Biography: Shelley Cowan – Inclusive Awards 2025 Nominee
I’m Shelley Cowan, and I am honoured to be nominated for the Diversity and Inclusion Tech Initiative Award at the Inclusive Awards.

For 12 years, I was confined to a bed , 4,380 days of surviving rather than living. For a further decade, I have lived as a wheelchair user, navigating a world not built with me in mind. I have faced barriers most people never imagine: narrow doorways, inaccessible bathrooms, and the daily uncertainty of whether I’ll be able to access the places I want to visit.

Early in my journey, I was even removed from a class so a vote could take place on whether I should remain in the room, a stark reminder of the barriers people with disabilities face daily, beyond just physical ones.

These experiences only ignited my purpose and passion to push for change.

I am a disability advocate, researcher, speaker, and inclusive tech innovator, but more than anything, I live to help others. I use my voice to challenge accessibility and inclusion and build a better future.

I founded JustUs, an inclusive community initiative creating safe, welcoming, and accessible spaces for adults with disabilities, their families, and carers. From music and social events to confidence-building workshops, it’s a place where joy and belonging thrive.

From there, I launched Access Avenue, a consultancy and platform helping businesses embrace accessibility and inclusion with confidence. Through this work, I led the Accommodation for All campaign, calling for genuine change in hospitality and tourism industries too often failing to meet real disabled travellers’ needs.

Following findings from international research on wheelchair users, I created Travel Ease a research-based person-led accessible travel platform designed to eliminate the exhausting guesswork people face when booking accommodation. After years of calling ahead, sending measurements, packing my own hoist, or watching friends sleep on pool loungers because accessible rooms weren’t truly accessible, I knew the system had to change.

Travel Ease is my answer. With verified listings, tailored grading, and assistive-friendly design, it empowers users to find places that suit their needs with confidence. It’s inclusion in action.

I’ve shared my story as a TEDx speaker, emphasising how accessibility must be embedded from the start of every space, technology and process and never an afterthought.

I also founded Northern Ireland’s first inclusive Toastmasters club, giving disabled people a platform to lead, speak, and grow.

As the first Purple Tuesday Ambassador for Northern Ireland, I advocate for better customer experiences across retail, travel, and public venues. I also serve on the Accessible Hospitality Alliance advisory board, ensuring diverse voices influence industry decisions.

In 2024, I was honoured to receive the Breakthrough Award for Women Innovators RISE programme, recognising my leadership in inclusive technology.

While completing my master’s in International Business, I used voice assistive technology daily, proving that access enables achievement.

I have turned personal struggles into solutions for others. I don’t ask for sympathy, I demand system change. I build that change, one breakthrough at a time, and build a better future.

My mission is clear: to create an inclusive, sustainable future where everyone can enjoy equal, effective, and joyful experiences, without compromise, without apology.

This nomination is more than recognition. It’s proof that inclusion in tech matters.
Because I don’t just talk about inclusion.

I live it. I lead it. I build it.