Kerry Thompson
Blogger and disability campaigner
Kerry Thompson is a lifestyle and disability blogger living with Muscular Dystrophy, who uses her platform to promote awareness of the condition and a more accessible society. She says: “my dream is an equal world for all, that future me’s have inclusion and can live an accessible life with no worries.”
Kerry is a leading campaigner for the Changing Places campaign to increase the number of accessible toilet facilities available around the country. Through determined campaigning she has secured 35 Changing Places facilities at Tesco stores around the country. Kerry also appeared Muscular Dystrophy UK’s campaign video, with the Department of Transport, about the need for more accessible toilet facilities along the country’s motorways.
Working closely with the media team at Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Trailblazers, Kerry campaigns for the muscular dystrophy community, especially for young people living with the condition and their families. She challenges negative stereotypes around disability, focuses on how to live her best life and shares her wider health journey with tips she picks up along the way – such as learning to manage Type II diabetes.
Accessible housing is another topic Kerry works to improve. She has worked with Disabled Living on their campaigns about the importance of accessible housing and sits on the accessible housing advisory board of housing association Habinteg.
On Twitter you will find Kerry microblogging with the MDBloggersCrew where she spotlights the mental health factors of living with a life-limiting condition. Kerry also blogs about the ‘dark side’ of social media – that the platforms many people use as a lifeline for support are also the places where cyberbullying takes place. Kerry takes a pragmatic approach, balancing out the benefits and advising people to look after themselves.
Kerry is AccessAble’s Champion for Milton Keynes and has been honoured this year with a BBC Three Counties People Awards for her work.