camp of Everest, where he arrived in 2012. After a full year of preparations he demonstrated that he had the physical strength, the mental focus and the discipline needed to get there.
	Dave Thompson Dave is the founder and Event Co-ordinator of Disability Awareness Day, the world's largest 'not for profit' voluntary-led disability exhibition, which is held annually in the grounds of Walton Hall Gardens in Warrington. He was awarded an MBE for his services to disabled people in 2001.
	Baroness Jane Campbell Baroness Campbell co-founded and directed the National Centre for Independent Living and helped pioneer work in civil rights, peer counselling and equal opportunities for disabled people.
	Frank Gardner OBE Frank is a journalist and is currently the security correspondent for BBC news, he was appointed an OBE in 2005.
	Dame Ann Begg Ann is a former MP who was the first permanent wheelchair user to be elected to Parliament for over 100 years. Her DBE was awarded for services to disabled people and equal opportunities.
	Pablo Pineda Pablo was the first student with Down syndrome in Europe to obtain a university degree. He has gone on to become a writer, speaker and award winning actor.
	Ruth Gould MBE Ruth is the Artistic Director of the Liverpool based disability arts organisation DaDaFest.
	Ash Atalla Ash is a TV producer and writer, he produced both of the award winning shows The IT Crowd and The Office.
	Sir Philip Craven Sir Philip was a Paralympian who won several medals at the Paralympics. He went on to become the 2nd president of the International Paralympic Committee, staying in the role for 16 years.
	Ruby Wax OBE Ruby is an actress, lecturer and mental health campaigner and holds her OBE for services to mental health.
	Sir Bert Massie, In Memoriam No list of disabled influencers would be complete without our beloved Patron Sir Bert who sadly passed away earlier this year. Sir Bert’s contribution to improving the lives of people with disabilities was far reaching; he fought for accessibility to buildings and transport and was instrumental in securing the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995. He believed in negotiation and a gradualist approach and his quiet powers of persuasion brought about great changes in society. He was a one off who treated life with good humour and the disabled community will be forever indebted to him.