Name: Ananya Rao-Middleton
Pronouns: she/her
Neurodivergence: Autistic.
Professional Role: Illustrator. Disability activist.
Bio: Dynamic, powerful, and unapologetically authentic—Ananya Rao-Middleton captivates audiences with her heartfelt storytelling and genuine vulnerability. As a renowned public speaker and disability justice activist, Ananya ignites transformative conversations centered around inclusivity, accessibility, and the lived experiences of being a chronically ill and autistic woman of color.
Drawing from her own journey and expertise, Ananya offers a unique perspective rooted in the intersections of neurodivergent, disabled, gendered and racialised lived experiences. Her deep understanding of the challenges faced by disabled people, coupled with her passion for dismantling barriers, makes her an invaluable resource for those seeking a speaker with firsthand knowledge of navigating the creative sector as a neurodivergent, disabled individual.
Ananya is experienced with giving talks and workshops aimed at a variety of audiences from company employees and decision makers, to disabled and neurodivergent individuals.
For company employees and decision makers, her talks delve into the principals of disability justice, empowering companies and their teams to practice inclusivity on both a company and project level. With her guidance, organizations gain insights into fostering an environment that values diverse perspectives and unlocks the untapped potential of their neurodivergent and disabled employees.
Ananya frequently leads workshops and talks to uplift and educate neurodivergent and disabled individuals, providing them with tools and strategies to succeed and thrive without compromising their unique realities. Her talks inspire resilience, celebrate authenticity, and pave the way for a more inclusive world.
Her clients for speaking engagements include YouTube, Instagram, Greenpeace, Henkel, D&AD and the Tate Modern.
Join Ananya as she shares her expertise, experiences, and powerful insights, unlocking the full potential of diversity, inclusion, and accessibility for professionals and individuals.
Drawing from her own journey and expertise, Ananya offers a unique perspective rooted in the intersections of neurodivergent, disabled, gendered and racialised lived experiences. Her deep understanding of the challenges faced by disabled people, coupled with her passion for dismantling barriers, makes her an invaluable resource for those seeking a speaker with firsthand knowledge of navigating the creative sector as a neurodivergent, disabled individual.
Ananya is experienced with giving talks and workshops aimed at a variety of audiences from company employees and decision makers, to disabled and neurodivergent individuals.
For company employees and decision makers, her talks delve into the principals of disability justice, empowering companies and their teams to practice inclusivity on both a company and project level. With her guidance, organizations gain insights into fostering an environment that values diverse perspectives and unlocks the untapped potential of their neurodivergent and disabled employees.
Ananya frequently leads workshops and talks to uplift and educate neurodivergent and disabled individuals, providing them with tools and strategies to succeed and thrive without compromising their unique realities. Her talks inspire resilience, celebrate authenticity, and pave the way for a more inclusive world.
Her clients for speaking engagements include YouTube, Instagram, Greenpeace, Henkel, D&AD and the Tate Modern.
Join Ananya as she shares her expertise, experiences, and powerful insights, unlocking the full potential of diversity, inclusion, and accessibility for professionals and individuals.
Recent Publications:
Website: www.ananyapaints.com
Twitter: @AnanyaPaints
Instagram: @AnanyaPaints
Facebook: ananyaraomiddleton
TikTok: @Ananya_Paints
Location: London, UK and Lisbon, Portugal
Available for Virtual Sessions: YES
Available for In-Person Sessions: POSSIBLY
Available to Travel: YES. Happy to travel, but at the expense of the organiser.
Specific Support Required: Lots of breaks between meetings, especially for engagements longer than one hour.
Speaking Topics Include: Autism,; Workplace adjustments; Inclusive project management; Inclusion in the workplace; Disability justice; Disability activism; Inclusion in the creative sector; Accessibility; Thriving as a neurodivergent/disabled creative; How to run your own business as a neurodivergent person; Creating accessible and inclusive campaigns; Creating an anti-ableism environment at work; Combating anti-ableism at work; Creating anti-oppression frameworks at work; Neurodivergent peer support; Inclusive creative direction; Inclusion and anti-ableism in the creative sector; Embedding inclusion and anti-ableism in creative projects/work; Lived experiences with Autism; Lived experiences as an Autistic adult; Lived experiences as a late diagnosed Autistic person; Lived experiences as an Autistic woman.
Suitable Audiences Include: Creative teams; Creative directors; Business managers; HR staff; Neurodivergent people; Disabled people; Campaign teams; Social justice campaigners; Environmental campaigners; Organisations in the creative sector; Organisations in the NGO sector; Organisations focusing on mental health/wellbeing; Organisations focusing on positive change; Team leaders; Creative workers; Illustrators; Artists.
Speaker Experience: Long-form speaking experiences: Throughout my speaking career, I have had the privilege of engaging with diverse audiences and sharing my expertise on disability justice, inclusivity, and the power of lived experiences. Here are some highlights of my speaking experiences:
*Most recently, in May 2023 I ran a workshop for Creative Equals as part of their Disabled Creatives program. The workshop focused on empowering disabled and neurodivergent creatives to thrive in the industry, providing practical guidance to students at different stages of their creative journey.
*D&AD invited me to lead a masterclass at YouTube in early 2023, focusing on integrating inclusive, disability justice-focused principles into the creative process. The session explored the importance of inclusive creativity from the onset of projects.
*In September 2022, Greenpeace invited me to give a talk on integrating disability justice principles into their campaigns. I had the opportunity to speak about the success of the recent "The Big Plastic Count" campaign, on which I provided guidance as a disability consultant. It was a powerful moment to showcase how inclusivity and accessibility can amplify the impact of environmental initiatives.
*I was invited to speak at an event for Twitter in November 2021, where I joined the Twitter Able #DisabledAndAble Tentpole Celebration. I had the opportunity to showcase my artwork and share my personal story, reaching over 200 Twitter employees.
*In honor of International Day of People With Disabilities 2020, I participated in a virtual live event hosted by Instagram's design team. Alongside actress Jillian Mercado and other guest creatives, we discussed disability justice, activism, and our creative work, raising awareness and inspiring change.
*I had the honor of being invited to speak on a panel event hosted by Henkel in December 2021, as part of their Panel Discussion on International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Sharing the stage with esteemed professionals like Disability Inclusion Specialist Jo Becker, Corp Sr HR Business Partner Franz-Albert Bell, and Head of Finance Spain & Portugal, Kirsten Sánchez, we explored important topics related to disability inclusion.
*Collaborating with Gal-dem and the Wellcome Trust, I contributed to a video discussion in the summer of 2021, where we explored the themes of joy and tranquility as part of the #OnHappiness season at the Wellcome Collection.
*At Bloomfest 2021, I had the privilege of joining a panel alongside esteemed individuals such as Christopher Kenna and Deborah Campbell. Together, we discussed redefining feminism and the empowering role of intersectional networks in shaping change.
*The Tate Modern hosted an event in October 2019 centered around Kara Walker's groundbreaking work, and I was honored to be asked to speak on the theme of 'memory.' I shared insights on memory in relation to brain injury and domestic violence, contributing to a thought-provoking discussion.
These experiences, alongside my ongoing work as an Illustrator, disability activist and consultant, have allowed me to connect with diverse audiences, foster inclusivity, and drive positive change. I am deeply passionate about using my lived experiences and expertise to uplift marginalized voices, challenge societal norms, and create a more inclusive and accessible world.
*Most recently, in May 2023 I ran a workshop for Creative Equals as part of their Disabled Creatives program. The workshop focused on empowering disabled and neurodivergent creatives to thrive in the industry, providing practical guidance to students at different stages of their creative journey.
*D&AD invited me to lead a masterclass at YouTube in early 2023, focusing on integrating inclusive, disability justice-focused principles into the creative process. The session explored the importance of inclusive creativity from the onset of projects.
*In September 2022, Greenpeace invited me to give a talk on integrating disability justice principles into their campaigns. I had the opportunity to speak about the success of the recent "The Big Plastic Count" campaign, on which I provided guidance as a disability consultant. It was a powerful moment to showcase how inclusivity and accessibility can amplify the impact of environmental initiatives.
*I was invited to speak at an event for Twitter in November 2021, where I joined the Twitter Able #DisabledAndAble Tentpole Celebration. I had the opportunity to showcase my artwork and share my personal story, reaching over 200 Twitter employees.
*In honor of International Day of People With Disabilities 2020, I participated in a virtual live event hosted by Instagram's design team. Alongside actress Jillian Mercado and other guest creatives, we discussed disability justice, activism, and our creative work, raising awareness and inspiring change.
*I had the honor of being invited to speak on a panel event hosted by Henkel in December 2021, as part of their Panel Discussion on International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Sharing the stage with esteemed professionals like Disability Inclusion Specialist Jo Becker, Corp Sr HR Business Partner Franz-Albert Bell, and Head of Finance Spain & Portugal, Kirsten Sánchez, we explored important topics related to disability inclusion.
*Collaborating with Gal-dem and the Wellcome Trust, I contributed to a video discussion in the summer of 2021, where we explored the themes of joy and tranquility as part of the #OnHappiness season at the Wellcome Collection.
*At Bloomfest 2021, I had the privilege of joining a panel alongside esteemed individuals such as Christopher Kenna and Deborah Campbell. Together, we discussed redefining feminism and the empowering role of intersectional networks in shaping change.
*The Tate Modern hosted an event in October 2019 centered around Kara Walker's groundbreaking work, and I was honored to be asked to speak on the theme of 'memory.' I shared insights on memory in relation to brain injury and domestic violence, contributing to a thought-provoking discussion.
These experiences, alongside my ongoing work as an Illustrator, disability activist and consultant, have allowed me to connect with diverse audiences, foster inclusivity, and drive positive change. I am deeply passionate about using my lived experiences and expertise to uplift marginalized voices, challenge societal norms, and create a more inclusive and accessible world.
Book This Speaker: Via email: [email protected]; Or, DM on Instagram: @AnanyaPaints (but email is preferred!)
Testimonials:
"Working with Ananya on The Big Plastic Count has been an absolute honour. Not only is Ananya a pleasure to work with, she has pushed us to re-evaluate how we campaign on plastic, and triggered a new way of thinking not only in the plastic team but in the rest of the organisation too.
The insights Ananya has given us on disability inclusion have been invaluable and the way she reviewed our work was excellent too. Comments directly into the documents allowed us to make swift amendments, and the review document she produced has been extremely helpful for sharing learnings, and ensuring that this work can be taken forward to future campaigns. She provided us with well thought out recommendations backed up with insightful explanations which have been hugely useful in shaping our campaign to be more inclusive.
Ananya gave a talk to our team presenting her key findings and recommendations following her review; the talk was both engaging and informative. It really helped ensure that the changes we have made were understood by the whole team and therefore properly embedded into the campaign.
Overall, I couldn’t recommend working with Ananya more highly - the experience has truly been a delight, and I look forward to collaborating with her more in the future." - Greenpeace - Maja Darling, Campaign lead
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The insights Ananya has given us on disability inclusion have been invaluable and the way she reviewed our work was excellent too. Comments directly into the documents allowed us to make swift amendments, and the review document she produced has been extremely helpful for sharing learnings, and ensuring that this work can be taken forward to future campaigns. She provided us with well thought out recommendations backed up with insightful explanations which have been hugely useful in shaping our campaign to be more inclusive.
Ananya gave a talk to our team presenting her key findings and recommendations following her review; the talk was both engaging and informative. It really helped ensure that the changes we have made were understood by the whole team and therefore properly embedded into the campaign.
Overall, I couldn’t recommend working with Ananya more highly - the experience has truly been a delight, and I look forward to collaborating with her more in the future." - Greenpeace - Maja Darling, Campaign lead
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