Building the Next Generation of Disability Rights Campaigners

At Ruils, one of our core values is making sure the voices of Disabled people are heard and listened to. We achieve this through many means, but at our heart, we are a campaigning organisation. Our founders were Disabled people who organised themselves to campaign for change, while also empowering other Disabled people to join their cause. They knew that the best way to achieve the change they wanted to see was to support other Disabled people to take action themselves.

21 years later, we are still working towards this aim; supporting the next generation of Disability campaigners and activists to learn the skills and gain experience needed to lead.

In honour of National Intern Day, we are celebrating our two Campaigns Interns, Lauren Rymel and Danielle Rampton. Both have been working at Ruils since 2024, supporting our campaigns and user-led groups. Their lived experience, passion for disability justice and dedication to their work has contributed to the success of several campaigns, making positive change for local Disabled people.

Our Campaigns Manager, Hallie, sat down with Danielle and Lauren to chat with them about the role and what it has meant to them:

What made you want to become an intern at Ruils? 

“I became a Ruils intern because I wanted to make a difference in the community around me and help make voice for Disabled people within the local boroughs. I started to come to Ruils as member of the Transport and Mobility Forum, which later blossomed into a role as a Campaigns Intern.” – Danielle

“I wanted to become an intern at Ruils to have a positive impact on our local community, especially on those who face barriers due to our inaccessible world. I also wanted the opportunity to meet and work with other people with disabilities, as well as individuals in our community who are working on a wide variety of projects aimed at improving people’s ability to live their day-to-day lives, rather than just survive in them.” – Lauren

What is your favourite part of being an intern? 

“My favourite part of being an intern is meeting people who work in an official capacity within the Richmond and Wandsworth borough. I like to tell them about my story and how with the right support and environment, both in the community and education, anyone can grow into a valued member of the community and not be tied down by diagnosis on a doctor’s records or ECHP.” – Danielle

“My favourite part of being an intern at Ruils is when we get to go to events and get to meet Disabled people who work for other DDPO’s and share what campaigns we are currently working on. I enjoy hearing ideas about how we can improve our campaigns and share what we think needs to be done next within the sector in order to improve the world for Disabled people.” – Lauren

What is your biggest achievement as an intern to date? 

“My biggest achievement so far was when I spoke at the front at the Transport and Mobility Forum about a campaign that we are working on with First Bus, a local bus company.” – Danielle

“My biggest achievement as an intern to date is getting onto Inclusion London’s ‘Growing our Own Leaders Programme’. This programme will allow me to improve as a campaigner and give me the tools I need to make change going forward.” – Lauren

It is Disability Pride month and as you work for a DDPO, are there any particular things you take pride in? 

“I take pride in being part of the invisible chronic pain community and how our community’s voice is growing stronger every day.” – Danielle

“I take pride in the fact that our user-led groups give local Disabled people a voice and a chance to use their lived experience to speak up about the changes they want to see in the local community. We then feed this back into the campaigns that we run to help make those changes happen, having a positive impact both in the long and short-term on Disabled people’s lives.”  – Lauren

We’re very proud of the work Lauren and Danielle have done over the last year and have no doubts they will make a big impact as future leaders in the wider Disabled People’s movement.