Working alongside your teams, we create safe spaces that enable everyone to share our experiences and break down the stigmas that have long been associated with people living and working with a disability. We're moving the conversation beyond just talent shortages to consider overlooked talent, beyond diversity to be inclusion-led, further than static policies towards progressive action, and most importantly, thinking bigger than just inputs and 'box ticking', to everyone becoming accountable for outcomes.
We know our approach is effective, evidenced by the feedback and reaction of past and current customers who've either participated in one of our workshops, commissioned one of our environmental assessments, or worked with our skilled and inspiring team.
PEOPLE
Meet the Team
Leveraging Lived Experience.
We're a ‘for profit’ team, dedicated to removing the stigma of disability and creating environments where workplaces are always and forever accessible, diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
Led by Paralympian Liz Johnson, our team members have each overcome their own physical and mental challenges to achieve extraordinary goals, so are uniquely positioned to leverage their own lived experiences to help others to understand what it takes to truly deliver an inclusive culture that's authentic, sustained and self-managing.
Liz Johnson
Co-Founder & Managing Director
“I’m fortunate: my career has never felt like work and has given me freedom to learn and grow. I believe obstacles create opportunities and I want to empower people to take chances when they come.”
“There are incredible people out there who have the drive, talent and resilience to do anything but are never given an opportunity for whatever reason. Engaging them can only benefit everyone. What’s stopping us?”
“I take great satisfaction from knowing I’ve made a positive difference in someone’s life. I believe if you can do something, you should. So, take every opportunity and pour everything into it for as long as you can”.
“You can only control the controllables. Don’t worry about anything out of your own hands; those issues will figure themselves out. Put your time and effort into the things you can change.”
“I love a challenge; to disrupt things and break down barriers. Find the best way to do something and if that doesn’t work, find another way to be successful, because if you do what you love it doesn’t feel like work.”
“There’s no substitute for hard work but success is more than a destination. It’s the people, the learning and the memories that count. If you’re not happy, you’re not succeeding, so find what makes you happy!”
“I’m passionate about providing opportunities for people who really deserve a break. The athlete in me has a burning desire to keep growing, to keep learning, but it’s empowering others that inspires me to be the best person I can.”
“I like to think outside the box. As a disabled person, I know only too well how it feels to have limitations put upon you before you even start. I’ve spent my entire life looking for ways to break down these limitations.”
“I’m here to help people. I really believe anything can be overcome with the right support and understanding. Just focus on your abilities and keep doing the right things in the right way: that’s what being an athlete teaches you.”
“I genuinely want to help people become the best they can be. Failure is only tangible when you give up, so if I can’t climb a wall first time, I’ll keep trying… or I’ll smash my way through it!”
Liz Johnson is someone with an obvious passion and will to succeed, regardless of the challenges confronting her. Born with Cerebral Palsy, Liz grew up in Newport, Wales, and holds a business degree from Swansea University.
As a three-time Paralympic medallist, winning gold in Beijing as well as World and European championships on multiple occasions, Liz not only has first-hand experience of the challenges and stigmas associated with overcoming a disability but is also a great example of the incredible things that people can achieve given the right culture, environment, and encouragement.
After retiring from professional sport, Liz witnessed the harsh realities of job-hunting and the world of work for people with a disability and co-founded The Ability People to elevate awareness and change how society thinks about and views people with disability, changing the mindset and leading cultural change.
For her work in Disability Inclusion, she has been recognised as one of the BBC’s ‘100 Women’ and as one of the UK’s 100 most influential disabled people (Shaw Trust Power List)
Liz leads the talented individuals that comprise TAP’s consulting team.
Steve Carter, the founder of The Ability People, is a recruitment professional with almost 32 years’ experience across the UK, Ireland, Asia and Australia.
He has held executive positions in large public organisations and emerging global private staffing groups including: Group Board Director and Shareholder – Morgan McKinley, Managing Director (UK) – Robert Half International, Director (Asian Operations) and Managing Director (Australia) – ADIA (now Adecco).
Always frustrated by the lack of career opportunities available to outstanding individuals living with disabilities, Steve was even more confused by the reluctance of employers to approach securing great talent without bias. The Ability People was created to help put this right.
Steve’s leadership, innovation and straightforward communication is a driving force behind TAP’s mission to shake up the recruitment industry and bring opportunity to people who have been too long overlooked.
Adil was part of the launch team at The Ability People and has become one of our most senior leaders, involved in shaping our strategy, designing and delivering impactful programmes for clients, and managing key corporate relationships whilst continuing to challenge business leaders on the important issue of inclusion.
Adil has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, a rare combination of diseases that causes the deterioration of muscles over time. It is a condition that he believes has helped him to make the most of what he has and look beyond his limitations.
"Take every opportunity that comes your way" - this simple ethos drove Adil Ghani to become a motivational speaker at fourteen, engaging crowds of thousands with his humour and positive message. It has led him to become a trustee for Panathlon Challenge and helped him pour his energy into supporting disabled children in sports for over fifteen years.
As a foundation member of The Ability People, Rachael is responsible for introducing our services & expertise to leaders and organisations that are committed to becoming more inclusive.
Rachael also leads the delivery of high-impact programs for clients and is instrumental in designing educational sessions and culture change initiatives.
Complications at birth left Rachael with limited use of her left arm - a situation that has only renewed the focus and determination she puts into achieving her goals.
She swam for Great Britain for six years, winning World Championship silver and bronze, setting world records in 100m and 200m Butterfly, and 200m Individual Medley, as well as competing at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics
Rachael Latham is also a sports broadcaster, TV presenter, and public speaker.
In 2008, Sam won Gold at the Beijing Paralympics, broke the S8 400m freestyle world record, and took Bronze in the SM8 200m freestyle medley. He was 17. Four years later, he earned a Bronze at London 2012 to stand alongside the ten medals he’d won at World and European swimming championships.
Sam's energy and passion to overcome barriers are limitless, as you might expect from someone born with muscular dystrophy and representing Great Britain even before he took his GCSEs. He is an essential team member, delivering our sessions to leaders and teams across the UK.
As an integral part of our consulting team, Manni delivers empowering and impactful sessions sharing his own unique insights as someone who acquired his disability in a car accident, breaking his neck and injuring his spine.
Whilst Manni cites his family as his greatest achievement, Manni represented Great Britain in wheelchair rugby at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Paralympics and won three gold medals in IWRF European Championships making his mark on team sport at the highest level and is now a board member of GB Wheelchair Rugby.
A Paralympian at 15, David’s international swimming career spanned 12 years and included medals at World and European championships. He retired from the pool in 2012, only to embrace his next challenge: the triathlon. In 2016, he reached the pinnacle of his second sport, finishing 10th in the para-triathlon at the Rio Paralympics.
Dave drives our clients to take action and become more inclusive by sharing his experiences as an athlete and a professional.
He also somehow finds time to work as a furniture designer and joiner, achievements made more impressive by the fact that he was born with no lower left forearm.
Fran Whitaker believes in doing all she can to make a difference. It’s an attitude that fired her to incredible success as a swimmer. She won six Paralympic medals, including Silver at Beijing 2008, and five World Championship Golds in a career spanning over ten years. Her drive to make a positive change also helped her to overcome the limiting expectations placed on her at school and graduate from university with a First Class degree.
Living with cerebral palsy, Fran has a unique perspective on success and self-improvement. She believes nothing worth having comes easy and that every step towards a goal is a success. Learning from mistakes is all part of the process.
With this ethos and strength of character, Fran and TAP have a chance to help others achieve goals that society deems impossible.
"As a former British number one and world silver medalist in Va’a canoeing and a world championship medalist in surf kayaking, Fran is no stranger to success and has translated that experience into meaningful and impactful mentoring and coaching with The Ability People.
Fran began her career as a Teaching Assistant; however, she suffered brain and neck injuries whilst playing rugby, which poses physical and neurological challenges in her everyday life.
When not working on projects with The Ability People, Fran is studying towards an MSc and works with The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, mentoring and coaching young athletes. "
Kate is living proof that anything life throws us can be overcome with determination and hard work.
At twenty, she was combining her career with a passion for sports, enjoying football, netball, and running. At twenty-one, she was in hospital after a car accident left her with a severe brain injury and partial paralysis. Doctors told her she would never walk again.
Over the following months, Kate relearned how to eat, drink and talk. Then, in defiance of her diagnosis, she learned to walk again. And she didn’t stop there. In 2016, Kate cycled from London to Paris then from London to Amsterdam.
Kate supports our team logistically and ensures all the essential details are in place so we can continue delivering outstanding client programmes.
Ryan has high-functioning autism and shares his authentic experience of neurodiversity with our clients through educational workshops, the design & development of content, and empowering 1-2-1 connections.
At school, Ryan’s careers advisor told him he would never get into a Russell Group university, so need not bother applying. Four years later, he graduated from Durham University with a degree in Archaeology and has since completed a Master’s programme, and the same quiet determination led him to become a junior black belt in karate.
That determination has stood Ryan in good stead so far. He says, "If you do good things and be nice to others, you build an environment where good things will happen to you."
