Participation
Moving beyond physical access and compliance towards autonomy, dignity, choice and full participation.
Rethinking accessibility through participation, independence and experience.
I write and speak about disability, accessibility and how we can design workplaces, events, culture and everyday life to include people from the start.
Accessibility, participation and inclusive experiences.
Core thesis
Accessibility is bigger than access.
A ramp can get you through a door. It doesn't necessarily allow you to participate.
I'm interested in what comes next: independence, representation, experience, choice and belonging.
What I explore
Four areas of enquiry.
Representation
Who is visible, who is heard and who gets to shape the stories told about disability.
Independence
The economic, professional and practical conditions that support autonomy and genuine choice.
Inclusive Experiences
How events, travel, culture, workplaces and public spaces can be designed for comparable participation.
Getting in is not the same as taking part
An accessible entrance can solve one problem while the rest of the experience keeps people on the edge.
Representation changes what people think is possible
Disabled people need room to be ordinary, complicated and influential. The usual tragic or inspirational roles are far too small.
Independence depends on the world around us
Determination helps, but autonomy also depends on transport, work, money and support that leaves the person in control.
Bridge Connect Diaries
Observations on disability, accessibility and culture from the places I visit.
Bridge Connect Diaries uses experience as a starting point for examining a broader problem and identifying a principle that can inform the design of spaces, services and experiences.
When an accessible venue produces an inaccessible event
A working note on the things a venue checklist misses once a live event begins.
Paris between the accessible destinations
A working note on routes, broken connections and how much planning a spontaneous day can take.
An accessible room is not the same as an accessible stay
A working note on room choice, reliable information and everything beyond the bathroom door.
Speaking
Conversations about accessibility, representation, independence and inclusive experience.
A selection of public appearances and themes that can be developed through conferences, panels, podcasts and institutional discussions.
Speaking & collaborationsAbout Lorena
Professional experience, international perspective and lived experience.
Lorena Burriel is a marketing professional working internationally in the renewable energy sector.
Alongside her professional career, she writes and speaks about disability, accessibility and inclusion, drawing on both lived experience and years of navigating workplaces, events, travel and everyday life as a woman with a disability.
She also founded BridgeConnect and collaborates with CERMIN. Her public participation has addressed disability, employment, rights and feminist participation.
About Lorena