Joan Latta

Joan Latta is an inspirational speaker with Cerebral Palsy. Her drive and determination to live a rich and full life leaves her uniquely positioned to share insights on the realities of living with a disability.

Joan was starved of oxygen for 28 minutes as a newborn baby while doctors worked to stabilise her breathing. She required tube feeding and an aspiration tube to assist with her inability to swallow or remove catarrh and saliva. Joan was also unable to hold up her own head or use her left arm. Doctors diagnosed Joan with brain damage and suggested she would be unable to live a ‘normal’ life.

Since then, Joan has set about proving those doctors wrong, becoming a speaker of international repute. Joan has travelled across Britain to give speeches and talks to schools and colleges, along with a Hong Kong tour in 2015 and a tour of Spain in 2016. Joan’s business Cerebal Palsy Alive and Kicking was set up with the assistance of the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme with a focus on disability awareness training and her speaking career. Joan was also a Young Ambassador for the Prince’s Trust in 2015-16, as well as a finalist for the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Award in 2015.

Joan’s achievements don’t end there – she hiked all 640 miles of the South-west Coastal path during her summer holidays, she can run 18 miles in less than 4 hours and is currently studying for an Open University degree alongside her work commitments.

Joan offers audiences a story of achievement in the face of adversity, she can help them to empathise with and understand the challenges faced by people with disability, while offering inspiration to people in all walks of life.