Today we are sharing an important campaign from one of our partners, Disability Rights UK (DRUK). DRUK is the UK’s leading Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO), led and run by Disabled people. In this blog, People’s Voice Media’s Head of Partnerships and Practice, Isaac Samuels, explains why this campaign is so important to them as a Disabled person:

As a queer Disabled person, I know how powerful it can be when someone takes the time to listen, to go beyond the words to truly understand our experiences, our challenges, our hopes and our dreams.

For too long, Disabled people, and especially those of us with multiple identities, have had decisions made about us without us. Our experiences can be overlooked, our barriers misunderstood, and our voices pushed to the side. But our stories matter. Our knowledge matters. Our lived experience is expertise.

This is why I want to share and encourage people to take part in the Disability Rights UK Strategy Survey.

This is an important opportunity for Disabled people and allies to help shape the future of disability rights work and ensure that the priorities reflect what people are actually experiencing in their everyday lives.

For me, creating change starts with listening. It starts with recognising that every person’s experience is different, whether that relates to disability, identity, access, healthcare, employment, relationships, community or simply being able to live life with dignity and choice.

As someone who believes deeply in the power of lived experience, co-production and inclusion, I know how important it is that our voices are part of the conversation. We should not just be invited into spaces after decisions have been made. We should be involved from the beginning.

I am asking my networks, friends, colleagues and communities to please support this important work. If you are Disabled, have lived experience, support Disabled people, or care about equality and inclusion, your voice can help make a difference.

Please take part and share widely.

Take the Disability Rights UK Strategy Survey:
https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/take-part-our-strategy-survey

Thank you to Disability Rights UK for continuing to champion Disabled people’s rights and for creating opportunities for people’s voices to shape the future.

Our voices are powerful.
Our experiences matter.
Our stories can create change.

DisabledVoices #QueerDisabled #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #DisabilityRights #LivedExperience #CoProduction #Inclusion

Meet Jacqui Darlington from Rutland — a long-time carer, mum, and passionate disability advocate. Jacqui’s journey into community reporting began with Amplifying Voices, a programme designed to empower racialised individuals to share lived experiences through storytelling.

“I’m Jacqui Darlington. I’m passionate about health and social care and the rights of disabled people. I became a community reporter because I believe in giving people a voice and changing perceptions,” Jacqui shares.

As a carer to her son Joshua, who has Down Syndrome, autism and no understandable speech, Jacqui uses creative methods like photos and narration to help him express his story. “Even Joshua, who doesn’t use spoken word, now has a voice,” she says.

Jacqui believes strongly in the power of community reporting to uplift unheard voices. “It’s not just about skills—it’s about building a network, shifting mindsets, and supporting others.”

A fellow community reporter reflects: “People like Jacqui inspire us to think differently and to truly listen to stories that might otherwise go untold.”

Through her work, Jacqui is helping to change hearts and minds—one story at a time.

#AmplifyingVoices #CommunityReporting #DisabilityAdvocacy