Abia Akram is a powerful voice for disability rights in Pakistan. Born with a genetic form of rickets, Abia has used a wheelchair since childhood. But from a young age, she refused to let her disability define or limit her.

She started her journey at a special needs school but soon transitioned into mainstream education. It wasn’t long before she realized that the challenges she faced weren’t hers alone; they were systemic. In 1997, still a student herself, she began organizing to bring a voice to people with disabilities. She earned a Master’s degree in Gender and International Development from the University of Warwick in the UK, as a recipient of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship—becoming the first woman with a disability from Pakistan to receive this honor. Her work has taken her around the world, including to Japan, where she engaged in disability research and advocacy.

Back home, she’s helped shape the very landscape of disability rights. Abia founded the National Forum of Women with Disabilities, a space to amplify the voices of women often left out of conversations. In her work with the Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP), she leads initiatives promoting inclusion. She also played a key role in initiating the Ageing and Disability Task Force (ADTF), which she now helps guide in a leadership capacity. Whether responding to humanitarian emergencies like the 2010 Pakistan floods or advising UN agencies and government bodies, Abia is a relentless force for inclusive change.

key achievements

• WIN DRR Leadership Award (Rising
  Star), 2023, Recipient
• BBC 100 Women, 2021
• Human Rights Presidential Award
  (Pakistan), Recipient
• British Council Alumni Award

Area of focus

• Disability Rights & Inclusion
• Gender Equality & Women with
  Disabilities
• Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate
  Change
• Inclusive Humanitarian Response