Viljo Wilding

I’m Viljo (they/them), and I’m thrilled to be running to be your next Disability Officer.

Growing up, I felt firsthand the impact that ableism in society has on young people. At school, my visual impairment, ADHD, and autism meant constantly fighting to get basic reasonable adjustments that gave me a level playing field with my classmates. Experiencing this injustice led me to joining the party in 2017, and I’ve been involved in some form in every election campaign since then.

It’s also what led me to working in the charity sector for ADDISS, the UK’s longest-running charity focused on ADHD advocacy and support, and stepping onto the Board of ADHD Europe as their youngest ever board member. In these roles, I’ve lobbied politicians, contributed to EU-funded research consortia, and spoken about living with a disability at international conferences and on TV.

Labour hasn’t always got everything right on disability policy, and turning that around starts by including disabled people. I’ll ensure we put young disabled members at the heart of everything that Young Labour does and represent your views at a national level. Working with regional chairs, we’ll create accessible opportunities to get involved; events which are truly inclusive of young disabled members.

The Tories and Reform don’t care about disabled people, and when the far-right wins, we’re the ones who suffer. I’ll ensure Young Labour empowers members to take the fight to the far right.

If that’s the Young Labour you want to see, please vote for me.