Bossing It by Kate Stanforth

International Women’s Day (IWD) is held on the 8th March and it’s an important day for challenging gender stereotypes.  This year’s theme is “Choose to Challenge”.  The theme involves choosing to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality, which can all help create an inclusive world.  I’m incredibly fortunate to have women around me who are truly changing the world, a lot of whom I’m lucky enough to call my friends.  Included in those are many who have disabilities and who I think should be highlighted during IWD for the astounding work they do.  So, I’ve made a list of five disabled women who are bossing it by making the world that little bit better – enjoy!

Dr Amy Kavanagh

From her global #JustAskDontGrab campaign to launching her own accessible online pub, ‘The Staying Inn’, Amy is a woman on a mission.  In each project she creates, she spreads awareness, combats key issues in the disability sector such as loneliness and is a role model in the community. Oh, and she has a rather cute guide dog too!

Pippa Stacey

Pippa is a particularly important woman who has helped me immensely in many areas of my life.  Firstly, she is the theatre queen and rightly so after being named at the 2018 Olivier Awards.  She is also a published author, a TedX speaker, a charity fundraiser and works extremely hard to make sure there are accessible opportunities for people in work.  Trust me, she’s an all-around gem and this one is going far!

Dr Hannah Barham-Brown

I admire all NHS staff, especially during these difficult times, but Hannah is one I especially appreciate.  Hannah is a trainee GP who has given talks about disability, diversity and inclusion to organisations across the UK.  She’s also a Council and EU Parliamentary Candidate for the Women’s Equality Party (WEP) as well as the co-founder of the WEP Disability Caucus.

Antonia Payne-Cheney

Antonia is an all-around Wonder Woman.  She spent three and a half years in hospital, had to have life-saving surgery to fuse her spine and neck and still battles with complex health conditions.  But you wouldn’t know it.  She’s a GCA para-athlete and coach, part of Team England, a Caudwell Children Ambassador and has won numerous awards such as ‘Woman Of The Year 2019’.  She’s determined to make the sports world fairer and more accessible, so a real figure to watch who will be a game changer in many industries.

Dr Frances Ryan

Frances is a talented writer and often talks about inequality, including disability, gender and the economy.  She is a Guardian columnist and author of Crippled: Austerity and the Demonisation of Disabled People.  I have followed her work closely, especially during the pandemic and the stories she’s shared in the newspapers have been critical for getting disabled voices heard.

Happy International Women’s Day to all you beautiful, strong, women out there.  There’s many more I could have added to this list, and I’m sure you could have helped too – know that I appreciate you all!