Championing Accessibility At The Accessible Events Show
18th September 2025 London Wembley
We were excited to be in attendance at the Accessible Events Show on Thursday,18th September 2025. Held at The Drum, Wembley, London, this event was the first-ever show dedicated to accessibility and inclusion in event planning and delivery.
The show was hosted by leading changemakers, Dr Shani Dhanda, Catheine Griyner, and it was a fantastic opportunity to connect with event organisers, agencies, and suppliers who are all working to make events more inclusive.
It was great to see that there are organisations out there who are passionate about creating impactful, accessible events. Some are in the process of building accessibility into their events, and others are just starting to learn on their journey.
Our attendance at the Accessible Events Show reinforced our mission at Access My Events: to make it easier for deaf and disabled people to find and attend events that are accessible, bringing businesses and disabled people together, going with our brand's tagline.
We believe that by working with businesses and event planners, we can champion inclusivity, elevate brands, and connect them with a more diverse audience. The Accessible Events Show was a powerful platform for sharing knowledge and collaborating on solutions that will help to make accessibility an important part of the event planning process, not an after thought.
We left the show feeling good, knowing that there are organisations out there who are committed and are working to create a more accessible and welcoming events for all. We look forward to continuing these important conversations and building partnerships that will help us make a real difference for the deaf and disabled community.
If you would like to learn more about us and how we can help you make your events accessible, please get in touch with us by filling in our contact form, emailing us or giving us a call.
A Day Of Pride And Celebration At The Birmingham Disability Festival
10th July 2025
For Access My Events, the Birmingham Disability Festival wasn't just another date in the calendar; it was a profound moment, a vibrant affirmation of our very purpose. As an organisation dedicated to making events accessible as possible to deaf and disabled people, our attendance at this festival was more than simply a presence – it was a powerful validation of our mission and an enriching experience that resonated at the core of what we do.
To be at the heart of such a significant celebration during Disability Pride Month, surrounded by the incredible talent, resilience, and joy of the disabled community, was amazing. It allowed us to not only connect directly with individuals and businesses we strive to serve but also to witness the transformative power of inclusive spaces. We were excited to be part of the festival for the first time. In this blog, we take you through the atmosphere and share some highlights from the day and what went on.
About the Birmingham Disability Festival
Right at the heart of this celebration, the organisers of the Birmingham Disability Festival announced that they were hosting the event for a second year running, this time at Aston University.
This vibrant and inclusive event, organised with the core purpose of honouring Disability Pride Month, transformed a day in Birmingham into a dynamic showcase of talent, resilience, and community spirit. It's a free and fully accessible festival that opened its doors to everyone – disabled individuals, their families, friends, and anyone eager to connect and celebrate the richness that disability brings to our society.
The festival featured captivating live performances by disabled artists and musicians to interactive sports sessions like wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and adaptive cycling. The event offered a diverse range of activities, both indoors and outdoors. There were valuable resources from organisations, and attendees could hear talks that were taking place at the Human Library.
Planning our Journey
The festival was held on the 5th of July 2025, from 12pm until 6pm, and Zubee planned to go with her friend Sarah, so we booked the train in advance from London, Euston station to Birmingham New Street station, and while doing that, the excitement was building to the day of the festival.
Zubee very rarely gets the opportunity to go out of London often, so this was another chance to visit the West Midlands, for the day. For the third time, Zubee booked passenger assistance and both ways, there were no problems.
When we arrived in Birmingham, we took an Uber to the venue, which took about 10 minutes.
Festival highlights and what went on
When we arrived at the venue, we walked around a little bit and, Zubee saw some friends and stopped to chat with the great, Isaac Harvey MBE, Dr Mark Esho and Shezad Nawab, MBE. As we continued walking, we found ourselves joining the start of a procession with the crowd, led by dhol players, the amazing Dhol Crew, (Bhangra drums), who were brilliant!
As someone who enjoys cycling and cycles on a weekly basis with Bikeworks All Ability, Zubee had to visit the adaptive cycles stand and do some cycling. They had a few different bikes available, but Zubee wasn’t sure if the bike would work for her because she needs foot straps on the pedals, and the pedals need to provide support. When she was shown that they had a similar bike with foot straps and similar pedals, she had to give it a try, and it worked.😊
From there, we wanted to go and see the alpacas but unfortunately we couldn’t find them, so, we went to hear Zubee’s friend, Shezad, do a talk about his life growing up as someone who is profoundly deaf, running businesses and the release of his book, to being awarded an MBE. From there, we went to see the photography exhibition and took part in some chair yoga.
Finally, we did another walk around and had a look at the stalls to see if there was anything we had missed or of interest before heading back to London. It helped that the weather held up and we had no rain. It was a wonderful event for the disabled community to come together and celebrate disability. The smiles, the connections made, and the strong sense of community made it a day to remember.
And the excitement doesn't stop there! Mark your calendars because the organisers are thrilled to have announced that the Birmingham Disability Festival will return next year on Saturday, 4th July 2026, at Aston University! Get ready for another day packed with celebration, empowerment, and community spirit as we continue to champion diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
To follow updates from the organisers you can follow them across their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Small Business Sunday London Bootcamp 2025
17th June Moorgate
We had the pleasure of attending our second London Regional Business Bootcamp, hosted by Natwest Business and organised by Theo Paphitis and the Small Business Sunday Crew.
We heard from the founder of SBS, Theo Paphitis, himself on video, who introduced the event and welcomed new winners to the network. He shared what SBS is and what the attendees can get out of today's event, plus the benefits of being a winner.
They had speakers from Natwest, Google and an SBS winner, followed by some networking. The talks were on fixed and growth mindset, Google spoke about the use of AI in business and it's advantages and disadvantages, followed by SBS winner Lydia, who spoke about marketing and building your brand to help your business stand out.
The Holy Month Of Ramadan 2025
1st March 2025
For Muslims around the world, the holy month of Ramadan started on the 1st of March. Ramadan is the month of fasting for 30 days. During this time, Muslims do not eat or drink from sunrise until sunset.
They also abstain from sexual activity or using any form of bad language. It's a time to think about people living in poor countries who do not have access to food and clean drinking water. It's also a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement, heightened devotion of worship, reading the holy book (Quran), increased acts of giving to charity and doing good deeds.
There are exceptions for people who are not permitted to fast, including pregnant women, women on their menstrual cycle, people who traveling and those who are sick and need to take regular medication. Women on their menstrual cycle can make up for the number of fasts they miss at a later date.
Before sunrise, people have breakfast (known as Seri). At the end of the fast, when the sun has gone down, families and friends get together for an Iftar to break their fast. During this time, many restaurants and organisations host their own iftar's and offer set menus. It's a great way for colleagues and communities to get together and enjoy the food.
We would like to wish everyone observing the holy month a very blessed Ramadan Mubarak!
Small Business Sunday Event 2025
21st February 2025 ICC Birmingham
We were in attendance for a second time at the Small Business Sunday event, organised by Theo Paphitis and his team. It was great to be in a room full of energy, packed with a lot to take in from the day. The show had stalls, networking opportunities, speed advice sessions, ask the experts and hearing from some great speakers.
One of our favourite speakers has to be hearing, Imran Hakim's story and how his journey started from first appearing on Dragons Den to now earning a multi-million-pound business. We can't wait for next year's event!
Turning Adversity Into a Mission To Make a Difference For Others
19th February 2025
Our founder and co-host had the pleasure of speaking to Amit Singh Kalley, a former Deputy Headteacher. He turned adversity into a mission to create a purpose through his work as a speaker, business owner and advocate for those living with ADHD, especially in ethnic minority communities.
Follow the link to listen on Spotify https://lnkd.in/emmE8ZHQ
You can follow Amit on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
To learn more visit his website at www.forworkingparents.com and for a unique taste on tea go to www.mixala-chai.com.
Advocating For People Living With Chronic Illness
18th November 2024
In the latest episode of My Voice Podcast, we were joined by Shabnam Rakhiba, who is a mentor and life coach for people with chronic illnesses.
Together with, co-host Raya Al Jadir, we spoke to Shabnam about her work, her lived experience of chronic illness and how it led her to start her own business, supporting and advocating for people in this community.
Follow the link to listen on Spotify https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/myvoicepodcast/episodes/Advocating-For-People-Living-With-Chronic-Illness-e2r1kmh
If you would like to get in contact with Shabnam you can connect with her on LinkedIn, or email Shabnam@chronicwellenesslounge.com.
Networking Event For Disabled Founders
2nd October 2024 House of Lords
It was a privilege to be invited to the House of Lords on the 2nd of October for a networking lunch, for disabled founders, hosted by Small Business Britain, in partnership with Lloyds Bank.
It was good to hear about the updates on the Lilac Review since it was launched. We also heard from a disabled founder and their journey into business and entrepreneurship.
It was a great opportunity to meet and connect with other businesses too.
Disability In The World Of Sport And Literature
23rd September 2024
In this episode of My Voice podcast, Zubee and co-host, Raya, had the pleasure of speaking to Danielle Brown MBE who is a 2 x gold medal winner paralympic champion in Archery, keynote speaker award-winning author and entrepreneur.
As the Paralympics have come to an end we thought it will be great to hear from a former Paralympian who’s competed at professional level and been through the challenges to winning gold.
She’s now retired from the sport but continues to help others through her work, providing training and consultancy to organisations in inclusion. We spoke to her about her journey and what inspired her to get into sport to becoming a children's author.
Follow the link to listen on Spotify: Disability In The World Of Sport And Literature
You can follow Danielle on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn
Disability And AI Revolutionising The Way We Work
14th September 2024
In the latest episode of My Voice podcast, our founder, Zubee and co-host Raya speak to Kiran, who is a disabled student studying computer science, specialising in AI and Robotics at the University of Hertfordshire.
She talks to us about her career and what interested her in learning about AI and the challenges she faced while studying as well as her achievements and future plans.
Listen now on Spotify by following the link.