About us
We’re a Deaf and Disabled Peoples Organisation (DDPO), delivering local services, research and campaigning led by Disabled people, for Disabled people. The majority of our staff and 100% of our board have lived experience of disability.
As a DDPO, we also run other local services used by everyone, not just Disabled people. This includes our Barnet Together partnership supporting the voluntary sector, two libraries, a Healthwatch and various other projects.
This combination of Disabled‑led design embedded in mainstream settings, is what sets us apart and demonstrates that when Disabled people lead, services become more equitable, accessible and effective for both Disabled and non‑Disabled people.
Our work is rooted in the Social Model of Disability, which recognises that other people’s ideas about what we can and can’t do, and how services are designed and run can be the most disabling thing.
Our lived experience doesn’t just shape the local services we run – it informs how we improve systems more widely and influence national conversations about disability.
By listening locally, acting more widely and speaking up nationally, we make sure real experiences lead to real change at every level.
Our vision
A world where Disabled people live their lives free of barriers, stigma and poverty.
Our mission
To harness the strength and skills gained from lived experience of disability to create more inclusive services, communities and systems.
Our values
We strive to be:
Collaborative – working with partners locally, regionally and nationally to strengthen the whole sector.
Reflective – learning continuously from lived experience and feedback to improve systems.
Empowering – enabling more Disabled people to influence and lead.
Supportive – providing peer-led, person‑centred help that focusses on tackling what’s getting in the way, not changing individuals.
Empathetic – understanding barriers through shared lived experience to meet people where they are.
Proactive – identifying and challenging emerging inequalities to spot issues early.
Our lived‑experience model is intentionally intersectional and grounded in solidarity with wider social justice movements.
How we work
We create change through five core methods:
Thought leadership: using lived experience to shape narratives, policy and system design
Peer support: delivering person‑centred services led by Disabled people.
User voice: ensuring Disabled voices shape services and decisions.
Empowerment: building confidence, skills and leadership pathways.
Community development: strengthening the voluntary and community sector.
These methods run across every level of our work.
What we do
Our work takes place across three interconnected levels. Each strengthens the others, creating a cycle where experience informs influence, and influence improves experience.
Local: Delivering peer‑led services
We provide practical, accessible, person‑centred support for Disabled people and our wider community through:
- Touchpoint peer support and benefits advice
- Healthwatch Enfield
- Healthy Hearts community health programme
- Community leadership and user voice initiatives
- Two partnership libraries
- Inclusive support and organisational development through Barnet Together
System‑wide: Shaping policy and practice
- Across North Central London and the wider London region, we:
- Chair the VCSE Alliance for the Integrated Care Board
- Strengthen approaches to coproduction and inclusion
- Bring lived‑experience insights into regional strategy and service design
- Collaborate with DDPOs and voluntary organisations across London
- Share best practice in peer‑led delivery through Inclusion Unlimited and sector partnerships
National: Influencing policy and public narratives
- Through the Campaign for Disability Justice and wider policy work, we:
- Challenge harmful narratives and stigma
- Advocate for accessible employment and a decent social security safety net
- Respond to national consultations
- Amplify insights from our local and regional work to help shape national debate
Our strategic objectives (2026–2030)
We are working towards a future where Disabled people:
- Can live their lives free of stigma, discrimination and poverty.
- Have access to a decent standard of living, in or out of work, and accessible job opportunities.
- Have equal access to healthcare, with health inequalities eliminated.
- Receive peer‑led, person‑centred support that addresses individual needs and systemic barriers.
- Can take a lead in creating a thriving and inclusive society.
Our partnerships
Partnership is central to our work. We collaborate extensively with voluntary organisations, community groups, local authorities; health systems and DDPOs across London. We are a proud partner in Barnet Together and play an active role in North Central London Integrated Care Board structures, regional collaborations and cross‑London initiatives.
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Why lived experience is crucial
Along with many years of practice in community work, we understand the barriers and stigma that Disabled people face, because most of us have experienced them ourselves.
We use our lived experience of disability to design and deliver higher quality, more person-centred services. This benefits both Disabled people and society more widely. We also support other organisations to do the same.
Our lived experience of disability also makes us ideally placed to promote inclusion and accessible services for the communities we live and work in, and to campaign for a society in which Disabled and non-disabled people can contribute equally.
We empower others with lived experience of disability to create social change as well, through projects such as User Voice panels, volunteering opportunities with Inclusion Barnet, and by supporting other organisations to promote equality and inclusion.
How we use lived experience
We use our lived experience of disability to work towards equality in society.
We do this using the following approaches:
Peer-led support
We use our own experiences of inequality to create services which meet the needs of Disabled people.
Our Peer Support work
User-led work
We support Disabled people to raise awareness of the barriers they face and how everyone in society can work together to remove these obstacles.
About User Voice
Empowerment
By supporting Disabled people to use their voice in user-led services, our work empowers them to contribute equally to society. This includes a membership scheme for Disabled people, where members can access information and share their views on disability rights.
About our membership
Community development
We lead by example, as a DDPO running community services, supporting local community organisations, and campaigning for disability rights. Our work demonstrates that Disabled people can be highly effective leaders in the workplace, bringing invaluable skills and insight. Our projects also bring different sectors in society together, enabling everyone to experience the benefits of inclusion.
About our Community Organisation Support
Thought-leadership
Our many years of experience in the field, plus our own lived experiences of disability, have made us experts in identifying where barriers exist for Disabled people and how these can be removed.
We have advised many organisations and businesses on the best ways to tackle inequality, including through our consultancy, Inclusion Unlimited.
Meet our team & board
The Blueprint Diversity mark
In 2026, Inclusion Barnet became one of the first charities in the UK to be awarded the Blueprint Diversity Mark for racial diversity, equality and inclusion. We achieved Blueprint Ally Status, recognising our commitment to embedding equality and inclusion throughout our organisation.
As a Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisation (DDPO), we know that people do not experience discrimination through disability alone. Our lives are shaped by many different identities and experiences, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, faith, age and socio-economic background. This is why an intersectional approach is central to our work.
For us, inclusion is not a standalone project or policy. It runs through everything we do, from how we recruit and support staff, to how we design services, influence policy and campaign for change. The Blueprint Diversity Mark recognises the work we have done to embed equality and belonging within our culture, while also helping us continue learning and improving.
We are proud that most of our workforce has lived experience of disability, while also recognising that lived experience is diverse and shaped by multiple identities. We believe organisations are stronger when people can bring their whole selves to work, and communities are stronger when everyone’s voice is heard and valued.
The award is an important milestone, but not the destination. We remain committed to listening, learning and taking action to create a more inclusive organisation and a more equitable society. Find out more about our commitment to inclusive practice.
We are an accredited Living Wage Employer
Our commitment to paying the Living Wage
As a responsible employer and an organisation that cares about treating our employees fairly, we pay our staff the real Living Wage. We proudly show our public commitment to this by displaying the accredited Living Wage Employer Mark on our materials.
There are more than 13, 000 UK employers who, like us, voluntarily pay above the Government minimum. This wage ensures that our staff earn enough to cover their basic living expenses and that annual pay increases are linked to the cost of living.
As part of our commitment to paying the real Living Wage, we also ensure that we:
- pay the living wage to any contractors we work with.
- only promote job postings that show specified salaries.
- only endorse opportunities offered by other organisations or public bodies, such as participating in focus groups, committees, or attending public feedback meetings, where fair compensation aligned with the real Living Wage is offered.
For more information about the Living Wage accreditation please visit the Living Wage Foundation website
