An event for Disability Pride Month

From the ‘crippled suffragette’, to ’80s punks chaining themselves to buses, to campaigners taking a stand online, this book celebrates the activists and protest actions behind the UK’s long battle for disabled people’s rights to live.

Rachel Charlton-Dailey highlights an overlooked tradition of disabled struggle. She unpacks how British attitudes and policy went so wrong in the twenty-first century, and interviews campaigners and disabled people about how they have reclaimed power, from resisting government reforms to changing the media narrative. She explores live frontiers in the push for civil rights — from the inaccessibility of our education and transport systems, to the debates about genetic screening and ‘the right to die’.

Rachel will talk about how,  often, disabled people and their allies have fought, and won. She gives them the energy to keep fighting back.

Rachel Charlton-Dailey is a disabled journalist, activist and author. A columnist at The Canary, she has previously reported for the BBC, The Unwritten, The Big Issue, Metro, the Guardian, Stylist, Glamour UK and elsewhere. In 2022, she guest-edited the landmark ‘Disabled Britain: Doing It For Ourselves’ series with the Daily Mirror, highlighting the reality of disabled life, written by disabled people.

Rachel regularly appears on TV and radio to discuss disability rights news – her appearances include BBC Breakfast, The Jeremy Vine Show (Channel 5), BBC 5 Live, LBC and BBC Radio Newcastle.

Rachel will be in conversation with:

Lozza Gilbert (they/them) is a queer and disabled actor and disability advocate currently training with the National Youth Theatre. In 2022 they were awarded Influencer of the Year by disability charity Sense for their advocacy work, and they are particularly passionate about authentic casting and disability representation in media and games.

Access: Five Leaves Bookshop has level access and has a w.c. accessible toilet (for events only). Please contact us if you have other access needs.

Refreshments included