Disability Equality Scotland Welcomes New Staff and Trustee

We are delighted to welcome Ian, Pamela, and Sonya to our staff team and Zara Todd as a new director on our board.

A big warm welcome to Ian, Pamela, Sonya, and Zara!

Zara Todd – Director  

Zara Todd is a disability activist, researcher, trainer, and facilitator. She is based in Edinburgh with her husband and two cats.

Originally from London Zara has been involved in disability activism since childhood and co-founded the European network on independent living’s youth network.

She is passionate about equity and inclusion and particularly interested in supporting disabled people and young people in engaging with policymaking. She has advised organisations including the British Council, UNICEF, the UK government and the fundamental rights agency on disability and accessibility.

She is a Churchill fellow who is particularly interested in disability leadership, and she is currently setting up her own organisation to support the leadership of disabled people working in the not-for-profit sector.

As well as being a trustee of Disability Equality Scotland she is also a trustee of Volunteering Matters. In her spare time, she and her husband love to travel and have been to over 80 countries.

Ian Gallagher – Project Development Worker

Ian’s responsibilities are to ensure that evidence-based research methods underpin our work and are as inclusive as possible. Initial work will include Ian supporting projects within Hate Crime and Face Covering Exemptions. Ian has previously worked on academic and action-based research projects, as well as working with NHS Scotland during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Pamela Tarrida del Marmol Perez – Project Development Worker

Pamela works with Ian and Douglas to provide support in the management and further development of various projects. This project work currently focusses on Hate Crime and Scotland’s Hate Crime Charter. Pamela is also a registered nutritionist and comes from a background in public health, she has a strong interest in/is an advocate for closing the gap of health inequalities. Outside of work, she enjoys being active and doing yoga.

Sonya Kunawicz – Training and Development Worker

Sonya’s role is to expand and deliver our Easy Read training course. This course helps organisations and individuals produce more accessible materials, using the Easy Read format. Sonya’s background is in education, language, and editing. Outside work, she reads a lot.