About Us
We were Disabled by Society, but now we are part of the solution.
Mission Statement
17% of the world’s population experiences Disability, making us the largest minority group in the world. Despite this society continues to disable us.
Ableist language, behaviours, beliefs, stereotypes, and prejudice… lack of opportunity, representation, inequitable support… inaccessible environments, products, and services… non inclusive legislation policies and systemic governance… a society that overlooks, excludes, and oppresses Disabled people with systemised barriers to participation and opportunity.
As a 100% Disabled-owned business, we know all too well what it means to be Disabled by Society. That’s why we are on a mission to take exclusion to inclusion, transforming Disability inequities.
Disabled by Society partners with clients to create bespoke solutions which support them to unlearn ableism, inequity, and inaccessibility across their organisation and wider society. Transforming the way, they design, support, learn, and view Disability.
Our solutions provide you the tools and knowledge to create workplaces, products, and services that are accessible and inclusive. Where candidates, colleagues, customers, and clients feel included, represented, and have the opportunity to participate and belong.
How It All Started
Disabled by Society was founded in 2024 by Celia Chartres-Aris and Jamie Shields, two Disabled friends with a shared mission, to change how people view, think about, and learn about Disability, transforming Disability exclusion into inclusion. They knew that together, they could make a meaningful difference. They were already recognised leaders in their field, it only felt natural to combine their experience and expertise.
Together, they created the Unlearning Ableism podcast, a space to make the uncomfortable comfortable by exploring ableism and internalised ableism with guests. As the podcast grew, so did requests for training, consulting, and speaking. What began as a collaboration between friends with a shared vision, quickly expanded into something much large. A brand, a platform, and a movement for change.
And so, on 18 October 2024, Disabled by Society was officially launched. Not as a side project or personal venture, but as a united, Disability and carer-led organisation. Combining Celia’s law and policy expertise with Jamie’s DEI and recruitment expertise we knew that together we could not only break barriers, but eradicate them.
Disabled by Society is more than a business. It’s a movement, a platform, and your partner in transforming disability exclusion into inclusion
Our Values
Our values aren’t just empty words written to impress, we live and breathe them every single day. They are the foundations on which we built and continue to build.
Bold
We speak truth to challenge the systems that disable us. We’re not here to stay quiet or accept the status quo.
Creative
We don’t just think outside the box, we reimage it. Bringing our passion and creativity to every solution and client.
Disruptive
We don’t just question the systems that Disable us, we disrupt them. Ableism has no place in the society we are building.
What We Do
Our bespoke consulting, training, e-learning, and policy & strategy development solutions support organisations in creating inclusive products, services, environments, processes, policies, and culture. Helping them to attract, retain, and engage Disabled candidates, clients, customers, and service users.
Why Choose Us?
With over 55+ years of combined lived experience of Disability our award winning team know all too well what it means to be Disabled by Society.
Combining that lived experience with our professional expertise in law, policy, recruitment, workplace cultures, DEI and Disability we are positioned to help you transform exclusion to inclusion.
We Recognise
Not every organisation has the same budget, resources, or requirements. We meet you where you’re at and work with you, not against you.
We Care
Being Disabled is our reality. We care because we know how it feels to be on the outside looking in. We know what it means to be Disabled.
Our Multi Award Winning Co-Founders
Celia Chartres-Aris (She/Her)
Celia Chartres-Aris lives in Hampshire, England, near the beach with her husband and two labradors Luna and Sybil. In her spare time Celia loves being out on the water sailing, spending time with friends and family, baking (even though as a tube she can’t eat it) or doing anything crafty and arty!
Celia was born with Loeys-Dietz Syndrome, a rare incurable genetic connective tissue condition which causes changes in the heart, blood vessels, bones, joints, skin, and internal organs. She was diagnosed with LDS as a child and it has affected her entire life since the very beginning. She now lives entirely dependent on artificial nutrition through a central line into her veins and tubes into her organs so sustain her life due to multiple organ-failure. Currently LDS has no cure, and symptoms are life-threatening.
Despite the odds against her, Celia decided to dedicate her life to making change for other Disabled people.
She is a multi-award winning Disabled Government special advisor, campaigner and lobbyist, researcher, policy and legal expert, founder and investor. As a Government Adviser, Celia works around the world with national/ Territories/ international Governments in policy and strategy development, legislative design/performance, lobbying, unit management and implementing international Disability law. As a researcher and policy designer Celia’s ground-breaking work, authoring and leading numerous papers and writings, has been used to create legislation, included in Government consultations, and used by legislature in reviews, papers and inquiries. Celia has orchestrated a number of successful campaigns and is multi-award winning, named on The Global Diversity Leaders list, a Global Future Young Leaders Scholar UK Delegate, and as the 3rd most influential Disabled person in the UK changing law and policy. The work she has done is recognised by Forbes, The Financial Times, Metro and BBC etc.
Jamie Shields (He/Him)
Jamie lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland with his partner David, AKA the eyes and their fur baby Jessie, a miniature French bulldog cross. He loves to nap, cuddle his dog, paint, and live his best Pokémon or Jedi Master fantasy as he games.
Jamie is Registered Blind, Autistic & ADHD. The name of his eyesight condition is Ocular Albinism with Nystagmus, or in non-medical terms, his eyes go for uncontrolled walks and he is an albino with pigmentation. Jamie struggled to accept his Disability, and from a young age struggled with internalized ableism. This led to him not self advocating, or even knowing how to articulate his Disability. When Jamie finally found confidence to share his lived experience, it sparked a whole new lease of life and a new career.
Jamie worked for a large global recruitment company as a Global Disability Accessibility Lead and an award-winning Disability Employee Network Lead. In this role, he supported clients across the globe in creating inclusive, accessible recruitment processes and cultures, brining his lived experience and expertise to help accelerate inclusive accessible change.
In May 2024 Jamie left the safety blanket of his full time role to pursue his passion as a Disability trainer, consultant, and speaker in this time he has supported clients like Google, NHS, Gitlab, Scope, Kings College London, Centre For Disability Inclusion, Signable and many more.
Jamie is a multi-award-winning content creator, speaker, and Disability advocate, having been named on the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 and Diversity Power List. He has also won awards in the corporate sector, including the British Diversity Awards for his work with an outstanding employee network.
Jamie describes himself as a registered blind AuDHD “Rhino,” explaining that, just as rhinos can transform ecosystems, disabled people have the power to change the systems that disable them.
Free Consultation
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