Chella Quint OBE

she/her
Period Positive movement founder
Period Positive

Award category:

Education and Research

Chella Quint OBE is an educator, author, and activist who has been a transformative force in menstrual literacy. She founded the global Period Positive movement, working tirelessly to make menstruation education inclusive, accessible, and led by marginalised voices. Chella created Adventures in Menstruating zine in 2005 and coined the term “period positive” in 2006 to acknowledge that talking publicly about menstruation was a positive act. Using creative research techniques based in joy, curiosity and humour, she’s facilitated collaborative print zines, design sprints, performances, and resources, introducing groundbreaking approaches to addressing period shame and taboos in education and beyond. She was awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2024 for services to education and menstrual literacy.

Chella is passionate about inclusion and has collaborated with young people, teachers, schools, and parents to develop an award-winning research project that integrates menstrual literacy education school-wide, alongside the Period Positive Pledge, supported by a Global Champions network. Through playful, immersive learning experiences, she empowers participants to lead in this free, voluntary project and supports policymakers in updating legislation with taboo-free, inclusive approaches. The Period Positive Schools Awards and Period Positive Places Awards, established to recognise those committed to auditing their organisations’ policies and practices in line with the movement’s framework, continue to receive widespread praise.

Chella’s bestselling books, Own Your Period and Be Period Positive, offer a fresh perspective on menstruation, blending inclusivity with practical advice. Formerly a drama teacher and head of PSHE, Chella also shines in science communication; her 5-star Edinburgh Fringe show Adventures in Menstruating entertained audiences of all genders. She was an on-screen contributor and script advisor to the International Emmy-nominated CBBC Newsround Special, Let’s Talk About Periods, and developed the Menstrual Literacy for All curriculum, piloted in 2023, impacting policy and practice across the UK and globally.

As a queer, disabled, Brooklyn-born migrant, she has proudly campaigned for inclusive menstrual literacy reforms and is also an influential disability advocate for accessibility in education, board games, videogaming, and cycling. She supports Sheffield and Yorkshire-based disabled cycling charities, frequently testing the limits of e-trikes through train journeys, bike polo, and critical mass rides.

Her activism is grounded in accessibility, empowerment, and inclusivity. Her nearly two decades of dedication have made her a role model for fellow educators, artists, activists, and those beginning their menstrual research journeys—a testament to her ability to create spaces where she and others can thrive.

It’s an incredible honour to be recognised on the Disability Power 100 list for 2024. I’m surrounded by friends and colleagues who also deserve this spotlight, so keep an eye out for them in the years to come. I’m proud to be part of such an amazing and supportive community, and I’m excited that this recognition will help me connect with even more people to build stronger communities and drive activism together. I’ve learned so much from my peers in the disability advocacy space, and I look forward to continuing to take up space alongside them.

Q&A

Chella Quint OBE
My passions are comedy and art so I believe that we should never underestimate the power of using humour, joy and art to create positive change. The truth is, every skill you learn, every passion you pursue, adds to your toolkit for life. No knowledge is wasted – it all comes together in ways you might not expect. 
My work has always been about advocacy and inclusion. Through the Period Positive movement, we ensure that disabled and other marginalised voices are leading the conversation around menstrual health and menstrual literacy. In my books, Own Your Period and Be Period Positive, I ensured the publishers included visible disabilities to offer representation for kids who might not often see themselves represented in the books, especially when the topic is not focused on disability. I’m passionate about co-creating spaces and resources where everyone can access comprehensive menstruation education that helps them make informed choices about their health. The curriculum guides we’ve developed focus on making menstrual literacy inclusive. Everybody grew up inside a uterus – so everyone deserves access to the tools they need to understand how they work! Outside of my Period Positive, I’m proud to be part of the cycling community. Using e-trikes (kindly provided through access lending schemes at Cycling4All and Get Cycling) for everyday commuting and participating in critical mass rides and other public group rides, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with a diverse group of cyclists and collaborate to provide mutual support and advocate for more inclusive cycling infrastructure together. It’s a great way to showcase non-standard cycles and share what’s possible when accessibility is a priority.
In my field of menstrual literacy research, we are pushing for our evidence based, pupil and teacher led menstruation education curriculum to be implemented as statutory in England’s National Curriculum with training for all teachers. Our resources and methods have been used by pupils, teachers and healthcare professionals to adapt existing resources to be more inclusive, representative and supportive of disabled learners. We would love to support all schools to earn the Period Positive School benchmark to evidence this inclusive and independent approach. In disability advocacy, I would like to remove all literal barriers to cycling! So to all the cyclists, city councils, town planners and transport ministers listening, by literal barriers, I mean: – Drop kerbs wherever cycle parking is located on pavements or near shops, so bikes and trikes can access them. – Neighbourhood cycle parking hangars so that secure cycle storage is available for those of us with small houses or without garages. – Paved or non-gravel paths on off-road cycle routes so that e-trikes don’t slip or spin out – Widening cycle paths and removing A-frames so non-standard cycles can be accommodated. – Easy e-trike transport on trains and trams – I use my trike to get everywhere in Sheffield and being able to travel so independently and comparably in other cities would mean I was able to travel more without support and with a lot more autonomy. It’s also quite difficult to hire an accessible trike in another city – certainly not as easy as it is to hire a two-wheeler wherever you go. It would be lovely to add goods wagons back onto passenger trains so that nonstandard cycles can be carried along with everybody else’s.
I love going to the seaside – Cleethorpes is a real guilty pleasure – and I also enjoy swimming in the outdoor heated pool in Hathersage in the Peak District. I’m a big fan of word games and board games, and I can regularly be found at the Treehouse Board Game Cafe!  I am also taking more time to explore opportunities for disabled gaming!
My family, my friends, and my work bring me joy. I love cycling on my e-trike, watching and performing comedy, and going to my local cinema (shout out to Subtitled Mondays at the Showroom Cinema in Sheffield). 
I couldn’t possibly choose!
That’s a tough question! Am I allowed to ask for a million more wishes here? If I can really only choose one, it’s that the Period Positive inclusive menstrual literacy curriculum model is implemented as statutory as part of the National Curriculum in England, with generous funding for teacher training, so that pupils and teachers can take ownership of the transmission of menstrual knowledge. It’s pretty weird that of all school topics, period lessons were written by menstrual product companies – menstrual literacy is something that more and more teachers are confident and keen to take on, and which pupils involved in our project have been asking for since my MA fieldwork in 2013!
As I’m sure plenty of other folks do; I have a long list! The first ones that come to mind are the gatekeeping of budgets and exclusion from leadership and decision-making roles. Too often, those with able privilege believe they’re doing “enough” without listening to or inviting leadership from disabled voices. I never make a complaint without providing suggestions for solutions, so I recommend working with those who use co-design and participatory research practices to ensure that before any decision is made around access or healthcare, truly engaging and impactful consultations take place and the evaluations are continuous to ensure there isn’t a one-and-done mentality when something is eventually improved somewhere. Any actions in education, employment or the public sector that result in leaders thinking, “Well, that’s a job well done!” should actually be “Right, that was step one, how do we evaluate this and build upon it?” Inclusive design and accountability are a route to real change rather than performative advocacy.

Areas of expertise

Accessibility, Architecture, Art, photography, Children and young people, Community, Cross Sector, Disability Advocacy, Education, Equality, Gaming, Health and wellbeing, Performing arts, Publishing, Science, Social Media influencing, Television, radio, podcast

Disability Power 100 profile information is self-submitted by the profile subject. Shaw Trust understands and respects that disability and impairment descriptors and language use varies from person to person. Shaw Trust assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or discrepancies in the content of this, or any other, profile page.

Image credits: Image Credit Photo taken with permission at the Lauft (Flow) Exhibition at the MEK Museum of European Culture, Berlin
Request easy read version