Meet the Ford Ambassador Driving Change for the Disabled Community

Jason Richards as the Ford Motability ambassador at a Motability event - Image stylised with AI

DUNTON, UK - Twenty-six years ago, Jason Richards lay in a hospital bed recovering from a motorcycle accident that left him with a life-changing spinal injury. When a friend asked what his next move would be, his answer was immediate: “Well, a marathon.”

Today, the Yorkshire native is not only a prolific athlete but a cornerstone of the Ford Motability program, celebrating over two and a half decades as an ambassador helping others regain their independence.

Motability is a UK scheme that allows individuals with disabilities to exchange their mobility allowance for a leased vehicle. The scheme covers a lot, from insurance to breakdown cover, helping people with disabilities feel independent.

Jason’s journey from recovery to the racetrack began at the 1996 Inter Spinal Unit Games. Though he initially experimented with crown green bowling and javelin - even securing a third-place finish in a national javelin event - it was wheelchair racing that became his true passion. As his athletic career progressed into track and field events and pentathlons, he realised that his sporting ambitions required more than just physical grit; they required the right transport.

Jason Richards with his new Ford Capri

In 2000, Jason visited a Ford dealership in search of a vehicle large enough to house his racing equipment. He had his sights set on a Ford Mondeo Estate, but he walked away with much more than a new car. Upon learning that Ford was seeking a representative for the Motability scheme, Jason applied for the role and has been a Ford Motability ambassador ever since.

“Watching the moment of realisation for people, the understanding that we empathise with their needs, is a profound experience,” he explains.

As an ambassador, he attends events to help customers navigate the complexities of vehicle adaptation. He is also known to offer advice to strangers on the street who recognise him or the scheme, always taking the time to promote the independence that the program provides.

Jason says that Ford’s commitment to having ambassadors who personally live with disabilities sets the brand apart by fostering a genuine understanding of customer needs that is often missing in the wider industry.

His vehicles have evolved with him, marking every major milestone, from driving his pregnant wife to the hospital in a Galaxy, to taking his son to his first marathon in his current car, a Capri. For him, the benefits of an electric vehicle (EV) extend beyond environmental concerns; they solve practical, everyday challenges.

Jason Richards at the Thirsk 10-mile race.

“Gone is the old anxiety of navigating a petrol station, the awkward transfer, the rush,” Jason adds, “Now, I simply get home, plug in, and go about my day, saving myself precious time.

“Once you overcome the fear of change a new world opens up. Electric vehicles are a step forward in freedom for drivers with disabilities.

“Reflecting on everything I have experienced and achieved so far, I am thankful for my incredible journey, a journey that has taken me from a hospital bed to finish lines — and one that is certainly not over yet. Roll on the next 26 years.”