Belonging, Disability And The Power Of Community

Belonging, Disability And The Power Of Community

What happens when lived experience becomes the thing that reshapes your purpose?  In this episode of The Equality Edit, Esi Hardy speaks with Daniele Lul about disability, identity, activism, and the power of community-led change. Daniele shares how acquiring a disability later in life completely changed the way he experienced the world, from the sudden reality of marginalisation to finding purpose through advocacy and community work.  The conversation explores why disabled people must lead conversations about disability, how intersectionality shapes lived experience, and why inclusion cannot be built through assumptions. Together, Esi and Daniele unpack the importance of visibility, representation, activism, and creating spaces where disabled LGBTQ+ people feel seen, celebrated, and heard.  This episode reflects on resilience, community, accessible workplaces, and the role organisations play in creating environments where disabled people can thrive, not simply survive.  Resources & Links  ParaPride Website & Socials https://www.parapride.org/  https://www.instagram.com/parapride.world/  https://www.facebook.com/ParaPride.World/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/parapride/  Intersectionality Awareness Week Website & Socials https://intersectionalityawarenessweek.org/ https://www.instagram.com/intersectionalityawarenessweek/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/intersectionality-awareness-week/  https://www.facebook.com/IntersectionalityAwarenessWeek/  00:00 – Welcome to The Equality Edit  00:52 – Meeting Daniele and the Story Behind ParaPride  02:25 – Becoming Disabled Later in Life  04:50 – The Misrepresentation of Disability  05:36 – Why the Name “ParaPride” Matters  08:29 – Pride in Every Body  09:30 – Marginalisation and Adapting to Disability  13:05 – Learning About Disability Through Civil Service  18:48 – Disability, Family Reactions, and Public Perception  25:31 – From Events Management to Community Impact  38:01 – Lived Experience and Why Representation Matters  40:20 – Intersectionality Awareness Week and Layered Identities  49:46 – Activism, Representation, and “Nothing About Us Without Us”  58:45 – Advice for Employers and Disabled People  1:15:35 – Music, Influence, and Final Reflections  FOLLOW US LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/esihardy/ Newsletter - https://2dykvk.share-eu1.hsforms.com/2-mRmxbD6QkKL0_px3pDo4A Celebrating Disability website - https://celebratingdisability.co.uk Celebrating Disability blog - https://celebratingdisability.co.uk/the-blog/ #CelebratingDisability #LeaderInterviews #TheEqualityEdit #InclusionInTheWorkplace

Inclusive Music And The Barriers We Forget

What happens when a child wants to take part in music, but the instrument itself creates the barrier? In this episode of The Equality Edit, Esi Hardy is joined by Rachel Wolffsohn, General Manager of The OHMI Trust, to explore inclusive music, adapted instruments, and why access is about much more than saying an activity is “open to all.”  Rachel Wolffsohn works with The OHMI Trust, a Birmingham-based charity that supports physically disabled people to take part in music-making through adapted instruments, enabling equipment, and practical support. OHMI also runs OHMI Connect, a free online resource that helps disabled musicians identify instruments and equipment that may work for them.  Rachel shares how her work began through her son’s experience of hemiplegia after a stroke, and the realisation that music-making was far less accessible than expected. The conversation explores why many traditional instruments are designed around the assumption of two hands, ten dexterous fingers, and a standard way of moving.  Esi and Rachel discuss what this means in schools, music services, orchestras, choirs, and performance spaces. They talk about reasonable adjustments, adapted instruments, teacher confidence, assumptions around physical disability, and why inclusion must be planned across the whole experience, not only the lesson itself.  This episode is a practical reminder that accessibility is not about lowering expectations. It is about removing barriers so disabled people can take part, progress, and choose what they want to do.  Signposting: - The OHMI Trust- https://www.ohmi.org.uk/  - OHMI Connect (our website to identify possible instruments for a variety of needs/teaching interests) - https://ohmiconnect.org.uk/  - Nicholas McCarthy - https://nicholasmccarthy.co.uk/  - Tony Memmel - https://www.tonymemmel.com/  - David Nabb - https://www.yamaha.com/artists/davidnabb.html  - Felix Klieser - https://felixklieser.de/en/bio-en  - Open Up Music - https://www.openupmusic.org/  - Drake Music - https://www.drakemusic.org/  - Music of Life - https://musicoflife.org.uk/  Chapter Headings 00:00, It’s All Right To Try 02:09, Why Music Accessibility Still Falls Behind 04:03, When Instrument Design Creates Barriers 07:43, The Difference Between Crisis Support And Everyday Inclusion 09:44, When Accessibility Depends On Parent Capacity 12:48, What Happens When Schools Do Not Know Where To Start 14:24, Making Music Lessons More Accessible In Practice 20:17, Challenging Assumptions About Disabled Potential 23:19, Schools, Equality Duties And Inclusive Provision 27:51, Why Inclusion Is More Than Giving Somebody A Different Activity 30:51, How Accessibility Benefits The Whole Classroom 35:36, Listening To Disabled Children And Parents 40:34, Moving From “Difficult Behaviour” To Barrier Reduction 47:12, Practical Advice For Teachers And Education Leaders 1:05:14, Creating More Inclusive Pathways Into Music FOLLOW US LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/esihardy/ Newsletter - https://2dykvk.share-eu1.hsforms.com/2-mRmxbD6QkKL0_px3pDo4A Celebrating Disability website - https://celebratingdisability.co.uk Equality in the workplace blog - https://celebratingdisability.co.uk/the-blog/ #CelebratingDisability #LeaderInterviews #TheEqualityEdit #InclusionInTheWorkplace

Disability Pride, Community and the Disability Movement

Esi is joined by Berni Vincent, a disabled activist, artist, and long-standing figure in the disability movement. Berni shares her journey from growing up excluded and isolated, to becoming proud to be a disabled person through connection, community, and collective action. Along the way, she reflects on how meeting other disabled people shifted her thinking and sense of identity, something that also influenced Esi’s own approach to disability. The conversation explores what inclusion really looks like in practice, the difference between meaningful support and token gestures, and why co-production still matters. There is also a clear thread around what has changed, and what has been lost, as spaces for disabled people have become more fragmented and more digital. Berni also shares how her experiences have shaped her art today and how creativity has become another way to express identity, politics, and lived experience. Signposting and resources Berni Vincent’s art  https://outsidein.org.uk/galleries/berni-vincent/ [https://outsidein.org.uk/galleries/berni-vincent/] Outside In A platform supporting artists who experience barriers to the mainstream art world. https://outsidein.org.uk/ [https://outsidein.org.uk/] Under Marc’s leadership, Outside In has become a trailblazer in the art world, supporting thousands of artists who face barriers due to health, disability, social circumstance, or isolation. With over 4,000 artists showcased on its digital platform, more than 80 exhibitions (physical and online) and a growing number of outsider and non-traditional artists represented in the charity’s own Collection, Outside In has become a leading voice for artists outside the mainstream.   Chapter headings 00:00 Why inclusion is not only about money 00:31 Introducing Berni Vincent, activist and artist 04:17 What it means to be proud to be a disabled person 07:54 Finding identity through other disabled people 10:54 Early meetings and shifting away from medical identity 16:18 Growing up around political change 19:26 Everyday barriers and shared experiences 24:29 Getting involved in the disability movement 29:17 What is missing now, peer support and connection 31:26 Online vs real world spaces 34:53 Technology, access and hidden barriers 37:38 Rights, law and human connection 43:16 Discovering art and Outside In 47:44 Disability, identity and creativity 51:32 Advice for organisations, co-produce and be human 55:07 Final reflections

Where Inclusion Really Happens

What starts as a conversation between two long standing colleagues quickly opens into something deeper about identity, leadership, friendship, and what it really takes to create inclusive cultures.  Content Warning: This episode includes occasional strong language.  Joanne Lockwood, founder of SEE Change Happen and The Trans Inclusion Toolkit, reflects on building a business while navigating gender transition, and how that journey shaped her thinking far beyond one area of inclusion. Rather than staying in a single lane, Joanne talks about what it means to grow into broader EDI work, and why lived experience alone is not enough without reflection, learning, and strategy.  The conversation moves through personal stories, internalised ableism, friendship, advocacy, and the emotional load of constantly having to explain yourself. Joanne and Esi explore what it means to show up in the world when identity is always being read, questioned, or judged, and why safe spaces matter when the rest of the world can feel noisy and demanding.  Alongside the personal reflections, the episode turns to leadership. Joanne makes a strong case for investing in line managers and leaders, not only to understand inclusion in theory, but to develop emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, psychological safety, and the confidence to respond well to people as individuals. The thread running through the whole conversation is clear: inclusive workplaces are not built through policy alone, they are shaped in the everyday moments where people feel seen, supported, and understood.  This is for leaders, line managers, EDI professionals, and anyone trying to build working cultures where people do not have to fight to be recognised as fully human before they can thrive.  SIGNPOSTING AND RESOURCES  SEE Change Happen.  Joanne’s main consultancy, focused on helping organisations build more inclusive cultures and stronger leadership practice.  Link: https://seechangehappen.co.uk/ [https://seechangehappen.co.uk/]  Joanne Lockwood.  Joanne’s personal website, with speaking, consultancy, and wider information about her work in inclusion and leadership.  Link: https://joannelockwood.co.uk/ [https://joannelockwood.co.uk/]  The Trans Inclusion Toolkit.  A practical resource designed to help organisations approach trans inclusion with more confidence, clarity, and care.  Link: https://thetransinclusiontoolkit.co.uk/ [https://thetransinclusiontoolkit.co.uk/]  Pam Burrows, People Booster https://www.pamburrows.com/ Robbie Williams Quote: 'There's no point regretting things. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. Life's too short to worry about things I've said.’  FOLLOW US LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/esihardy/ Newsletter - https://2dykvk.share-eu1.hsforms.com/2-mRmxbD6QkKL0_px3pDo4A Celebrating Disability website - https://celebratingdisability.co.uk Equality in the workplace blog #CelebratingDisability #LeaderInterviews #TheEqualityEdit #InclusionInTheWorkplace

Psychological Safety, Not Perfect Answers

A conversation that feels like two colleagues picking up mid sentence, and lands on a clear message. Inclusion becomes real when it is built into everyday culture, not parked in a strategy document. Esi is joined by Andrew Murray, Head of Learning and Development at Homes for Students. Over four and a half years of partnership, Homes for Students has shaped a DEIB approach that starts with colleagues, then carries through to residents, with the same standard of care on both sides. Andrew shares what it takes to move away from tick box thinking. It is not about having all the answers. It is about building the confidence to ask better questions, respond well to feedback, and keep learning without fear of getting it wrong. The episode explores what belonging looks like in practice, from LGBTQ+ psychological safety at work, to using colleague led storytelling in Together Is Better Time, and designing student experiences that recognise sensory overload, uncertainty, and access needs from day one. There is a strong practical thread throughout. Use data to prioritise, involve the people impacted, and keep inclusion evolving as the world changes. The message is simple. Culture is built through what happens repeatedly, not what happens once. This is for learning leaders, EDI professionals, people leaders, and anyone responsible for workplace culture who wants inclusion to show up in language, systems, and everyday decisions. Signposting and resources Homes for Students https://abouthomesforstudents.com/diversity-and-inclusion/ Inclusive Employers https://www.inclusiveemployers.co.uk/ State of Mind Sport https://www.stateofmindsport.org/ FOLLOW US LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/esihardy/ Newsletter - https://2dykvk.share-eu1.hsforms.com/2-mRmxbD6QkKL0_px3pDo4A Celebrating Disability website - https://celebratingdisability.co.uk Celebrating Disability Blog [https://celebratingdisability.co.uk/the-blog/] #CelebratingDisability #LeaderInterviews #TheEqualityEdit #InclusionInTheWorkplace