Anna-Ruth Cockerham

Anna-Ruth lives with Functional Neurological Disorder which affects her mobility and causes seizures. Her lived experience of disability feeds into her passion for a more accessible and inclusive world for all. During university, she created new support networks and campaigned for better support for disabled students through their studies. In 2021, she was recognised in the Disability Power 100 for this work.

Anna-Ruth joined London Gatwick as Accessibility Manager in 2022 where she leads on improving the experiences of disabled passengers to make air travel accessible to all. She works across the airport to challenge the barriers disabled passengers face, looking at airport infrastructure, services, and processes to make journeys easier and enjoyable.

This year she developed and launched a new airport-wide training programme on disability awareness and equality, equipping staff with the tools and knowledge to support disabled passengers at any stage in their journey. The programme covers not just the airport staff or the assistance service, but also aims to involve any business working on the airport.

While her day job is supporting passengers, she is also co-chair of London Gatwick’s network for disabled colleagues, aiming to use her expertise and passion to improve the experiences of disabled people both working and travelling through the airport.