Introducing the Scope Disability Equality Awards!

Tori_Scope

Moderator note, nominations are now closed but please feel free to read on to find out more about the awards.

What are the Scope Disability Equality Awards?

We're excited to announce that we're launching our first Scope Disability Equality Awards.   

The awards will highlight disability equality, inclusion and social change. It'll also celebrate the people and organisations who make this happen. 

In 2022, Scope marks its landmark 70th anniversary. We believe there is still so much more we can all do to achieve true equality for disabled people. That’s why we're launching the Scope Disability Equality Awards- to shine a spotlight on equality champions and campaigners.  

How can I nominate someone?

Do you know someone who is doing fantastic work to create a fairer society for disabled people and their families? Nominate them now. 

Nominations are open from Tuesday 15 March until Friday 29 April. For more information, please contact awards@scope.org.uk.  

Categories  

Purple pioneer

This category honours a person, or a group of people, for their achievements around disability equality. This could be for raising awareness of disability issues. Or for changing attitudes in their community. The nominee can be a disabled person or a non-disabled ally, but they must have been nominated by others. Unlike the campaign award, this category recognises the positive work people have done that has directly affected those around them. 

Campaign

This award recognises a ground-breaking and impactful campaign for disability equality. The campaign can have taken place on a local or national level. It can have been an in-person, marketing or online campaign.

Young campaigner

This category recognises a young disabled person (up to 25 years old) who is tackling an issue that affects them. For example, to improve accessibility or attitudes. This could be within their community, school, college or university. Like with the campaign category, this includes both online and in-person campaigning. 

Scope lifetime achievement award

As Scope turns 70 this year, we honour a disabled person who has spent their life fighting for disability equality. To qualify for this category, the person needs to show a long-term commitment to disability equality. We want to see a dedication to social change or shifting attitudes on disability. 

Role model

This award is for a disabled public figure. They must have used their platform to campaign for disability equality and change attitudes. Role models could be celebrities, social media influencers or professional leaders. They all need to have a large reach. We’re particularly interested in how they have engaged their social media following and networks to achieve change.

Media moment

This award recognises a media moment involving disabled people. It must have had a powerful impact on championing disability equality. This could be a soap or drama storyline, entertainment TV show, film or podcast. Or any other mainstream format that has helped shift attitudes on disability. 

Journalist

This award recognises an individual journalist (print, broadcast or online). They must have gone above and beyond with a piece of investigative reporting. And they must have shown a commitment to disability equality through their work. 

Accessible organisation

This category rewards organisations for inclusion and accessibility. This could be for creating an inclusive workplace. Or for developing products and services with accessibility and disabled people in mind. 

L_Volunteer

How amazing is this! Thanks @Tori_Scope for initiating this thread. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing lots of people get involved with this 

Tori_Scope

We now have a list of nominees for the campaign category. Check them out below, and let us know who your favourites are  

You can read more about the awards, and see who the judges are, on our website.

British Deaf Association: BSL Act Now 

In March 2021 the British Deaf Association launched the BSL Act Now campaign, to recognise British Sign Language (BSL) as a language in law. Led by David Buxton, the campaign rallied more than a thousand people to email their MPs, which secured ministerial and cross-party support. Labour’s Rosie Cooper sponsored the BSL Bill in the Commons, and in April 2022 the British Sign Language Act was passed. This recognises BSL as a language of England, Wales and Scotland.

British Paralympic Association: Impossible to ignore 

Impossible to Ignore (I2I) harnessed the power of sport and the achievements of ParalympicsGB to break down barriers and shift perceptions of disability. The campaign ran through Tokyo 2020 and the lead up to Beijing 2022.

The campaign, fronted by athlete ambassadors, amassed 105 million social channel impressions, reached 2 million+ through advertising and was visible throughout the Paralympic village for the world to see. A post-games survey found that 1 in 5 knew of I2I and wide agreement that ParalympicsGB had a positive impact on society.

Changing Faces: I Am Not Your Villain 

From Darth Vader in Star Wars to Scar in The Lion King, filmmakers often associate visible differences and disfigurement with evil. I Am Not Your Villain challenges that link. Launched by the charity Changing Faces, the campaign calls on the film industry to stop using marks, like scars, as shorthand for villainy.

It has produced films and awareness-raising tools and asks organisations to positively represent more people with visible differences. The British Film Institute (BFI) was the first organisation to support the campaign.

International Paralympic Committee: WeThe15

WeThe15 is an international movement initiating huge change for the world’s 1.2 billion persons with disabilities – 15% of the global population. Spearheaded by the International Disability Alliance and International Paralympic Committee, it unites sport, human rights, policy, communications, business, arts and entertainment organisations committed to breaking down systemic barriers preventing disabled people from fulfilling their potential. WeThe15 launched at the Tokyo Paralympics in August 2021.

By December its campaign film had been viewed 0.75 billion times, with media coverage reaching almost 80% of the world’s population.

Mencap: Covid vaccine campaign 

People with a learning disability were found to be six times more likely to die from Covid-19 than the general population, yet not everybody with a learning disability was prioritised for the vaccine.

Mencap launched a campaign in January 2021 for this to change. In February, BBC radio DJ Jo Whiley was offered a covid vaccine before her sister Frances, who has a rare genetic disorder.

Mencap and Jo continued to call for change, and in late February care minister Helen Whately confirmed all people in England on the GP learning disability register would be prioritised for a vaccine.

Tori_Scope

We now have a list of nominees for the young campaigner category. Check them out below, and let us know who your favourites are

You can read more about the awards, and see who the judges are, on our website.

Charli Clement

Charli is an activist, content creator and Lived Experience Consultant. She has spoken to NHS Boards, city councils and many other groups about disability, autism and chronic illness.

Charli is writing a book about being autistic and chronically ill. She uses mainstream media and her own social media platforms to raise awareness of disability issues.

Fraser Simmonds

At nine years old Fraser is already a seasoned disability campaigner. He lives with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and is the inspiration behind Fraser & Friends, an online disability community. During the pandemic, Fraser’s posts about vaccinations, mask wearing and shielding led to a BBC news appearance. His local campaigning has encouraged his Borough Council to install two new Changing Places facilities.

Kelly Given

From consulting on United Nations policy to briefing the First Minister of Scotland, Kelly fights for neurodivergent rights and challenges misconceptions about disability and homelessness.

She works full-time as an equality, diversity and inclusion manager for the NHS, and is also chair of the NHS disabled employee network. Kelly’s other activities include serving on the board of Scottish Women’s Autism Network (SWAN) and advising Scotland’s major universities on better access to the nursing profession for neurodivergent students.

Rhys Porter

After being the subject of online abuse when he posted a video of himself playing football, Rhys was determined to talk about his experience publicly.

He quickly garnered media interest and used his newly found profile to speak out about the negative attitudes that so many disabled people face. He raised over £20,000 for Scope as part of his campaign, with strangers from around the world donating to support his message of fairness and equality for disabled people.

In 2022, Ryan was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Siena Castellon

Siena is the founder of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, an annual event that seeks to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences by providing free resources and a series of events. In March 2022, over 2,500 schools and more than 1.7 million students took part worldwide. In addition, over 1,000 businesses and organisations also took part, including Amazon, Boots, Dyson, Google, Johnson & Johnson, Netflix and Microsoft.

Siena was selected out of over 7,000 candidates by the United Nations to be one of 17 Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals. She has used this role to raise neurodiversity awareness. Siena is also the author of two bestselling books for autistic girls. She has won over 25 awards for her neurodiversity advocate, including recently being named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 European List for her social action. She is currently studying computer science at Stanford University.

Tori_Scope

We now have a list of nominees for the accessible organisation category. Check them out below, and let us know who your favourites are 

You can read more about the awards, and see who the judges are, on our website.

AccessAble

AccessAble provides information people need to decide if a place will be accessible to them. Its website has Detailed Access Guides to over 70,000 venues including hotels, restaurants and cinemas, and is used by over 3 million people each year. Every venue has been checked in person by a trained surveyor. Each guide includes facts, accessibility symbols and photographs that enable you to decide in a few moments whether a venue is accessible to you.

Designability: Wizzybug

In June 2021, Designability presented its 1,000th Wizzybug powered wheelchair to a disabled child on its free loan scheme.

The charity has made products with and for disabled people since 1968. It created Wizzybug to provide powered mobility for pre-school disabled children. This gives more independence at a similar time to non-disabled children. So they can enjoy more opportunities to play and interact with their friends and family.

HSBC: Accessible Cards

HSBC launched a new range of accessible banking cards in 2021.

Designed with feedback from customers and in partnership with charities including the Alzheimer’s Society, the cards have features that make them easier to use for more people.

This includes an arrow at the top and notch at the bottom to say which way the card should be inserted. Also, tactile raised dots to differentiate between cards, better contrasting colours and a larger font.

Nimbus Disability: The Access Card

The Access Card is used by more than 30,000 disabled people at major UK venues.

These include Buckingham Palace, The London Eye and Alton Towers, and increasingly in other countries around the world. Developed by Nimbus Disability, the card translates its holder’s disability/impairment/access requirements into symbols.

These are based on the holder’s rights under the Equality Act and inform venues of their legal responsibility to make adjustments.

Transreport: Passenger Assistance App

Transreport is on a journey to democratise public transportation for all. They design and develop innovative software which improves the journey experience for millions of passengers, regardless of their accessibility requirements. Transreport launched the Passenger Assistance app in 2021, which with a few clicks, allows you to request accessibility support across the entire GB rail network.

Tori_Scope

We now have a list of nominees for the media moment category. Check them out below, and let us know who your favourites are

You can read more about the awards, and see who the judges are, on our website. This one will be decided by a public vote, so keep your eyes peeled for more information!

CODA (Apple TV)

CODA is an acronym for child of deaf adults, and this award-winning film streamed on Apple TV+ tells the story of Ruby Rossi, the hearing daughter of a deaf family. It follows Ruby as she tries to balance her ambitions to be a singer with family life.

With a predominantly deaf cast, CODA won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 94th Academy Awards.

Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our family and autism (BBC1)

Paddy and Christine McGuinness have three autistic children: eight-year-old twins Leo and Penelope, and five-year-old Felicity. This revealing, thought-provoking BBC documentary explores home life in the McGuinness family.

Paddy and Christine meet people on the autistic spectrum, experts, and other parents of autistic children – including footballer Paul Scholes, who has an autistic son. Last year Christine had an autism diagnosis. She has spoken candidly about what a relief her diagnosis has been.

Sex Education (Netflix)

In 2021, the Netflix show Sex Education introduced its first disabled character, Isaac, played by George Robinson. Keen to reflect the experiences of disabled people, the show’s writers included George – a wheelchair user – throughout their creative process.

Isaac is headstrong and self-confident, traits rarely seen in on-screen disabled characters. Speaking to the BBC, George said: “The feedback I’ve got from within the disability community is that it’s really refreshing to see someone who is so comfortable within themselves.”

Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1)

In 2021’s Strictly Come Dancing, Rose Ayling-Ellis and partner Giovanni Pernice captivated the country with their dance to Clean Bandit’s ‘Symphony’. Rose is deaf, and half of the dance was performed in silence in tribute to the deaf community. The performance won a ‘must-see moment’ BAFTA, with Strictly judge Anton Du Beke declaring it “the greatest thing I’ve ever seen on the show”.

Then Barbara met Alan (BBC2)

In 1989 Barbara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth met at a comedy gig. The couple went on to form DAN (Disabled People’s Direct Action Network) and campaign for disabled people’s rights, leading to the passing of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act.

Their story is told in the BBC drama Then Barbara met Alan, written by Jack Thorne and Genevieve Barr. Starring Ruth Madeley and Arthur Hughes, the film highlights Barbara and Alan’s humour, energy and achievements.

Tori_Scope

We now have a list of nominees for the best journalist category. Check them out below, and let us know who your favourites are 

You can read more about the awards, and see who the judges are, on our website.

Dr Frances Ryan

Frances is a journalist, author and broadcaster, writing personally and powerfully about disability. She is a columnist and reporter for The Guardian. Her 2019 book, Crippled: The Demonization of Disabled People, tackles the reality of austerity for disabled people. Her book was the inspiration for the BBC drama Hen Night (2021), the first ever disabled women-led piece of UK broadcasting, which Frances co-created. During the pandemic, Frances wrote award-winning and front page Guardian coverage highlighting the challenges facing disabled people who were shielding.

Jasmine Andersson

In her reporting at the BBC, the i paper and elsewhere, Jasmine is an ally for the disabled community. During the pandemic she took the government to task over their failings for people shielding.

She has since revealed how disabled people are bearing the brunt of post-pandemic cuts. As a neurodivergent person, her work highlights achievements while emphasising how often the disability community is left out of national conversation.

Liam O’Dell

Liam is a freelance journalist and campaigner specialising in deafness, disability and social media. He writes regularly for the Deaf news blog, The Limping Chicken, and contributes to other outlets including the Guardian and New Scientist. When YouTube scrapped its community contributions feature, Liam broke the story ahead of mainstream outlets. The Daily Mail, BBC and others interviewed him as both the expert behind the report and a Deaf person, increasing representation in the process.

Lucy Kapasi

Lucy works at ITV News Central as a reporter, presenter and producer. A hearing aid user, she uses her journalism to raise awareness about invisible disabilities and give disabled people a voice. Her pieces include profiles of disabled women like Lucy Wood and Alice Evans, who started a podcast about disability and difference because they were tired of seeing medical or inspirational stories about disabled people. She is also keen to shine a light on different cultural attitudes towards disability.

Richard Butchins

Richard is an award-winning filmmaker and artist whose work includes investigative documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV. In a 2020 documentary for the BBC’s Panorama series, ‘The Million Pound Disability Payout’, Richard investigated why the Department for Work and Pensions has lost so many employment tribunals for disability discrimination. His 2021 BBC Two documentary ‘Targeted: The Truth About Disability Hate Crime’, exposed this hidden problem to a mainstream audience and his 2021 Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, ‘The Truth About Disability Benefits’, investigated a series of deaths and revealed shocking new statistics around suicides by disabled benefits claimants.

Tori_Scope

We now have a list of nominees for the best role model category. Check them out below, and let us know who your favourites are

You can read more about the awards, and see who the judges are, on our website.

Cherylee Houston MBE

Cherylee has played Izzy Armstrong in Coronation Street since 2010 and also plays Maz in the BBC Radio 4 series Tinsel Girl. Other appearances include The Bill, Holby City, and Emmerdale.

Cherylee has a connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and shielded in the pandemic. As this meant she could not be on set to film Coronation Street, she recorded scenes from her own home to highlight the impact of the pandemic on disabled people.

Kadeena Cox OBE

A world champion, world record breaking parasport athlete and cyclist, Kadeena is also a television personality. She won gold medals at the 2016 and delayed 2020 Paralympics and became a household name when she won BBC’s Celebrity MasterChef 2021.

In June 2022 she cycled alongside Sir Chris Hoy, heading “The Time of Our Lives” section of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant. Kadeena speaks confidently about disability and has become a role model for black disabled women.

Rose Ayling-Ellis

Previously best known for playing Frankie Lewis in EastEnders, in 2021 Rose became the first deaf contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. She and professional dancer, Giovanni Pernice, won a ‘must-see moment’ BAFTA for their dance to Clean Bandit’s ‘Symphony’, half of which was performed in silence. Rose backed a successful campaign to give British Sign Language (BSL) legal status in the UK. In May 2022 she used BSL to read a CBeebies bedtime story.

Rosie Jones

Rosie Jones has quickly become a must-see act on the UK comedy circuit, having starred on hit shows such as Live At The Apollo, The Jonathan Ross Show, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Cats Does Countdown, The Last Leg, Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back, Mock The Week, Hypothetical, The Ranganation, and The Last Leg Tokyo as well as fronting two travelogue series for Channel 4 – Mission: Accessible and Trip Hazard. Rosie has completed two sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Fifteen Minutes and Backward receiving critical acclaim, the Scotsman describing her show as “both elegantly crafted and mischievous to its bones”.

Ruth Madeley

Bafta-nominated actress Ruth is known for many roles including Years and Years, Then Barbara Met Alan and Don’t Take My Baby. For most of her life she has worked with Whizz-Kidz, the charity for young wheelchair users. At 13 she visited 10 Downing Street for the charity, to talk about fundraising and awareness.

Speaking about being a disabled actress, she said to the Guardian: “It means telling stories that change how people think.”

Tori_Scope

We now have a list of nominees for the lifetime achievement award. Check them out below, and let us know who your favourites are 

You can read more about the awards, and see who the judges are, on our website.

Ade Adepitan MBE

Ade Adepitan MBE is a TV Presenter, Paralympic Medalist & Journalist.

Ade’s sporting achievements for wheelchair basketball include winning a Bronze in The Athens Paralympics, Silver in the European Championships and Gold in The World Championships.

A renowned broadcaster, Ade’s work has taken him across the globe; going undercover with C4’s Dispatches, reporting foreign affairs for Unreported World and more recently fronting the ground-breaking BBC Two Series, Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline.

An award-winning disability advocate, Ade received an MBE in 2005 and was awarded Honorary Doctorate from Loughborough University in 2006 and the University of East London in 2010.

Baroness Jane Campbell DBE

Jane is a disability rights campaigner and crossbench peer. She campaigns for disability rights through parliamentary engagement, enabling disabled people to participate in progressive social and political change. She was Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) from 2006 to 2008.

From 1991 to 1995 she chaired the British Council of Disabled People during the height of the campaign for the Disability Discrimination Act. Jane promotes independent living and anti-discrimination at every opportunity.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE

One of Britain’s greatest Paralympic athletes, Tanni won 11 gold medals, 4 silvers and a bronze over five Paralympic Games. She is now a crossbench peer, a motivational speaker and broadcaster, she has long been one of the country’s highest profile disabled people.

She is currently chair of UKActive and a member of the boards of Transport for London and the London Legacy Development Corporation and is Chancellor of Northumbria University.

Colin Barnes

Colin Barnes is a disabled person and special school survivor who has been involved with the disabled people’s movement throughout his career. Colin established the Centre for Disability Studies (CDS) as the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People’s (BCODP’s) Disability Research Unit (DRU) in the School of Sociology and Social Policy in 1990 and was its Director until 2008.

Colin also founded the independent publisher: The Disability Press in 1996 and an electronic archive of writings on disability issues: The Disability Archive UK in 1999. Among the many other highlights of his academic career, he has also produced 20 books.

Nabil Shaban

Actor, writer, painter, poet and activist Nabil has appeared in Dr Who, played Hamlet and made award-winning, thought-provoking documentaries. In 1980 he co-founded Graeae Theatre, which places Deaf and disabled actors centre stage and challenges preconceptions.

Over more than four decades of varied creativity, he has called out the TV and film industries for what he calls ‘body fascism’ and a tokenistic representation of disabled people.

Tori_Scope

We now have a list of nominees for the purple pioneer award. Check them out below, and let us know who your favourites are

You can read more about the awards, and see who the judges are, on our website.

Alex Winstanley

In 2019 Alex left teaching to co-found Happy Smiles Training. The not-for-profit organisation empowers disabled young adults to deliver awareness and inclusion training.

During the pandemic Alex started to write the ‘My Has’ book series for children. Each book highlights the lives of people living with long-term conditions, such as dementia and depression, in a positive and child-friendly way. The books are read across schools, community groups and more by the Happy Smiles team.

Chronically Brown

Chronically Brown is a non-profit dedicated to empowering disabled South Asians. Founded by Sukhjeen Kaur, Chronically Brown has a team of volunteers and ambassadors who draw from lived experiences to provide workshops, discussion groups and online resources.

Chronically Brown has created the #disabled campaign to encourage South Asians to speak honestly and openly about disability, which is a taboo subject in South Asian communities. Chronically Brown’s work has featured in media outlets including the BBC, ITV, Asian Voice and Huffpost

Dr Rashmi Becker MBE

Rashmi’s innovative Step Change Studios provides opportunities for disabled people to dance in all settings including health and social care, education, cultural and community spaces. Rashmi is committed to removing barriers to participation, and enabling people of all ages and abilities to achieve their potential through dance. She has supported disabled people to perform in major venues and events including the Paralympic Flame Ceremony and the world-renowned Sadler’s Wells. She recently received an MBE for services to disabled people.

Fiona Stevenson

Fiona campaigns widely for accessibility and inclusion in Telford and Wrekin. An active member of both the local Healthwatch and the Making It Real Board, she takes on fixed mindset bureaucracies and creates tangible change. For example, as a breast cancer survivor she formed and runs Swimming After Surgery (SAS) for other survivors. And she uses her knowledge of horizontal emergency evacuation and lift usage to educate hotels and event organisers about fire safety and access.

Ru Jones

Ru uses social media to discuss disability in modern society and also speaks at conferences. They communicate widely with nuance and care to disabled and non-disabled people, to educate, inform, and amplify disabled voices. Achievements include being voted into a highly competitive role in the Exeter University Guild as the Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Ru gives people a voice, promoting other creators who might be overlooked due to their race, disability or gender.

Tori_Scope

We now have a list of nominees for the influencer award. Check them out below, and let us know who your favourites are 

You can read more about the awards, and see who the judges are, on our website.

Disabled Eliza

Disabled Eliza is an online activist and content creator who promotes disability awareness, LGBTQ+ positivity and lifestyle. They have 150k followers across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, using all their platforms to raise consciousness about issues facing young disabled people. Disabled Eliza posts new content each week which is designed to educate those on disability and question some of those internal bias we may hold.

Jameisha Prescod

Jameisha Prescod is an artist-filmmaker and chronic illness advocate from South London. They are driven by storytelling and apply creative digital techniques to uncover powerful human experiences. After being diagnosed with lupus, Jameisha founded You Look Okay To Me, the online space for chronic illness. They explore the social and cultural aspects of living with a chronic condition through visual mediums. Jameisha is currently an artist resident at Forma Arts and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Lucy Dawson

A disabled model and content creator, Lucy is active on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter. She became disabled after she contracted encephalitis and was misdiagnosed. 

With a combined reach of over half a million, she uses her platforms to talk about disability equality, fashion and body positivity. Lucy has modelled in campaigns for household name brands including Ann Summers, Spotify, Amazon and Asda. In 2021 she went viral through amplifying the #BabesWithMobilityAids hashtag. 

Nina Tame

Nina is a disability mentor, advocate, writer, and content creator who was born with Spina Bifida. She is active on Instagram and TikTok, using the strapline “The Disabled Step-Mum you never knew you needed”.

Nina uses her platforms to talk about disability, accessibility, stereotyping and being a proud wheelchair user. With four children, she often posts about being a disabled parent. In February 2022 Nina was tipped as a ‘rising star’ of TikTok.

Sophie Butler

Sophie Butler, describes herself as a ‘25 year old Disabled & Queer Queen and a force to be reckoned with’. Sophie uses her platform to not only empower her audience, but also to educate, through her weekly ’Sunday school with Soph’ and regular communication on trolling, disability awareness and self love.

Sophie’s passion for creating change and awareness led to her being the first wheelchair user on the cover of Cosmopolitan Magazine, and to win Cosmo’s ‘Influencer of the Year’ award.

Having experienced a gym incident in 2017 which to led to Sophie being paralysed from the waist down, it did not stop her drive for fitness and wellbeing, which is displayed through her proud ambassadorships with Gymshark, MyVegan and features in the likes of Women’s Health Magazine. Sophie has also worked with brands such as Always, Voxi, SimplyBe, Theragun, Triumph, The Body Shop, Makeup Revolution, and George ASDA.

Alex_Alumni

It's exciting to see it underway now