A Day Of Pride And Celebration At The Birmingham Disability Festival
10th July 2025
For Access My Events, the Birmingham Disability Festival wasn't just another date in the calendar; it was a profound moment, a vibrant affirmation of our very purpose. As an organisation dedicated to making events accessible as possible to deaf and disabled people, our attendance at this festival was more than simply a presence – it was a powerful validation of our mission and an enriching experience that resonated at the core of what we do.
To be at the heart of such a significant celebration during Disability Pride Month, surrounded by the incredible talent, resilience, and joy of the disabled community, was amazing. It allowed us to not only connect directly with individuals and businesses we strive to serve but also to witness the transformative power of inclusive spaces. We were excited to be part of the festival for the first time. In this blog, we take you through the atmosphere and share some highlights from the day and what went on.
About the Birmingham Disability Festival
Right at the heart of this celebration, the organisers of the Birmingham Disability Festival announced that they were hosting the event for a second year running, this time at Aston University.
This vibrant and inclusive event, organised with the core purpose of honouring Disability Pride Month, transformed a day in Birmingham into a dynamic showcase of talent, resilience, and community spirit. It's a free and fully accessible festival that opened its doors to everyone – disabled individuals, their families, friends, and anyone eager to connect and celebrate the richness that disability brings to our society.
The festival featured captivating live performances by disabled artists and musicians to interactive sports sessions like wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and adaptive cycling. The event offered a diverse range of activities, both indoors and outdoors. There were valuable resources from organisations, and attendees could hear talks that were taking place at the Human Library.
Planning our Journey
The festival was held on the 5th of July 2025, from 12pm until 6pm, and Zubee planned to go with her friend Sarah, so we booked the train in advance from London, Euston station to Birmingham New Street station, and while doing that, the excitement was building to the day of the festival.
Zubee very rarely gets the opportunity to go out of London often, so this was another chance to visit the West Midlands, for the day. For the third time, Zubee booked passenger assistance and both ways, there were no problems.
When we arrived in Birmingham, we took an Uber to the venue, which took about 10 minutes.
Festival highlights and what went on
When we arrived at the venue, we walked around a little bit and, Zubee saw some friends and stopped to chat with the great, Isaac Harvey MBE, Dr Mark Esho and Shezad Nawab, MBE. As we continued walking, we found ourselves joining the start of a procession with the crowd, led by dhol players, the amazing Dhol Crew, (Bhangra drums), who were brilliant!
As someone who enjoys cycling and cycles on a weekly basis with Bikeworks All Ability, Zubee had to visit the adaptive cycles stand and do some cycling. They had a few different bikes available, but Zubee wasn’t sure if the bike would work for her because she needs foot straps on the pedals, and the pedals need to provide support. When she was shown that they had a similar bike with foot straps and similar pedals, she had to give it a try, and it worked.😊
From there, we wanted to go and see the alpacas but unfortunately we couldn’t find them, so, we went to hear Zubee’s friend, Shezad, do a talk about his life growing up as someone who is profoundly deaf, running businesses and the release of his book, to being awarded an MBE. From there, we went to see the photography exhibition and took part in some chair yoga.
Finally, we did another walk around and had a look at the stalls to see if there was anything we had missed or of interest before heading back to London. It helped that the weather held up and we had no rain. It was a wonderful event for the disabled community to come together and celebrate disability. The smiles, the connections made, and the strong sense of community made it a day to remember.
And the excitement doesn't stop there! Mark your calendars because the organisers are thrilled to have announced that the Birmingham Disability Festival will return next year on Saturday, 4th July 2026, at Aston University! Get ready for another day packed with celebration, empowerment, and community spirit as we continue to champion diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
To follow updates from the organisers you can follow them across their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.