Steven is a social justice activist and was appointed Executive Director of the Validity Foundation in 2022, having previously served as Co-Executive Director (2018-2022), and originally joining the team in 2013. Steven holds a law degree from the University of London and has a postgraduate research interest in legal institutions that deny autonomy of marginalised populations.

Steven’s interest in access to justice comes from his experience of supporting his mother with a psychosocial disability who died whilst detained in a closed British psychiatric hospital. The litigation that followed established the presumption that deaths in mental health institutions must be investigated in the same way as other deaths in detention, triggering expanded inquests in compliance with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Simona is Validity’s Litigation Director. Simona is an attorney at law licensed with the Bucharest Bar Association since 2004. Prior to joining Validity in 2021, Simona has worked as a researcher and lecturer in international children’s rights at the Leiden University in The Netherlands. Simona has also worked for four years at the European Court of Human Rights, in Strasbourg.  

Simona has worked for over 15 years in human rights and she has focused extensively on litigating for equal rights. Her aim at Validity is support persons with disabilities in their litigation initiatives and to further mainstream the standards of the United Nations Convention on The Rights of Persons with Disabilities into the judgments of national and international judicial bodies.   

Ágnes is the Finance Manager for Validity – Mental Disability Advocacy Centre. She is a Finance and accounting professional with over 20 years of experience. She is responsible for the finances of the Foundation, the organisational budgets and budgets of fundraising bids, cash-flow management, producing financial reports and evaluating balances against forecasts, participating in and coordinating audits and maintaining effective internal controls. 

Ágnes is a Certified Public Accountant and member of the Chamber of Hungarian Auditors since 2005. She worked for a couple of international companies in the Finance and Controlling fields before starting to work as an auditor, where she spent nearly 5 years. 

Sándor is an Impact Manager for Validity – Mental Disability Advocacy Centre. He leads Validity’s advocacy strategies to improve human rights protections for persons with psycho-social and intellectual disabilities at European regional and international levels. In close collaboration with international and national level partners, he monitors human rights compliance and coordinates a variety of legal reform, research, capacity-building, advocacy, public policy and communications activities, contributing to the achievement of Validity’s strategic objectives. 

Sándor is a lawyer and holds a PhD from Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Hungary in law and political sciences. He is affiliated with the Essex Autonomy Project at the University of Essex, UK. 

Before joining Validity, Sándor was a senior research officer for the Essex Autonomy Project at the University of Essex, UK. He worked as a legal officer for Hungarian umbrella organisations of persons with disabilities, he monitored social care and health care institutions for persons with disabilities and drafted monitoring reports as a senior legal adviser for the Hungarian National Human Rights Institution, he was a project manager coordinating advocacy and capacity building activities around the right to legal capacity of persons with disabilities at the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre, he worked as a policy officer for Caritas Europa in Brussels and he was a researcher in the field of disability rights at the Leuven Institute for Human Rights and Critical Studies at the University of Leuven, Belgium.  

Anna Arganashvili is a litigation officer at Validity Foundation with background and professional practice in occupational therapy (BSc, Msc), law (BSc, MSc. LL.M) and psychology (BSc, Msc). She is licensed to practice law with the Georgian Bar Association. Before joining Validity, Anna litigated cases of human rights violations affecting persons with disabilities, children, and women, both in domestic courts in Georgia and on international forums.  

Anna is also an ILO-certified facilitator of Participatory Gender Audit and a member of the Council of Europe Network of specialised lawyers and NGOs assisting women victims of violence. She headed the disability rights department at the National Human Rights Institute in Georgia and was a member of the National Preventive Mechanism under UN CAT. In March 2024, Anna received the Medal of Honor from the President of Georgia for her contributions to equality rights and legal advocacy in human rights. 

Jennifer Wairimu is a human rights lawyer who works as a Litigation Officer at Validity Foundation. Her work focuses and is not limited to drafting legal submissions in a range of national and international judicial forums, providing legal advice in human rights situations and conducting research analysis on laws and policies at national, sub-regional and regional levels for the rights of persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. 

Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from The University of Nairobi. Her professional interests are deeply rooted in disability rights with a keen focus on legal capacity, access to justice, inclusive education, and deinstitutionalisation. She is also passionate about exploring the intersections between disability and torture. Driven by her unwavering commitment to systemic change, Jennifer is an advocate for a more inclusive and equitable society for persons with disabilities. 

Suzanne Doyle Guilloud (she/her) is the Inclusion Advisor at Validity, where she coordinates efforts to promote the leadership, inclusion, and participation of persons with disabilities across the organisation. 

She holds a PhD in law from University College Cork, where her research, supported by a Government of Ireland scholarship, focused on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Her doctoral work examined the rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities to liberty and consent-based healthcare. 

Suzanne has held a number of academic positions, including as a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy at the University of Galway. Her research there addressed issues such as deinstitutionalisation, legal capacity reform, forensic detention, and the rights of persons with disabilities during emergencies. As a senior research associate at the University of Bristol’s Centre for Health, Law, and Society, she analysed decision-making rights and reproductive justice for persons with disabilities. Suzanne’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and she has contributed to edited collections on disability law. 

In addition to her academic work, Suzanne previously practised as a barrister in Ireland, specialising in mental health and legal capacity litigation. 

Suzanne is neurodivergent and has lived experience of mental health services.  

In her free time, she enjoys hiking, swimming, and cooking. 

Aysegül directs the “Linking Information for Adaptive and Accessible Child-Friendly Courts” initiative at Validity Foundation. Aysegul possesses an academic background in child development, special education, and teacher education.  

Prior to her appointment as a project officer at the Validity Foundation in 2024, Aysegul served as an academic in early childhood education and programs for children with intellectual disabilities within special education departments in the United States, Cyprus, and Turkey. Her area of concentration is families and children at risk. Having 25 years of experience in academia as a researcher, faculty member, and administrator, she also has served as a consultant to non-governmental organizations, schools, and government agencies, particularly in the areas of inclusive education, child participation, and children with specific cognitive disabilities. 

She earned a BSc in Child Health and Education from Hacettepe University in Turkey in 1998, an MSc in 2002, and a PhD in Special Education from Indiana University-Bloomington in the United States in 2008. 

Zsófia Bajnay is the Project Officer leading Validity’s DIS-CONNECTED project, which is focused on preventing and addressing disability- and gender-based violence against women and children with mental and psychosocial disabilities. As project coordinator, she oversees the implementation of the project in Hungary and coordinates the work of project partners in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Portugal and Slovakia.

Zsófi has been at Validity since 2020. She worked at think tanks, academia and non-governmental organisations before, and has an M.A. from Central European University and a B.A. from Corvinus University in Political Science. When she is not working on advancing the rights of women and children with disabilities, she enjoys volunteering, modern art exhibitions and baking. 

Erzsébet joined Validity in January 2018 and works as an Administrative Officer. She is responsible for the smooth operation of the organisation, maintaining office supplies, and providing substantive administrative and logistical support to the team. 

She started her career as a qualified teacher of English and Hungarian first in a primary school and then in a secondary school. After spending more than 10 years in the public sector, she decided to have some experience in the business world given her degree in foreign trade. She worked with a Hungarian micro-company as the Communication Manager for eight years. Her daily tasks included running a shop and education centre in dentistry. As she has always wanted to contribute to society with some more meaningful work, she decided to enter the world of NGOs and help civil society build a healthier world.   

Axel Le Ho is 27-year-old and from France and Burkina Faso. Axel graduated from the University of Lille in 2020 with a Master’s degree in Development and Humanitarian Action Project Management. He began his career at Handicap International Luxembourg, where he worked on inclusive projects aimed at enhancing economic opportunities. Following that, Axel volunteered in Romania for two years through an ESC project, focusing on improving educational access in rural Transylvania. He recently joined Validity, where he continue his commitment to European projects and Inclusion. 

With vast experience in financial project management, general finance, and accounting activities, Katalin has over 20 years of expertise in handling various EU funds, as well as the financial monitoring and reporting of EU grants. She is skilled in coordinating multinational projects and demonstrates a strong analytical mindset and aptitude in mathematics.

Her career is marked by a proven track record in international settings, effectively liaising with stakeholders across diverse EU countries. Katalin brings a proactive, problem-solving attitude to every challenge, consistently driving successful outcomes in dynamic and cross-border environments.

I am hugely proud to be the Chair of Validity Hungary and MDAC UK, an NGO that stands out internationally for its the work it does in advocating on behalf of people with mental disabilities.   It is my job to steer the direction of the Board and work with the team on the strategic vision,  and that has been an easy task with enthusiastic and dedicated trustees and staff who go above and beyond to ensure the voices of others are heard.

 In my other life, I am Health and Social Care Editor for Channel 4 News in the UK with a particular interest in mental health and learning disabilities and my involvement with Validity has undoubtedly informed my reporting.  At the same time, my work in communications has been useful when the team has had a success, which is often, and wants to highlight that work through the media and to our many partners and to our funders.

I joined as a trustee in 2017 at a time of change of MDAC (shortly after we rebranded and became Validity) and one of the first reports the staff produced was on Tophaz, a psychiatric institution in Hungary, in which children and adults were found to have been tortured and abused.  In 2024, the European Court of Human Rights found Hungary had failed to protect the right to life of residents.  That one report – among so many – represents to me the power of this organisation.

Edwin Rekosh is Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Rights CoLab, an NGO which innovates and incubates new solutions to advance human rights across the areas of business, finance and civil society. He has served as a board member of Validity since 201?, when he joined the UK MDAC board. As a board member, he has served on the Staff/Board Committee on xxxx and the Finance Committee. 

Prior to co-founding Rights CoLab, Ed founded PILnet: The Global Network for Public Interest Law and directed it for 18 years. He also taught on the adjunct faculty of Columbia Law School for over 20 years. Ed spent the early 1990s in Romania, helping human rights groups become established there after the fall of communism. Shortly after attending Columbia Law School, he co-founded the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. 

While living in Budapest in the 2000s, Ed became familiar with Validity’s work from the time of its initial founding as Mental Disability Advocacy Center. After leaving PILnet, Ed was pleased to transition from his relationship as a peer collaborator to join the Board of Directors and contribute more to the development of the organization. He is gratified to see it grow into a widely respected, sustainable and effective advocate for the rights of people who have suffered from stigma, loss of autonomy and mistreatment because of their mental, developmental and emotional struggles. 

Ed lives in Brooklyn, NY, where his two sons also live, and he spends a lot of time in Asia, particularly in Taiwan and Indonesia, working on Rights CoLab projects. He enjoys biking, dancing and being in nature.

I joined Validity’s board in 2024, and I also serve on its finance committee. Validity’s vision of a world where emotional, mental, and learning differences are valued equally aligns with my belief in a society where autonomy and dignity are fundamental rights. So, serving on Validity’s board and contributing to its strategic leadership gives me a unique opportunity to contribute to meaningful change in one of the most marginalized communities globally.

With local and international reach, Validity works in multiple regions, ensuring disability rights remain a global priority. This work is important because the barriers people with mental disabilities face are not just individual hurdles, they’re systemic and interlinked, affecting their education, health, protection, and participation in society. Often people with mental disabilities face attitudinal barriers and Validity’s work helps to change these perceptions and dismantle the stigma surrounding mental disabilities, ensuring that these people are seen, heard, and given the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives.

I’m a qualified CPA with vast experience in the private sector, having worked for several global giants including, Ernst & Young, Cola – Cola and Trafigura. Currently I’m working for the United Nations providing financial services to multiple offices, increasing their operational efficiency within a risk-controlled environment.

I have always admired Validity’s dedication bringing visibility and justice to those who are often regarded as people without autonomy and dignity in our societies, so I was honored to join Validity Hungary’s Board in 2024. Validity is a unique organization not just in Hungary but worldwide dedicated protecting the rights of people with mental disabilities in cooperation with them.

I have been working in the Hungarian civil society for more than a decade, focusing on research and communications with the quest to be more effective in promoting our values and work than those who seek to undermine equality and human rights. I hold a Master of Laws in Comparative Constitutional Law from the Central European University, a Master of Arts in Political Science and a law degree from Eötvös Loránd University.

It was a great honor to join the Hungarian board of Validity — at the time MDAC — in 2017: I had known the organization from my times at the Central European University, they were one of the Human Rights Program’s civil partners bringing their expertise to students and offering opportunities for future human rights defenders to gain practical experience. I have always admired the work Validity is doing: while as an international organization it is at the forefront of advocating for the rights of people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities in Europe and Africa, as a non-governmental organization based in Budapest, it has achieved incredible legal victories in Hungary too that triggered long-awaited in legislation and practice. Validity not only advocates for legal reforms and challenges discriminatory practices, but also empowers individuals to assert their rights, thus it seeks to advance a global movement towards a more inclusive and just society.

I joined Validity as an academic teaching human rights at the Central European University, bringing theoretical knowledge and approach to the board. Since 2023, I am the director of the Legal Program at Háttér Society, Hungary’s leading NGO working for the rights of sexual and gender minorities. Just as Validity, in my work I use strategic litigation and advocacy to ensure that no one is discriminated against, and all rights are secured regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. 

I hold an LL.M and PhD in human rights law focusing on the European system of human rights.

I joined Validity’s UK Board in 2016 after hearing about this small but impactful organisation through the Chair of the Board. I realised my experience in charity strategy and governance could be helpful, as well as an opportunity to be part of a team making a difference at an international level. I am currently Vice Chair of the UK Board. It has been a great privilege to be part of this amazing organisation and to work with the incredible staff team and other Board members, informed by people with mental disabilities. 

It’s a cause close to my heart for various personal reasons –  I think my interest in mental health started early in childhood, much of which was spent playing in the extensive grounds of Edinburgh’s Craighouse residential mental hospital –  always overshadowed by fear of what might be going on inside for the people who lived there.

I have an MSc in Charity Finance and over 35 years of experience working with charities and their stakeholders, mainly in the UK and including disability and mental health organisations.  My work has focused on supporting organisations with strategies for impact. I also have over 30 years of experience as a trustee, including previous chair and vice-chair roles plus 9 years on NHS commissioning boards. 

I joined the Board of MDAC UK in August 2019. Five months earlier I heard about Validity’s work from a fellow Board member for the first time and that they were looking for new Board members. As I learnt more about the work Validity too, I knew it would be a good fit for my skills and interests. I’m a freelance knowledge transfer consultant, working with researchers, policy makers, and others to support them to apply research into practice. I am also a crowdfunded open justice journalist, usually reporting coronial inquests into the deaths of learning disabled and autistic people.

Validity is made up of a small group of staff who consistently deliver results, which make a real improvement to people’s lives. I am proud to play a small part in an organisation that stands up for people’s human rights and who through its strategic litigation and wider advocacy work, is not afraid to speak out and challenge where needed, does not waver under pressure and is guided by a set of principles and values that never lose sight of the need for equality and justice for all people with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities.

I am a Board member of MDAC UK and can vouch for the critical role Validity plays in establishing legal precedents to ensure people with disabilities have dignity and agency in how they live their lives. More than two decades ago, I was MDAC’s executive director as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was being developed at the UN. MDAC was represented in this process by my hire, Gabor Gombos – the first person with disability to be a staff member. My role at MDAC directly preceded my hire as the founding Executive Director of the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) and the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRAF). These Funds are participatory grantmakers and collaborations between donors and global disability activists to support intersectional disability rights movements across Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean.  I have also supported other global organizations and grantmakers to grow their work on inclusion, disability rights and justice, and to expand participatory practices.

I am the co-author of a tool for foundations to self-assess participatory and inclusive practices – the Advancing Participation in Philanthropy Tool. This work to include people with lived experience in decision-making within philanthropy has been featured in numerous publications, including the book, Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do More Good By Giving Up Control and Candid’s Guide, Deciding Together: Shifting Power and Resources Through Participatory Grantmaking.

Currently, I work as the Director of Strategic Advancement at the national Center for Public Representation in the United States. I am also on the boards of the Center for Inclusive Policy, the Climate Justice Resilience Fund, the Kansas Delaware Tribal Council, and the Harvard Alumni Disability Alliance.