At the heart of our work at TaAF is the belief that when people begin to change – shift their mindsets, change their approach and build new skills – they are the key to changing the systems and places around them for the better.
As we approach the end of our Accelerator funding phase, we are celebrating the people who have been on this journey with us, those who’ve not only changed themselves, but helped shape the communities and systems around them for the better.
Long before Joe was talking about ‘systems change’, he was navigating those systems. Every day meant working around barriers that weren’t always obvious to others. By bringing his lived experience into everyday conversations, Joe has helped others see inclusion differently, and in turn he began to shift both himself and the system around him.
Navigating Systems
Before joining TaAF, Joe had spent years working in disability sport. He was experienced, committed, and passionate about helping people move.
But Joe felt a quiet pressure to prove his value.
“You feel like you have to work harder than everybody else just to have a place at the table.”
He was used to working at pace, pushing himself hard, and finding his way within environments that weren’t designed with disabled people in mind.
Seeing value differently
Joe joined TaAF through the Let Me Move workstream. Through strengths-based conversations and a more relational way of working, Joe began to see his lived experience as a strength in itself.
“Understanding who you are and your value – that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned.”
He started to feel more comfortable with a slower, more reflective pace of work, valuing learning and relationships, he worked alongside partners to explore barriers together.
“We don’t have all the answers – it’s about working it out together.”
Joe also developed a deeper understanding of how systems shape disabled people’s experiences. Through co-design work and partner collaboration, he gained practical insight into how access, policy, and working practices interact, from navigating Access to Work processes, to understanding organisational policies, flexible working, and how physical environments can either enable or exclude.
Turning conversations into action
Joe started supporting accessibility audits, walking route reviews, events, and partner conversations across Pennine Lancashire, as well as collaborating with national organisations such as the Canal & River Trust. He has been helping organisations understand how physical activity spaces feel in practice, not just how they look on paper.
Joe’s influence was about making existing systems visible and understandable. By sharing practical, lived experience, he helped organisations recognise barriers they hadn’t previously seen, from physical access issues to the less obvious challenges of navigating everyday spaces.
Joe played a key role in supporting the Accessibility Advocates, helping other disabled people grow in confidence, find their voice, and become active contributors shaping solutions.
Alongside this, partners began making changes. Employment practices were reviewed, public spaces rethought, and physical activity programmes adapted to better reflect the needs of the communities they serve.
Growing in Confidence
Looking back, Joe reflects on how much has changed for him personally. He describes rebuilding his confidence and sense of self-worth, and moving away from the feeling that he had to constantly prove himself. Through supportive relationships and an inclusive culture, he began to recognise that he already had equal value, and didn’t need to overcompensate to earn his place.
“I’ve slowed down – and that’s not a bad thing.”
Perhaps most importantly, Joe learned that impact doesn’t have to come from intensity. Slowing down, reflecting more, and working relationally helped him reconnect with his strengths.
The Change in Me
Joe’s journey reflects TaAF’s belief that when people gain the confidence, skills and trust to work differently, they become the drivers of system change – not through authority or titles, but through everyday actions and relationships. In Joe’s case, that change has helped others see barriers more clearly and work differently in how spaces, policies and programmes are shaped.
Watch the short video below to learn more about one of the great projects Joe has been involved in through his work with the Let Me Move workstream: