ABCC
Updates and useful information from the largest ethnic support organisation in the UK
Contact: Anjum Khan T: 0845 6036650
Committee Profile
Name: Shani Dhanda Company: Asian Woman Festival
Company URL:
www.asianwomanfestival.com
Social media handle (Twitter): @shanidhanda
Position: Founder & CEO
How long have you been a member of the ABCC? 2018
Why did you want to be a part of the executive committee? Being part of the executive committee provides me with a different platform to use my skills and knowledge, whilst being part of a team of likeminded professionals.
“I want to change attitudes and change the
Championing inclusion and fostering change
In the fifth of a regular feature to introduce the newest members of the ABCC executive committee, Philip Parkin profiles Shani Dhanda of Virgin Media, who is a disability rights advocate and wants business – and society as a whole – to change its attitude towards disabled people.
S
hani Dhanda is 32 and has a successful career as a project manager with Virgin Media in London, a job that she loves. She’s 3ft 10ins and was born with a rare
genetic condition – and has absolutely no problem talking about that, although she believes others do. “People find it difficult to talk about disability
– in a survey by Scope (the UK disability charity), two-thirds of people admitted to never having had a conversation with a disabled person, and as a society we need to do better. “But how can we, without representation? You
never see it represented – and how often is it discussed? It never is.
58 CHAMBERLINK November 2019
culture about talking about disability – for me, impairments are just another characteristic, the same way that I am Asian and have brown hair.” Shani says that if businesses adopted a
different attitude towards people with disabilities, they would find a ‘resilient’ group of potential employees who were prepared to think outside the box to get things done.
‘Without inclusion and portrayal of disabled people, there are stories that are missing’
In her own job, Shani is undertaking a huge
project for Virgin Media, which is aimed at changing the whole organisation’s approach towards disabled people – and this will range from the design of devices such as telephone handsets and remote controls, to the kind of language that people in the business’ call centres use. She said: “Virgin Media is in the business of
connectivity – and disabled people are the most isolated people in society. “It’s a unique project – but we also need to
bring change to a wider audience, because the perception of people with disability is quite poor, more so in the Asian community.” Shani is Birmingham born and bred, and
retains many links with the area, even though she works in London during the week. Earlier this year, she launched the first ever UK’s first Asian Women Festival, which was aimed at empowering and celebrating Asian women.
What do you hope to achieve as an executive committee member? I’m really passionate about representation and inclusion, and believe you have to be the change you want to see. I hope to make an impact around diversity and inclusion as an executive committee member.
How can the ABCC help support businesses, and why should they join? The ABCC membership offers an array of different benefits and opportunities for businesses of any size. Not only is the ABCC a great source for support, latest news and diverse events but there are many opportunities to network and connect with other businesses across the region.
What do you think is the most important issue facing businesses in Greater Birmingham? The uncertainty of Brexit is an important issue facing many businesses due to the impact on employment and labour.
The event was hugely successful, and funding
has just been secured for a second festival, which will take place on 4 April next year at Walsall FC’s Bescot Stadium. Another is the launch of the Diversability Card,
a discount card for disabled people – and she is also the founder of the Asian Disability Network, an educational platform and support network. She also somehow finds the time to be a
trustee at Leonard Cheshire Disability and take on the role of executive committee member at the ABCC. All of this adds up to quite a commitment,
which has just been recognised by her appearance on the Disability Power List 100 for 2019, which was announced recently in the House of Lords. The list is compiled by the Shaw Trust, whose aim is to boost opportunities for disabled people in terms of jobs and opportunities. Shani hopes that he time on the ABCC
executive committee will also lead to improvements in this area among local businesses, and she said: “I want people to stop and think about taking a different approach to this, and about the fact they are missing out on what is a very resilient group of people. “I want to change attitudes and change the
sort of culture that we have when we talk about disability. “I’m driven by the undeniable impulse to make
things better by the everyday lived experience of feeling excluded and underrepresented in society. Without inclusion and portrayal of disabled people, there are stories that are missing, so I chose to become the change I wanted to see. We all want to feel represented; we all want to feel seen, heard and valued.”
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