Maria is a woman on a mission to change the perception of disabled people so that others like her will get the chance to prove that disability is no barrier to excellence.

I met Maria this summer in a Facebook group for writers. She’d just submitted an article about her experiences as an ambitious disabled woman(opens in new tab) and shared how, at an online event on flexibility with PricewaterhouseCoopers, she’d challenged the interview panel on their record when it came to recruiting and retaining disabled people.

It’s rare for me to meet people brave enough to challenge discrimination, and I wanted to connect with this woman.