Frances Ryan

Frances Ryan FRSL is a British journalist, author, and activist for people with disabilities. In 2021 the Shaw Trust named her one of the UK's ten most influential disabilities activists. Global Citizen called her "a prominent voice for people with disabilities in the media". She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Early life and education Ryan grew up in Grantham, Lincolnshire, and attended Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School. She has a PhD in politics from the University of Nottingham. Career Ryan is a journalist, author, and activist for people with disabilities. She began writing about disability in 2012 and has written the Hardworking Britain column for The Guardian. She has worked as a political researcher at the University of Nottingham. Ryan's 2019 book Crippled: Austerity and the Demonisation of Disabled People explored the impacts of the UK austerity programme on people with disabilities. The book was published by Verso in June 2019. The book inspired the BBC drama Hen Night, which Ryan created with Vici Wreford-Sinnott.