Dr Gregory Burke
Founder and Chair of AccessAble.co.uk; Employment and Discrimination Barrister
Politics and Law
A wheelchair user from 16 years old, Gregory is a multiple award-winning scholar achieving an MA, MPhil and PhD from King’s College, Cambridge.
While a student Gregory founded DisabledGo, later named AccessAble.co.uk, in response to a national consultation he conducted as to why disabled people were so excluded from society. 22 years on, AccessAble provides detailed access guides to nearly 400 large organisations including 100+ universities, 100+ local authorities, 80+ NHS trusts and 100+ national businesses. In the last year, 4.6 million disabled people used AccessAble.co.uk. AccessAble employs 80 people, turning over £3 million.
While Gregory was Chief Executive of AccessAble, he trained as a barrister. He was called to the Bar in 2012. By 2017 he was Head of Employment Law at 7 Bedford Row (7BR) leading a team of 28 barristers; possibly the youngest ever head of team. He works predominately on employment and discrimination cases, while remaining Chair of AccessAble. He is recognised in the peer directories as a leading barrister.
Gregory is Chair of Access at 7BR. Recently he has influenced a £3m refit of chambers including an investment of £0.3m into 7BR’s accessibility such as the Sesame Steps; making 7BR one of the most accessible and disability-welcoming barristers’ chambers in the UK.
His legal expertise and lived insight of disability, combined with that of hundreds of others, has led AccessAble to now provide e-learning and consultancy support to help organisations tackle the societal barriers facing disabled people.
“I am both delighted and grateful to be part of the Disability Power 100; among so many impressive disabled people who – by virtue of their talent – are educating wider society about how inclusivity benefits the whole community. We are still pushing against the grain because a great many disabled people have huge barriers preventing them unleashing their potential. Along with many others, I will continue to work for more equitable opportunity. If I can help you, please get in touch.”