COVER FEATURE
British Vogue once described Shani Dhanda as a ‘ multi-hyphenate ’. It ’ s certainly an accurate description of the disability crusader and entrepreneur . Her career spans TV work ( she ’ s a familiar face on daytime shows like This Morning , Rip off Britain and Loose Women ), keynote speaking ( she ’ s addressed over 300 conferences ), ambassadorships for five disability organisations , and consultancy - collaborating with businesses , brands and the Government to help them authentically embrace inclusion and accessibility . When we meet over Zoom , Dhanda is in Dublin to speak at Primark ’ s global staff conference . The retailer had just launched its first adaptive clothing range for persons with disabilities ( or PWDs ) and she ’ s excited to be speaking on the main stage the next morning .
“ I love speaking at events ,” she says in her distinctive Brummie accent . “ It ’ s such a privilege to be able to share your ideas and your messages with so many other people and to think that some of what you say may change perceptions or influence business decisions .”
Dhanda hasn ’ t always found it easy to juggle multiple occupations , though . And her connection to the events industry runs deeper than filling speaker slots .
Standing at three feet 10 inches , she has a genetic disorder called Osteogenesis Imperfecta , a disease that results in bones breaking easily . At 16 years old , when searching unsuccessfully for
Be the change
Mike Fletcher learns how ROAR B2B is going the extra mile to ensure its exhibitions are accessible and inclusive for all by partnering with Shani Dhanda , recognised as the UK ’ s most influential disabled person
a part-time job , she realised that without qualifications , people just saw her as unemployable so she enrolled on an event management course . “ There was no grand plan ,” she recalls . “ I already organised the parties in my family so I thought it would be an extension of that . It wasn ’ t until after I graduated and gained work in the events industry , that people started telling me I was good at it .
“ I have a short stature and I live in a world that isn ’ t designed for me ,” she continues . “ If you think of the skills required to be a good events manager , I was doing all those things daily just to navigate and interact with the world around me .”
Last August , ROAR B2B , organiser of Naidex - the National Accessibility , Inclusion & Disability Expo held at the Birmingham NEC , asked Dhanda if she ’ d come on board as the company ’ s head of accessibility & inclusion . Her role is to be the subject matter expert , support the senior leadership team by creating on-demand training for both permanent and temporary show staff , and roll out an accessibility framework across its portfolio of shows for the health , care , business tech and environment sectors .
“ We ’ d gotten to know Shani as she ’ d been a visitor , supporter and then a speaker at Naidex ,” ROAR B2B ’ s MD for healthcare , Steve Clarke tells me . “ I then saw a presentation she gave where she ’ d explained that disability inclusion wasn ’ t just about doing the right things , but if you do the right
10 — Spring