Shani Dhanda

Shani Dhanda is an award-winning disability specialist and one of the UK's most influential disabled people.

As a keynote speaker and practitioner for inclusion across business, government, non-profit and wider society, Shani works with organisations such as Virgin, Google, LinkedIn and Viacom to break barriers and integrate inclusion into their business frameworks.

Born with a rare genetic condition, Shani's drive and passion for delivering equality and combatting the inequality she has faced her whole life has led to the development of Diversability; a discount platform for people with disabilities. The discount card aims to provide exclusive and market leading discounts with leading brands, service and entertainment providers.

'There are 14 million disabled people in the UK and they have huge spending power worth £249 billion to the UK economy. We are being overlooked as consumers and that doesn't help the economy. Brands are not only missing out on disabled people's spending power but also the spending power of their family and friends.'

The initiative has already secured partnerships with a number of global brands and thousands of people signed up ahead of the launch.

Further to this, Shani launched the Asian Woman Festival in 2019 to provide a safe space and open-minded community for women within the Asian community to discuss challenging and often taboo topics, including, what it means to be an Asian woman in the 21st century, anti-blackness and colorism within the Asian community and ways in which Asian women can effectively manage their money.

With over 1000 people attending the first event, the Asian Woman Festival has grown a strong online presence and since seen several regional pop-up events in cities such as Birmingham and Leicester.

Shani is currently developing her newest initiative, the Asian Disability Network. Through this online community for South Asians experiencing disability, Shani hopes to deliver something she wished she had when growing up; people who relate to her life experiences as an Asian woman living with a disability, as well as a community for parents wanting to connect with others also seeking support.

Published: 13 August 2020