On Friday 13th June Dimensions announced the winners of its 2025 Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ Awards. With 14 million disabled people and 700,000 autistic people in the UK, the winners of this year’s awards reflect the diversity of these groups, their achievements, and their hopes for building a more inclusive society in a time of rapid political and societal change.
The Leaders’ Awards, run in partnership with Supported Loving, is the UK’s first national awards which recognises people with learning disabilities and autistic people who are challenging stereotypes, pursuing dreams and making communities better for themselves and others.
This year’s winners are a set of remarkable campaigners, creatives, community champions and changemakers, who have shown resilience, passion and leadership in their everyday lives. From Bradley George Wilson (31), who has dedicated over a decade to championing the rights and voices of people with learning disabilities. To Alice Glennon (19), whose online videos calling on Strictly stars to sign inclusive phrases like ‘thank you’ and ‘hello’ in Makaton led to many celebrities signing ‘thank you’ to their public voters every week this year. A huge win for inclusion on mainstream TV.
The role of the Awards, which is now in its seventh year, has never been more important: with research* by Dimensions revealing that 72% of people with learning disabilities and autistic people feel ignored by society, and only 37% believe they get the same opportunities as everyone else. At the same time, 85% want to see more representation in the media – a gap the Leaders’ Awards aim to close by shining a spotlight on their achievements.
This year’s Leaders celebrated at a special awards ceremony at Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery, with guest appearances from Special Olympics GB athlete, Niall Guite; disability campaigner, Ciara Lawrence; advocate and retired Paralympian, Beth Moulam and musician, Daniel Wakeford.
Rachael Dodgson, Chief Executive of Dimensions, said:
“The Leaders’ Awards are all about amplifying diverse voices to make positive change happen in fields ranging from politics and education, to work and entertainment. In a time of rapid political and societal change, this has never more important.