Growing up in South Wales, the outdoors gave Bethany freedom, connection, and a sense of belonging. After becoming a wheelchair user, she discovered how quickly that world could shut people out. Paths once familiar became barriers. Maps no longer showed the way. In the media, she couldn’t see anyone who moved through the countryside like her.
Rather than accept exclusion, Bethany turned it into action. Through poetry and prose, she has given voice to disabled lives and the landscapes that shape them. Her debut collection *Cling Film* (Seren, 2025) and her work co-editing *Beyond / Tu Hwnt* broke new ground, placing disabled voices at the centre of Welsh literature.
Alongside her writing, Bethany helps organisations and landowners understand what true accessibility in the outdoors looks like. As an ambassador for the Wales Coast Path, Ramblers Cymru, and Country Living’s Access for All campaign, she champions practical change and cultural representation.
Whether through her writing, her consultancy, or her media work, Bethany’s vision is clear: nature should be for everyone - and every body should belong.
Awards + Recognition
Bethany was awarded the Gold Prize for Creative Non-fiction in the Creative Future Writers’ Award 2023 and was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature’s Jerwood Poetry Award 2024. Bethany was named one of the ten most influential disabled people working in politics, law and media in the UK, and one of the 100 most influential disabled individuals in the UK in the Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100.
My Story
All about Bethany
"A sharp and witty look at the treatment of people with disabilities conveys its anger with arresting artistry... Handley has found her weapon."
The guardian
Carol Rumens
"(Handley) has the reader consider what it means to cross out and erase the experiences of those whose bodies are considered to be different."
Poetry News
"Handley’s witty and defiant poetry highlights the systemic discrimination she faces as a Disabled woman."
The Bookseller
Caroline Sanderson
"A potent reminder that poetry can speak of both injustice and joy, even within the same poem/breath."
Buzz Magazine
Mab Jones
If you’re here to spark change through writing, speaking, or reimagining access, I’m ready to partner with you. I work with individuals and organizations who care deeply about inclusion, nature, and wellbeing, and want to move from intention to meaningful action.
Use this form to get in touch. I’ll respond ASAP.
