I am Claire Buckle, a lifelong advocate for disability sport and inclusion, proudly living with left-sided Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy. My journey began as a GB Para Athlete in Shot Put and Discus, but my legacy has been built off the track – through decades of coaching, classification, education, and innovation.
At 18, I became a qualified athletics coach and went on to be the first person in England to complete the Level 3 Performance Athletics Coach qualification focused solely on para-athletics. I coached a young athlete from schoolgirl level to GB Bronze Medal success, supporting her development over five years.
As a Lead Para Athletics Classifier in the UK, and one of only 50 international classifiers globally, I help ensure fair, inclusive competition in para sport worldwide. I founded the Manchester Frame Running Hub, offering people with severe neurological impairments the opportunity to move freely and experience the joy of sport.
Beyond sport, I launched two businesses, Ability Consultancy and Ability Digital, focused on accessibility, education, and inclusion.
In 2025, I’ve set-up and will launch Ability Social, a charity supporting people with Cerebral Palsy to engage in sport and outdoor adventure.
I am now a digital changemaker. With no formal background in tech, I founded Ability Digital—trading as Xplore DisAbility—to raise awareness and shift perceptions of disability through immersive technology.
The idea was born from a simple question someone once asked me: “What is it like being disabled?” It’s a question that many of us with disabilities find difficult to answer—because we don’t know anything else. That question stuck with me. I realised that if words weren’t enough to convey the experience, maybe technology could help.
That’s when I decided to develop a disability awareness app using extended reality (XR). The goal was to give non-disabled people the chance to experience disability, not just learn about it in theory. Through immersive, scenario-based storytelling and interactive environments, users are placed into everyday situations where they face barriers and challenges that disabled people often encounter. It’s a powerful and emotional way to build empathy, understanding, and ultimately, inclusion.
Despite having no professional experience in digital or tech, I, collaborated with developers, but led the creative and strategic direction of the project. I brought lived experience, vision, and a relentless drive to make inclusion not just an ideal, but a reality. I believe that lived experience is a form of expertise, and when combined with digital innovation, it can challenge societal assumptions and create meaningful change.
Xplore DisAbility has been used in schools, workplaces, and community settings to spark dialogue and promote inclusive thinking. It’s not just a piece of tech—it’s a tool for cultural shift. I continue to grow the platform and advocate for inclusive design in digital spaces, proving that you don’t need a coding degree to drive digital impact—just a clear purpose, resilience, and a willingness to learn.
My journey from elite sport to digital innovation is grounded in the same values: determination, breaking barriers, and making a difference. Today, my mission is to use digital tools not just to inform, but to transform how people see disability—and each other.
