Robbie Crow

He / Him
Strategic Disability Lead at the BBC
BBC

Award category:

Business and Finance

I’m a disability inclusion leader and passionate advocate of the Social Model of Disability.

Although I’ve been blind since birth, my disability inclusion journey started when I discovered the social model. Since then, my mission has been to advocate for disability inclusion across society. I’m fortunate that’s turned into a career!

I’ve been involved with lots of great initiatives. My highlights include helping to set up a disabled graduate programme in the NHS, launching the first Access to Work stakeholder forum in Scotland, advising on the accessibility of Operation Unicorn following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and leading the BBC wide roll-out of our positive action employment programme, BBC Extend.

Since 2023 I’ve been leading disability inclusion work at the BBC as Strategic Disability Lead. I oversee our approach to disability inclusion across our whole workforce, striving to make it representative of the UK population. In my role, I’m proud to regularly meet with and advise senior leaders on disability, and lead major pieces of work across the organisation that drive us forward.

Alongside my professional achievements my other big milestone is leading Microphthalmia, Anophthalmia & Coloboma Support (MACS) as Chair through COVID-19. I led the redesign of the charity’s structure and services, ensuring our members were at the heart of all decision making, and I ensured financially viability during the time when our members needed us the most.

I use my lived and professional experience of disability to ensure that disabled people are included and represented in a non-disabled world – nothing about us, without us. The biggest advice I can give to disabled people remains “be confident in your access needs. We know our requirements best, and should feel confident to advocate for the support we need”.

I live in Glasgow with my wife, daughter and guide dog.

“The social model of disability is the best tool we have to make true disability inclusion a reality. It isn’t perfect but if we unite behind it then it can be a real agent for change – ensuring that the disabled children of tomorrow don’t experience the same discrimination that disabled adults of today have endured”

Q&A

Robbie Crow
Be confident in your abilities, know your value, and never be afraid to show another disabled person the same support that you’d like to receive. If we don’t include and support each other as disabled people, what example is there for non-disabled people to follow?
I’d hope that my work impacts the disability community by ensuring more disabled people find employment and begin a career that motivates and excites them. By continuing to raise awareness of the Social Model of Disability, my work raises awareness of the fact that, for many people, it’s barriers that disable and not impairments. If we keep removing barriers in society, more people will be less disabled.
I want to keep succeeding in the work I’m doing and see more disabled people get into employment. I also want to keep empowering non-disabled people to have the confidence to address disability exclusion in business. One day, I’d love to say I played a part in eliminating the disability employment gap altogether.
Firstly, I love spending time with my wife and daughter – my daughter is my biggest achievement in life! For hobbies, though, I love competing as a snare drummer in Scottish pipe bands, and – although I don’t get out as much as I’d like to now – I love sailing whenever I get the chance.
My wife and daughter – and I love an episode of Still Game!
Dogs, please.
The world’s attitude to disability, switching from a medical (deficit) model of disability to a barriers-led (social model) of disability. I’d also love for people to stop distracting my gorgeous guide dog when he’s working – but I’m not sure which will happen first!
Attitudinal barriers – I’d love for people to forget what they think they know about disability and engage in meaningful conversations with disabled people to drive change.

Areas of expertise

Accessibility, Business, Charity, social enterprise, Cross Sector, Disability Advocacy, Employment, Equality

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