Dignity
Speaking to the person shows that their voice, identity and choices matter.
Disability-led. Direct. Unfiltered.
Speak to me.
Not about me.
Speak To Me uses lived experience to challenge assumptions and show why disabled people must be addressed directly, listened to and included from the beginning.
Start here
What do you want to do?
This is why
we are here
we are here
Disabled people should never be an afterthought in conversations about their own lives.
One moment.One message.
A movement.
How Speak To Me began
Harry was there. But somebody spoke around him.
The campaign began after Harry was ignored in a restaurant and another person was treated as though they should answer for him. It was not an unusual moment—and that was exactly the problem.
Being disabled does not make somebody invisible. Speak To Me turns that everyday experience into a direct challenge: see the person, speak to them first and give them the time and support to answer.
“I am a human being. Speak to me—not the person next to me.”Read the full story
The power of direct communication
A conversation can change what happens next.
Better decisions
Listening directly gives services, employers and decision-makers more accurate information.
Real influence
Inclusion means shaping the answer from the beginning—not being consulted after it is decided.
Don’t tick the box.
Change what happens next.
The reality in numbers
These aren’t just figures.
They represent people being ignored, excluded or denied the same opportunities as everyone else.
Figures checked and updated August 2026.people in the UK are disabled.
That is 16.7 million people—not a small or separate part of society.
SourceDWP Family Resources Survey 2024–25have experienced negative attitudes or behaviour.
Three out of four disabled people said this happened within the previous five years.
SourceScope attitudes researchof people with complex disabilities felt lonely.
They felt lonely often, always or some of the time, compared with 25% of the general public.
SourceSense research 2023were in paid employment.
Of working-age adults receiving long-term learning-disability support in England whose employment status was recorded. That was 6,365 people in 2024–25.
Official sourceDepartment of Health and Social Care 2024–25percentage-point disability employment gap.
In April to June 2025, 52.8% of disabled working-age people were employed, compared with 82.5% of non-disabled people in the UK.
Official sourceDWP, The employment of disabled people 2025disability hate crimes were recorded.
Police in England and Wales recorded these offences in the year ending March 2025. Every person deserves to be heard, believed and treated with dignity.
Official sourceHome Office, year ending March 2025How to read these figures: They come from different surveys and administrative datasets, so they describe different groups and should not be combined into one total. Follow each source link for the population, sample and method used.
About the employment figure: The older 4.8% figure came from NHS Digital data for 2021–22. The collection method has since changed, so the Government says the figures should not be directly compared.
Every number is a reason to speak directly, listen properly and act.
Real people.Real experience.
What is Speak To Me?
We show why direct communication matters.
Speak To Me is a disability-led campaign founded by Harry Georgiou. Through stories, interviews, videos and public speaking, it asks people and organisations to address disabled people first, avoid assumptions and make communication accessible.
Read our storyThe change we are building
One voice can start a conversation.
Together, we can change practice.
Be part of the changeSpeak directly.
Address disabled people first and give them the time and support to answer for themselves.
Listen to lived experience.
Real inclusion begins when disabled people shape the decisions, services and stories that affect them.
Turn words into action.
Challenge assumptions, remove barriers and make direct communication part of everyday practice.
What we are working on
One principle.
Many places to change.
Direct communication matters wherever people make choices about disabled people’s lives. Our campaigns connect the everyday moment to the systems around it.
6% & Rising
Putting ability before disability and opening more routes into paid work.
Explore the campaignA seat at the table
Co-production must give lived experience real influence from the start.
Work with usDo you see me?
Challenging the assumptions that leave disabled people ignored or spoken over.
Hear real storiesHear us. Believe us.
Speaking up about barriers in services, Access to Work and disability hate crime reporting.
Share what happenedDo you see me?
Do you hear me?
“Will you Speak To Me?”
Do you see me?
See the person.
Hear their voice.
These films show the everyday assumptions behind Speak To Me—and why speaking directly to disabled people matters in shops, workplaces, services and every part of public life.
Visit our YouTube channel01 You presume what I can do?
02 So you think I can’t order my own drink?
The video that helped inspire Speak To Me
No decision without us.
This World Down Syndrome Day film captures the principle at the heart of Speak To Me: disabled people are citizens, leaders and decision-makers—not an afterthought. We do not just want to be invited into the room. We want a meaningful seat at the table.
Our employment campaign
Ability before disability
Help make the number rise.
6% & Rising is Speak To Me’s dedicated employment campaign. It challenges the barriers faced by people with learning disabilities and highlights their talent, skills and contribution to the workplace.
The campaign promotes supported internships, supported employment, Access to Work and genuinely inclusive recruitment.
Discover 6% & Rising
The Speak To Me quiz
Are people really listening?
Tell us how people communicate with you. Your answers help us understand what needs to change.
Take the quiz