Shani Dhanda is an award-winning disability specialist, listed as one of the U.K.'s most influential people. She advocates for inclusion across business, government, and wider society, and helps organizations remove obstacles to integrating inclusion into their business frameworks.
When she was young, Dhanda was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta, known as brittle bone disease. Her bones would break without any external trauma; she recalls not being able to get up and stand for months on end. Her mother never treated her differently from her siblings, which taught her to be resilient. “She never let me use my condition as an excuse to not do anything,” she once explained.
Her mother’s steadfast belief in her ability to persevere helped her grow stronger. Dhanda committed to creating a more inclusive and sustainable world for disabled people and all those who continue to be pushed to the fringes of society.
As a teenager, she applied for hundreds of jobs and got no replies until she deleted her medical condition from her cover letter. Some people in her community said she should stay home and collect benefits, but she refused and even defied them – in and of itself an act of courage for a young woman in her culture.
A few years ago, Dhanda founded the Diversability Card, the U.K.’s first official discount card for disabled people, helping to “reduce the financial pressure faced due to the extra costs of living with a disability.” She also founded the Asian Disability Network to provide support and education and launched the U.K.’s first Asian Woman Festival, smashing stereotypes and celebrating the female Asian identity.
“I’m really passionate about representation and creating everyday equality. After continually feeling underrepresented in society, I was motivated to challenge perceptions and change attitudes by becoming the change that I wanted to see. Until societal and cultural views of disability improve, disabled people will continue to face a range of negative attitudes across all aspects of daily life,” she has said.
Shani Dhanda’s work shines a light on communities that are largely ignored, and aims to create real change, promote education, and ensure greater inclusion for all.