Building National Ablepreneurs Day
Building National Ablepreneurs Day
Behind the Scenes
A personal story of legacy, resilience, and a movement powered by community.
When I first imagined National Ablepreneurs Day, I pictured a warm, welcoming space where disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent founders could be seen, celebrated, and valued.
What I didn’t expect was how quickly the idea would grow, or how many people would step forward to help make it real.
But the truth is, this day didn’t begin with me. It began decades ago, with a seven‑year‑old girl whose life changed in a single moment.
The legacy behind the day
Imagine being seven years old, running around with your friends, laughing, moving, belonging.
And then imagine that overnight, you’re watching from a window instead. You can see everyone else playing. You can hear them. But you can’t join them.
That was my grandmother’s reality. A medical mistake took her leg, and with it, the world tried to take her future too.
But her talent didn’t fade. Her ambition didn’t disappear. Her fire didn’t weaken.
She became one of the first three students at the Derwen Training College, welcomed by Dame Agnes Hunt, a woman who refused to accept that disability meant limitation. Derwen wasn’t just a college.
It was a declaration that ability exists everywhere, and that society’s barriers, not people’s bodies, disable us.
My grandmother found skills, confidence, community, and purpose.
She met my grandad there.
Together, they cycled miles across Shropshire on an adapted bike, proving quietly that their lives were not defined by what they lacked, but by what they created.
That legacy shaped me long before I ever realised it.
The lived experience that shaped Ablepreneurs®
I spent nearly 30 years in the workplace - property, insurance, auctions, estate agency, professional services.
I loved work. I loved achievement. I loved being part of something. Even while navigating a lifetime of diagnoses, procedures, and surgeries, I kept going.
But between 2014 and 2025, everything changed. Ten surgeries. Ten recoveries. Ten chapters of learning how to adapt again and again.
Eventually, I was forced out of the traditional workplace, not because my talent had faded, but because the environment around me no longer fit the reality of my body.
And that’s when the cycle began. The cycle so many disabled and chronically ill people know too well:
Feeling invisible. Feeling written off. Feeling like your purpose has slipped away.
But my ambition was still there. My ideas were still there. My talent was still there.
So I became a freelancer, and in that world, I met people like me. Disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent entrepreneurs forging their own paths, desperate to know what their future could look like.
And after recovering from neurosurgery, I realised something with absolute clarity:
Ablepreneurs® needed to exist.
Not someday. Not eventually. But now.
A movement. A home. A community. A platform that says: Your talent is still here. Your ambition is still valid. Your future is still yours.
The heart of National Ablepreneurs Day
National Ablepreneurs Day isn’t just an event. It’s a statement:
Disabled founders are not invisible. Chronically ill founders are not “less than”. Neurodivergent founders are not an afterthought.
They are innovators, creators, problem‑solvers, and leaders.
This day exists because talent doesn’t fade because of disability or illness; it just needs the right environment to shine.
That was true for my grandmother. It’s true for me. And it’s true for every Ablepreneur in the UK.
The work behind the scenes, and the people powering it
Over the past months I have been:
Communicating with MPs
Coordinating founding venue partners
Building the media kit
Writing press releases
Designing accessible materials
Crafting a day that feels safe, calm, and celebratory
But I haven’t been doing it alone.
Ablepreneurs Talentpool members have been quietly volunteering their skills behind the scenes, bringing their expertise, creativity, and lived‑experience insight to every part of this day.
They’ve helped with:
Branding and design
Accessibility reviews
Copywriting and editing
Social media support
Admin and logistics
Research and coordination
Their contribution is the embodiment of the Ablepreneurs message:
Talent doesn’t fade. It adapts. It collaborates. It shines when given the right environment.
National Ablepreneurs Day is being built by Ablepreneurs, for Ablepreneurs, and that matters.
Every volunteer, every skill shared, every hour gifted is part of a bigger truth: People are ready for this.
Why this matters
For many Ablepreneurs, entrepreneurship isn’t a choice; it’s a lifeline.
It’s a way to work sustainably, honour their health, and still contribute their skills to the world.
National Ablepreneurs Day is about giving that contribution the recognition it deserves.
It’s about saying:
Your talent is valid.
Your ambition is welcome.
Your creativity is needed.
Your resilience is powerful.
Your future is yours.
On the day there will be...
Inspiring speakers
Real stories
Gentle networking
A celebration of lived‑experience leadership
A community that welcomes you exactly as you are
Join us
Whether you’re an Ablepreneur, an ally, an organisation, or someone curious about inclusive entrepreneurship, you’re invited.
Let’s make history together.
Let’s build environments where disabled talent can shine.
Jane Doe
Award-winning business owner and author. Founder of Ablepreneurs®.
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