Frances Ryan

Frances Ryan is a journalist and political commentator  She writes extensively on inequality, disability, and social mobility for the Guardian as both an opinion and feature writer, as well as other publications such as the New Statesman, the Independent, and the Observer.

She regularly guests on radio and television, and takes part in debates and panel discussions for think tanks, charities, campaign groups, and festivals. In 2015, she launched the weekly Guardian column ‘Hardworking Britain’ – a personal look behind the politics of government policy and its impact on society. 

Frances grew up in Grantham, Lincolnshire and went on to complete a PhD at The University of Nottingham - exploring the myth of meritocracy - and now guest teaches and lectures on politics and disability.     

Ryan was highly commended Specialist Journalist of the Year at the 2019 National Press Awards for her work on disability. Her first book, Crippled, was published by Verso in Summer 2019.

Who Wants Normal? a memoir, handbook, celebration and call to action was acquired by Fig Tree after a nine-publisher auction. Crippled was shortlisted in 2020 for the Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publishing. Frances was named the UK's sixth most influential disabled person by the Shaw Trust in 2021 and was made a Fellow of the RSL in 2022.

Twitter - @DrFrancesRyan
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Represented by: Diana Beaumont

Titles
Who Wants to be Normal? (Fig Tree, 2025)
Crippled (Verso, 2019)