Designing with Disability
There was a time I thought I had to choose.
To choose between being a designer or being disabled. Between being respected or being honest about what I was carrying. I thought I had to hide every aspect of myself. The fatigue. The flares. The brain fog. The mood swings. The way my body didn’t keep up with the breakneck pace of the design world. I thought being disabled meant I had to shrink. To apologise. To overcompensate.
But I’ve come to learn that disability doesn’t make me less of a designer. It makes me a different kind of designer. A deeper one. A more intentional one. And everything I’ve built, I’ve built with that difference at the centre.
All you need to succeed in life is motivation, organisation, and a good cup of coffee.
This is my motto. Equal part tongue-in-cheek and deeply practical.
Living with lupus, bipolar (type 1), ADHD, autism, and more means that some days are smooth, and others are chaotic. I’ve learnt that waiting for the “perfect” day to be productive isn’t sustainable. Instead, I rely on three things:
Motivation when it’s present
Organisation to carry me when it’s not
and Coffee, because sometimes that’s the only thing getting me to my desk
It’s simple. But it saved me. And it continues to shape how I work and how I design.
My Philosophy
I didn’t study business through textbooks or strategy coaches. I learnt business the absolute hardest way. Through burnout, hospital stays, and pushing my body until it gave out. What emerged from that breaking point wasn’t a defeat. It was a new foundation.
Disability forced me to interrogate every part of how I worked:
Could I actually maintain this schedule during a flare-up?
Was I creating systems that respected my brain’s rhythm?
Was I communicating with clients in a way that felt safe for both of us?
These weren’t luxuries. They were survival tools. And over time, they became my greatest strengths.
Because of disability, I:
Created longer, more human timelines
Designed onboarding systems that are gentle, trauma-informed, and clear
Built spaciousness into my creative workflow
Learnt to honour my capacity instead of constantly overriding it
What “Designing with Disability” Looks Like
It’s not about “overcoming” anything. It’s about reframing it.
Designing with disability looks like:
Making room for rest without guilt
Using plain language and emotional safety in my proposals and emails
Prioritising accessibility in fonts, colours, contrast, and layout
Ensuring my websites and templates work beautifully on mobile, too
Giving clients clear steps, timelines, and expectations from the beginning
Creating room for neurodivergent communication styles, boundaries, and needs
In other words? I’ve built a studio that holds space. Not just for me, but for you too.
Who I Work With
Most of my clients are like me in some way. They’re neurodivergent. They’re chronically ill. They’re queer. They’re overwhelmed by the pressure to perform, look polished, and “be consistent".”
They come to me saying:
“I want to build something beautiful… but I can’t do it the traditional way.”
And I get it. That’s exactly why I built Angell Designs the way I did.
With me, you’ll find:
A designer who listens deeply and doesn’t rush you
A brand process designed to reduce anxiety (not amplify it)
Systems that supports your nervous system as much as your vision
A safe space to explore your story and identity even if it’s still unfolding
Disability didn’t hold me back. It revealed what really mattered.
It made me slow down. It made me pay attention. It made me build a brand that’s not just another business but a reflection of care, adaptability, and creative resilience.
And you know what? That’s why my work works. Because it’s real. It’s grounded. It’s rooted in lived experience. I don’t build brands that chase trends. I build brands that feel like home.
Ready to build a brand that feels like you?
Whether you’re disabled, neurodivergent, or just done with the hustle myth, you don’t need to force yourself into a business model that doesn’t fit. You can build one around your individual truth.
You can work with a designer who honours your pace, your needs, your story and brings it to life through intentional, inclusive branding.
Ready to create a brand that works with your life and experiences, not against it?
Book a discovery call with me here.
Or, if you want to dive deeper into this philosophy, grab a copy of my book Built for Belonging where I explore what it really means to build, break, and rebuild a business (and a life) while living with disability.
Your story deserves to be seen.
Let’s design it, together.
