Seema Flower, founder and managing director of Blind Ambition, has won the Outstanding Contribution (Private Sector) Award at the Department for Transport Special Recognition Awards 2026.
The award was presented on Wednesday 7 October at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, during the Strictly Highways conference. New for 2026 and sponsored by Multevo, it recognises an individual in the private sector who has made a lasting contribution to the highways sector through collaboration, innovation and work beyond their role.
Judges described Seema, who is registered blind, as “an inspirational advocate and passionate disability rights champion”. They recognised the knowledge, insight and practical guidance she has given to HAUC(UK), Street Works UK, the Joint Authorities Group, and contractors and professionals across the street works sector.
Every day, road works and street works change the pavements people rely on. Barriers, ramps, signs and diversions decide whether blind and partially sighted people, wheelchair users and other disabled people can get past a site safely and independently. Blind Ambition works with the operatives, supervisors and planners who set up those sites, so that they understand the impact of their decisions and have the confidence to get it right.
The training is hands-on. Teams wear simulation spectacles that replicate different eye conditions, walk through mock sites, and practise real scenarios they will meet on the street. Blind Ambition has delivered this work with organisations including National Grid, Severn Trent Water, Cadent Gas, Openreach and Circet, and this year presented to 3,000 National Grid colleagues at the company’s safety conferences.
Seema Flower said: “Inclusion in street works isn’t a specialist add-on — it’s fundamental to community trust. When we design with blind and partially sighted people in mind, we design better streets for everyone.”
She added: “This award belongs to every operative and supervisor who has changed the way they set up a site because they now understand what it means for the person walking past it. That is where the change happens.”
The Department for Transport Special Recognition Awards are organised by LCRIG on behalf of the Department for Transport and are now in their seventh year.