A little about Enhance the UK
We’re a mighty charity, proudly powered by disabled professionals
Our aim is to change the way people view disability, which often involves removing the ‘fear factor’ that so often surrounds the subject. We support businesses to be more inclusive by providing disability awareness training, British Sign Language translations and accessibility audits, amongst many other things.
Understanding disability
It starts with education.
When people think about accessibility, they often picture ramps or accessible toilets. But real access goes far beyond bricks and mortar.
From workplace Deaf and disability awareness to inclusive recruitment and employment practices, creating truly accessible spaces and experiences takes more than just physical adjustments. It starts with education, and most importantly, the willingness to listen and learn.
Changing attitudes matters
Fear of saying the wrong thing often stops people from saying anything at all. Many non-disabled people worry they’ll offend someone if they ask a question or offer help. But silence can be just as damaging.
We want to change that.
By encouraging honest conversations and sharing lived experiences, we’re helping to remove the fear and build understanding. Because creating a more inclusive world starts with human connection.
Meet our wonderful team
Jennie Williams
C.E.O
Jennie (she/her) has worked with a wide range of Deaf and disabled people over the past 25 years, including individuals with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. She holds a Level 3 qualification in British Sign Language and has a deep understanding of the Deaf community, as she herself has a hereditary degenerative hearing loss and is a hearing aid user. Jennie is also neurodivergent and has an autoimmune condition.
Claire Holland
Deputy C.E.O
Claire (she/her) is the deputy C.E.O of Enhance the UK. She has previously worked in Education, social care and for various charities in advice and advocacy roles. Through her role at Enhance the UK, Claire has a wealth of experience of training and consulting with organisations on topics such as inclusion, the equality act, legal duties and disability awareness. Claire has lived experience of disability herself as she is Deaf, neurodivergent, and has Crohn’s disease.
CJ De Barra
Marketing and Promotions Manager and Disability Awareness trainer
CJ De Barra (they/them) is a Content Manager and Disability Awareness Trainer with Enhance the UK, based in Nottingham. They are a published author and have written books on neurodiversity. CJ was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder at the age of ten, as well as Generalised Anxiety Disorder in their twenties.
Jon Prashar
Disability awareness trainer
Jon (he/him) has over 30 years of experience of working in the Public, Private and Voluntary sectors focusing on designing and delivering best practice in promoting equality and diversity. He previously worked as the Head of Diversity and Inclusion at a large property development and management company and is a board member for Bradford teaching hospital NHS trust. Jon has a visual impairment and considers himself to be the very lucky owner of a working guide dog.
Zoe Lloyd
Disability Awareness trainer, Consultant and Manager of the Love Lounge.
Zoe (She/her) is an experienced trainer and auditor, and has worked with Enhance the UK since 2021. She really enjoys facilitating the group interactions in training, bringing a sense of fun and her lived experience to bring the learning alive. Zoe is a full time wheelchair user due to Rheumatoid Arthritis which came on very quickly when she was 19 years old. Zoe is a qualified therapeutic counsellor and uses these skills to work with clients in the Love Lounge.
Steve Haynes
Disability Awareness trainer
Steve (he/him) spent ten years as a professional trombonist performing in the West End and now works for a large healthcare union, managing a portfolio of member cases with specialism in employment law, negotiation and workplace mediation. Born with an upper limb difference (ULD), Steve is also a trustee of Reach, a charity he first joined as a child. When delivering training for Enhance the UK, he brings lived experience of both visible disability and non-visible disability (depression) to challenge assumptions and encourage more inclusive thinking. He also draws on his experiences following childhood surgeries to highlight the importance of the social model of disability.
Jignesh Vaidya
Consultant
Jig (he/him) currently works as a Business Coordinator for the BBC as well as an access consultant for Enhance the UK. Outside of work he likes to go to the gym and stay active by playing and coaching wheelchair basketball.
Watch this page in BSL