“Nothing about us without us” – The Disability in Wales 2025 report

In February 2025 I was privileged enough to be invited to the Learned Society of Wales Early Career Researcher Expert Forum on the theme of Disability in Wales. The forum was held at Wrexham University and brought together a varied group of academics, policy makers, charity representatives, healthcare professionals, and those with lived experience of disability.  

The forum consisted of an incredibly informative and thought-provoking presentation by Disability Wales. The presentation explored the lived experience of life in Wales for disabled people through statistical data, real-life examples, and the evolving terminology used to discuss disability. The presentation also outlined the Social Model of disability where disability is not discussed as a problem to be fixed, and the focus is on how society can adapt to be more inclusive. Instead of seeing long-term health conditions and impairments as a problem to be rehabilitated, the Social Model promotes the idea that if society was fully accessible and inclusive, disability would not exist.  

The forum then led on to passionate discussion on a range of issues facing disabled people in Wales, including government policies, employment and economics, and the changing rhetoric in the media and online spaces regarding disability. As well outlining potential concerns for the future, the forum also identified the positive opportunities on the horizon. As a disabled person who works within this research area (specifically in regard to arts engagement), it was truly inspiring to hear about the research, projects, initiatives and activism taking place across Wales. 

Following the forum, a substantial amount of the attendees offered to contribute to a report on the forum and its outcomes. This included my fantastic colleagues here at Wrexham - Dr Shubha Sreeniva, Louise Bosanquet, and Timothy Wynn. The group offered a range of professional and personal priorities, bringing perspectives from their specific sector, but with the same common areas we wanted to focus on.  After multiple meetings we began sharing notes and ideas based on these key areas: 

These ideas, with guidance from the Learned Society of Wales, were collated and refined by myself and Rebecca Day (Bangor University) and Dr Emily Lowthian (Swansea University). It was a real pleasure to bring the contributions from this impressive group of experts and find the best format to present them in with the immensely talented Rebecca and Emily.  

One aspect of this that we felt very strongly about was ensuring the report was accessible. When sharing the key facts, discussion points and recommendations from the forum, it was important that as many people could access it as possible. This led to considerations regarding how we could use images and diagrams, how we could adapt our vocabulary, and how we could design and structure the report to make it easy to digest, readable and dynamic.  

Now the report is published and available online, I hope it will be used to inform, inspire and make real tangible change. There are many challenges for disabled people in Wales but by highlighting this and ensuring our research is fully accessible and inclusive, we can hope to make a genuine impact that will improve people’s lives.