Terri-Louise Brown has founded The Empowerment Awards with a mission to champion achievements within the disability community, writes Nicholas Davis

Terri-Louise Brown (credit Ralu Chase Photography)

An Enfield-based disability activist is leading a new UK disability awards programme which formally recognises people with additional needs and assistance dogs.

Known as The Empowerment Awards, they have been created with a mission to champion achievements within the disability community which are often overlooked.

Speaking to the Dispatch, awards founder Terri-Louise Brown said: “When people see a grassroots initiative they feel like less of a number.”

Now in their second year, the Empowerment Awards are heading to Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, where a ceremony will take place on Friday, 20th March.

These awards have rapidly grown into a national platform to celebrate people, organisations and carers dedicated to pushing for a more inclusive society.

The Empowerment Awards will have a community-led selection process. Nominations and winners will be decided by the public. Categories include ‘young carer of the year’ and ‘charity of the year’.

Nominations and sponsorship opportunities are now open. According to Terri, there were 163 nominations last year – whereas this year, there are 3,000 and counting.

Terri, who was diagnosed with MS nine years ago, spoke about the local community in Enfield. She said: “The inclusivity of the borough, seeing so many people and not necessarily feeling like you’re alone when going through different health struggles, has always helped.”

On the genesis of the awards, she added: “I created The Empowerment Awards because disabled people, carers, and assistance animals are too often excluded from mainstream recognition. This platform exists to celebrate lived experience, advocacy, and impact, not inspiration narratives.”

The 2026 ceremony will bring together a variety of figures from community leaders and other advocates. The awards are hosted by Talks With MS, one of the UK’s few black-led registered disability charities.

Reflecting on what she has learnt through seeing the Empowerment Awards grow, Terri said: “Don’t ever think that an idea is either too big for you to execute, or too small and nobody is going to want to know about it. Just execute the idea.”

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