Catrina Farnell is CEO of People First Keighley & Craven, a charity supporting adults with learning disabilities, those who are neurodivergent and those with physical disabilities. The organisation works to develop self-advocacy skills and creates meaningful work with their members.

As a disabled woman, wheelchair user and leader, Catrina brings lived experience into her professional practice. She is passionate about creating workplaces where disabled people are not simply accommodated, but valued and given opportunities to contribute, progress and shine.

At the heart of Catrina’s work is the belief that none of us should be expected to fit neatly into one box. Before becoming disabled, she trained and worked as a dancer. Today, alongside leading a charity, writing, speaking and advocating for disability inclusion, she co-leads In Motion, a wheelchair-based dance workshop at Northern Ballet. Her own journey has taught her that disability may change how we do something, but it does not diminish our creativity, ambition, skills or value.

Catrina began her journey at People First Keighley and Craven by volunteering for just one hour a week before progressing through the organisation and ultimately becoming CEO. After experiencing a world that she describes as full of “no” for far too long, she became determined to play a part in turning those “nos” into “yes” - for herself and for others.

One example is People First’s member-led podcast, The People First Podcast created and hosted by adults with learning disabilities. It deliberately breaks convention, bringing disabled people into conversations and spaces where they have historically been underrepresented. Catrina is proud to see members becoming interviewers, researchers, presenters, editors and professionals in their own right, while also creating a platform for others to tell their stories. She often describes part of their role as being “professional cheerleaders” — recognising and celebrating work that contributes to progress across the disability community.

That reflects a principle running throughout Catrina’s work: when a door opens for you, hold it open for others.

Through self-advocacy, employment pathways, training, creativity, media and leadership opportunities, Catrina and the people she works alongside are not simply asking for inclusion. They are actively building it and demonstrating what becomes possible when barriers are removed, expectations are raised and people are trusted with real responsibility.

Catrina is also a writer, speaker and advocate whose work spans national media, disability and inclusion events, healthcare education and collaboration with organisations seeking to make their work more accessible.

Her message is simple: disabled people should not have to change who they are in order to contribute to society. Society must become more accessible, equitable and supportive so that the skills, knowledge and lived experience disabled people already possess can be recognised, valued, and utilised to help shape a better world.