Fraser Simmonds
Disability Advocate and Campaigner at Fraser and Friends
Rising Star
A 10 year old disabled wheelchair user living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, dinosaur expert, activist, campaigner and all round awesome dude who is changing society’s perceptions of disability every single day through his social media advocacy platform, Fraser and Friends (www.facebook.com/fraserandfriends) and creating visible change in his local community.
His online community, with 15,000 followers, educates people from all over the world about living with a positive mindset and aims to break down barriers around disability taboos. These Fraser inspired posts, written by his Mum, have been liked and shared hundreds of thousands of times.
Fraser has been the face of many public campaigns to highlight inaccessibility for his wheelchair, red cords, Changing Places facilities, disabled parking, his experiences of inequality, the lack of playgrounds for children like him, and general education around inclusion. He has featured in national and local newspapers, on ITV, and news channels such as the BBC, Newsround and Channel 5.
Local campaigning has encouraged his Borough Council to apply and secure government funding to install two new Changing Places facilities, as well as his local farm park, and he and his family have been involved in the designs of upgrades being made to playgrounds in his local Borough, making them more accessible, giving children like him the opportunity to play, something that he missed out on when he was a young child.
He was previously unable to access his local nature reserve due to old inaccessible gates – after campaigning to his local Council, they have replaced gates at four of the entrances meaning wheelchairs, scooters and buggies can now get inside. In addition, they have also added paths, so he is able to explore without getting muddy wheels!
Fraser was awarded a Prime Minister’s Point of Light in 2019 and was short-listed for Scope’s Young Campaigner of the Year in 2022. He has also been a Shaw Trust Rising Star in 2021 and 2022!
He is also a successful Mountaineer – having climbed Snowdon on his Mum’s back and helping to raise £12,000 for charity, and a Wonder Wheels finisher, crossing the line with his sidekick sister!
“Being a wheelchair user means I always have clean shoes!”
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Disability Power 100 2023 profile information has been self-submitted by the profile subject. Shaw Trust understands and respects that disability and impairment descriptors and language use varies from person to person. Shaw Trust assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or discrepancies in the content of this, or any other, profile page.
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