Kat Watkins
Kat Watkins is a Welsh disability rights activist and campaigner who has championed equal access for disabled people in politics. She works for the charity Disability Wales and has worked with a variety of organisations to improve disability access.
Background
[edit]Watkins grew up in a village near the Brecon Beacons with four siblings. They were raised by their father who worked as a security guard for the Ministry of Defence.[1] She studied Leisure Management and Marketing as an undergraduate at the University of Portsmouth and has a masters in Development and Human Rights.[1][2]
Watkins has osteogenesis imperfecta and lives in Swansea.[3][4]
Work
[edit]Watkins has worked for Disability Wales for several years, serving as their Disability Officer and UNCRDP Development Officer.[5][6][7] In this role she worked with schools in Wales to help educate children about disability rights as part of the Curriculum for Wales.[8][9] She has also worked on the charity's Access to Politics Charter, as their Access to Politics Project Officer.[10] The charter, which was published in 2026, sets out recommendations to ensure disabled people are able to participate in politics.[11][12] Watkins has also worked with disability support networks to support disabled people who want to get involved in politics.[1]
Watkins is the chair of the Swansea Disability and Inclusion Panel.[13] She has worked with Swansea Access for Everyone (SAFE),[14] a group that has previously worked with Swansea Council to make pathways more accessible, with the NHS to provide information on changing places in Swansea, and provided feedback on the redevelopment of Swansea railway station.[15][16][17]
Since 2023 she has served as a director of Social Firms Wales, an organisation that supports social enterprises that are seeking to become more inclusive.[18][19] She has organised for YesAbertawe, the Swansea branch of YesCymru.[20]
Activism
[edit]Watkins has been a strong advocate for disability rights, using her own experiences to highlight inequalities disabled people in Wales face. This includes ableism she has faced at her GP, and issues she's faced when travelling with Transport for Wales Rail.[10][4] She has since become a member of Transport for Wales' accessibility panel.[21]
Watkins has advocated for a ban on cars parking on pavements, due to the risks it causes for wheelchair users. Watkins has spoken widely about the issues this has caused for her, including one time where she crashed into a lamppost while checking a map, causing her to break several bones.[22][23]
She is supportive of the Motability scheme and has warned that reductions could isolate disabled people.[24] When "luxury" cars including BMW's and Mercedes were removed from the scheme,[25] Watkins told the BBC that she was almost left without a car, as she had only just leased a Mercedes-Benz Vito the week before. The Mercedes was the only car on the scheme that had a suitable wheelchair lift for her needs.[26]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Denton, Jane (6 April 2026). "How I Manage My Money: I have a £84,000 Motability vehicle - it's expensive but gives me independence". The i Paper. Archived from the original on 6 April 2026. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Child Poverty Summit Uwchgynhadledd Tlodi Plant 2023" (PDF). Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Disabled woman made 1,000 calls for Ed Sheeran tickets". BBC News. 11 February 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Disability: Doctor assumed woman using wheelchair did not have sex". BBC News. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Disability: Wheelchair user says life has become a battle". BBC News. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Disabled woman forced to sleep in hotel dining room left 'upset and in pain'". ITV News. 27 May 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Burrell, Miriam (22 May 2023). "Disabled woman forced to sleep in dining room of west London hotel". The Standard. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Developing Disability Equality in Welsh Schools". www.allfie.org.uk. Archived from the original on 9 November 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Mansfield, Mark (8 October 2022). "Why we should educate people about disability to create a more accessible world". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 Gosley, Ellie (23 August 2024). "The reality of trying to use public transport in Wales if you're disabled". Wales Online. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Johannes, Adam (19 January 2026). "Charter launched to boost disabled candidates in politics". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Morgan, Kate (3 May 2026). "Disabled Seneddd election candidates on the barriers they face". BBC News. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Newell, Carli (4 October 2021). "National Lottery Community Fund help disabled people get their voices heard". Herald.Wales. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Waters Creative Ltd (www.waters-creative.co.uk). "Blog | Disability and Industrial Society". www.dis-ind-soc.org.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Pavements are for People Policy". Swansea. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Community Resources". Swansea Bay University Health Board. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Planning for Inclusive Access in Wales" (PDF). Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "SOCIAL FIRMS WALES LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Social Firms Wales board". www.socialfirmswales.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Canary, The (9 May 2023). "As England entrenches itself in the past, Welsh activists eye an independent future". Canary. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Accessibility panel | TfW". tfw.wales. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Parking fines: Pavement parkers face £70 fines under new plans". BBC News. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Disability: Wheelchair user says life has become a battle". BBC News. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Peters, Kit (8 December 2025). "One in three new cars in Wales now taxpayer‑funded Motability vehicles". Swansea Bay News. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "'Premium' cars like BMW and Mercedes cut from Motability scheme". BBC News. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "'I earn £20,000 and live with my son. The Budget means we will pay more tax'". BBC News. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2026.