At the recent National Advocacy Awards held on 6 November 2023 Peter Edwards was delighted to present Deborah Lawson with a Lifetime Achievement. Below is Peter’s speech celebrating Deborah’s achievements.
“Deborah has been a natural advocate all of her life. She has literally supported 1000s of disabled people and their families to secure their rights and get better lives.
“On top of her advocacy with individuals, she has also worked tirelessly across society having impact in fashion – informing, supporting and holding fashion designers to account about accessible fashion.
She has had a massive contribution to business, talking about diversity , equality and inclusion. Always inspiring them to take action.
“Deborah was, in fact was one of the early pioneers for diversity, equity, and inclusion, courageously advocating for greater acceptance since the late ’90s when there was a lot of intolerance and resistance towards anyone raising awareness about creating positive change (which she faced, but carried on regardless because she was so passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion). Deborah’s impact has paved the way for countless others to follow her lead.
“Deborah has faced adversity in her own life, including doing a 5-year degree on her back with a screen suspended above her head (graduating with first-class honours), She also endured months of homelessness after losing her home in a non-fault house fire.
“This is in addition to being a powered wheelchair user and managing multiple severe and extremely painful disabilities and the daily challenges these bring. Yet Deborah has continued to selflessly dedicate her whole adult life to others, to make the UK a more diverse, equitable and inclusive place for future generations.
Deborah is an outstanding role model to thousands of disabled and non-disabled individuals, encouraging them to be allies to Disabled people and push for better support and inclusion.
“Deborah doesn’t just talk about change, she makes change happen. Truly a beacon of hope and inspiration to all those who are facing adversity and limitations in their lives. She conducts herself with the highest professional standards and leaves a positive impact on everyone she meets.
Deborah, thank you for all you have done. Please accept this award in recognition of your lifetime commitment to advocacy.”