Martin Hibbert named in ‘Disability Power 100’ Top Ten

Our Vice President Martin Hibbert has been named as one of the top ten most influential disabled people in the UK by the Shaw Trust.

 

The Disability Power 100 awards were voted for by a group of highly respected judges all of whom are disabled and/or fight for the rights of disabled people in the UK and celebrate those that are making a real difference.

Martin won the community advocate award because of his work in challenging perceptions of disability and highlighting the barriers that disabled people face on a daily basis. He has harnessed the media surrounding his story, successfully climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in 2022 and following meetings with Tom Pursglove MP, the minister for disabled people Martin is now a part of the government department’s Disability Perceptions Communications Campaign. He has met with his constituency MP Sir Lyndsay Hoyle, speaker of the house of commons and the mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham to highlight many critical issues and continues to campaign for change.

Martin said:

“I am so proud and honoured to have been recognised in this way. Ever since my injury in 2017 my life has been dedicated to making the lives of people with spinal cord injury better by highlighting the injustice and suffering that disabled people face on a day-to-day basis. If we can change the perceptions of disability, we can change societies attitudes for the better.”

Martin advocates for people with spinal cord injuries up and down the country who every single day have to deal with barriers preventing them from leading a fulfilled life. His energy and determination to campaign on behalf of disabled people has been hugely influential but we know there is much more that needs to be done before we see a society that enables rather than disables people.