My name is Lee Ellery, I have Cerebral Palsy Quadriplegic and I'm a Web Accessibility Assessor, as part of the Accessibility Services, here at Shaw Trust. My role mainly consists of assessing websites to make sure they comply with the web accessibility guidelines. We have a variety of disabilities within the team. So, it's not just myself testing keyboard only. There are also people with visual impairment, people with dexterity problems, so you name it, overall, as a team, there's 30 years’ experience.

I am also co-chair of the Disability Equality Network at Shaw Trust and I organise and head up meetings with the group. We meet monthly to discuss and advocate for disability related issues, and we have helped to implement change and advise on best practice for some of our policies at Shaw Trust.

This year, I also took on the position as an ambassador for Cerebral Palsy Cymru. I was honoured to be chosen to be an ambassador for the charity, as when I was younger there wasn’t a centre for therapy in the whole of Wales, meaning I had to travel from Swansea all the way to London for therapy. I really benefited from going to the centre in London and receiving Bobath therapy, but it was expensive to travel there every six weeks and stay overnight in a hotel. That’s why I am so pleased now that we have our own centre in Cardiff, where families in Wales can go and receive Bobath therapy. Cerebral Palsy Cymru even have an early intervention service ‘Better Start, Better Future’ which supports babies who have cerebral palsy to have the best start in life. As an ambassador, I want to be able to help other people gain access to the support that I was able to get and to be a voice for those who aren’t able to speak up for themselves. 

What has been your biggest achievement to date?



My biggest achievement to date has to be being nominated for The Disability Power 100, which recognises and celebrates the UK’s most influential disabled people. I was nominated for the Community Action Award by two organisations I volunteer for, and although I didn’t win the award, to be shortlisted and recognised for my advocacy work is such a huge achievement in itself. 

Who is your biggest inspiration?

That’s got to be my late friend Dr Kevin Fitzpatrick, who was the former disability rights commissioner for Wales and a great ally when it comes to disability. He also worked at Shaw Trust between 1997 and 2004 and was a pioneer in collaborating with local authorities and support centres to help people with life skills and promoting independent living schemes. We first met when I represented Wales at the International Congress of Young Disabled People, which was held at the University of Swansea.

He said something to me a while back, we were just talking, and he asked me what I `wanted to get out of life. Basically, I told him that I didn't think I'd have a job or be able to achieve what I wanted to do. He said to me, no matter what you want aim high and you will get it. And that's always stuck with me. In whatever arena I'm in now, whether I’m chairing a Disability Equality Network meeting or speaking to members of SLT, I've always got that message in my head.

If you want to achieve something, go to the highest level to achieve it and get what you want. Because, unless you do something about it nothing's going to change. And I always remember that, that's always stuck with me. Kevin was really someone that I could go to if I ever had any issues or wanted his help on something disability rights related. I think that's why I'm like that now. If people have got any issues relating to their disability outside of work, in work, voluntary or not, I always say give me a ring and if I don't know how to help, I will know somebody who will.