Dr Shani Dhanda on creating change through visibility and Sikh community kitchens

From rejection to representation

Shani’s path to becoming a leading voice in disability inclusion wasn’t straightforward. After struggling to find work in her teens, she quickly realised that disclosing her disability on job applications was leading to rejection.

“I was applying for jobs sharing I had a disability and wasn’t hearing anything back,” she said. “I thought that was normal. But then I took that one sentence off, and I got offered an interview straight away.”

It was a harsh lesson, but one that pushed her towards higher education and eventually into a career in events management. “I never thought I was clever enough to go to uni,” she admitted. “But I thought, right, I have to go to uni to survive.”

After a decade working in events, Shani transitioned into disability advocacy full-time, landing a role at Virgin Media as a disability programme manager. “I didn’t know it could be a job. I didn’t know how to get paid for it and not just do it on the evenings and weekends.”

That role became a springboard for her to work with other companies and eventually set up her own consultancy. “I’m on my third career now and I’m still excited for what I’m gonna do next.”

Faith, food and festivities

Shani’s Sikh identity is a source of strength and inspiration in her activism. “Being raised in a very devout Sikh household 100% shaped who I am, my values,” she explained. “Living by those principles and being taught that from a very young age – I think that’s why I find activism so comfortable.”

That connection to her culture is especially visible during Vaisakhi, one of the most significant festivals in the Sikh calendar. Shani is set to host ‘Vaisakhi on the Square’ in London for the second year running. “It’s such an honour to host such a massive event for our community, right in the heart of London,” she said. “I believe I’m the first visibly disabled host for the event as well, which also means a great deal to me.”

The day is a vibrant celebration of Sikh faith and culture, with food playing a central role. “It’s free food,” Shani said. “In the Sikh faith we have something called langar, which is a free communal kitchen. Any gurdwara you go to, you’ll be able to have a hot vegetarian meal that’s prepared by volunteers.”

Shani’s mum is a regular volunteer in the kitchen, and her speciality is making jalebi – a sweet, deep-fried treat soaked in syrup. “She takes them out the oil and dunks them into a sugary syrup,” Shani explained. “I’m the person that dunks them in the syrup and then takes them out. It’s really tasty.”

She also brought in another traditional sweet for us to try – laddoo. “It’s made out of gram flour. The mixture is made, then it’s put through a sieve so you get little droplets of batter. That’s then fried, put in a syrup and left to dry. Then you make it into a ball.”

These sweets aren’t just reserved for festivals. “We’ll have these on many happy occasions, or even at funerals,” she said. “At the gurdwara, people will ask to make jalebi as a way of celebrating that person’s life.”

Creating change through visibility

Although Shani’s activism is now her full-time work, she’s increasingly using broadcasting to reach wider audiences. “I’m really enjoying my broadcasting era at the moment,” she said. “I have a show on BBC Asian Network called The Everyday Hustle. I’m guest hosting it at the moment.”

She’s also appeared on shows like Rip Off Britain and Loose Women, and sees media representation as a key way to shift perceptions. “We have really poor representation of disabled people,” she said. “The representation is very sensationalised. Usually you only see disabled people talking about disability or complaining about the lack of accessibility.”

Shani believes that increasing visibility is essential for inclusion. “Ultimately, we need to just understand that disabled people are people with the same rights and responsibilities as non-disabled people.”

She points out that 83% of disabled people in the UK were not born with their condition. “We are not designing for our future selves in any way,” she said. “Accessibility benefits everybody.”

Food as comfort and connection

Food is a big part of Shani’s life – both as a cultural anchor and a creative outlet. “Good food to me is about eating food that makes you feel good, that is going to do something good for your body,” she said. “But it’s also tied to so many different experiences. Food is love. Food brings people together.”

Her favourite dish of all time is her mum’s mixed lentil dal. “I’ve tried and tried and tried, but I cannot get it the same,” she laughed. “With chapati, red onion, mango pickle, yoghurt – that is my favourite meal.”

Since moving out of home and living independently, Shani has become more confident in the kitchen. “I went on Nadia Hussain’s show Time to Eat because I was really missing my mum’s food,” she said. “Nadia taught me how to make a jackfruit curry. That gave me so much confidence just to get in the kitchen and try.”

She’s also known among friends and family for her mac and cheese and enchiladas. “Those are my two requested dishes,” she smiled. “But I like my cheese sauce more saucy than cheesy – I’m very fussy with how I like my cheese.”

Despite not having an accessible kitchen, Shani finds ways to make it work. “I actually don’t have an accessible home,” she said. “So how I make it accessible at the moment is through lots of stools and stepladders, which is really dangerous because I have brittle bone disease.”

She’s working towards having her own accessible home one day. “I can’t wait for that day to come.”

A mission that’s far from over

Whether she’s hosting a festival, consulting with businesses or sharing her story on national television, Shani’s mission remains clear: to make society more inclusive, accessible and equal for everyone.

“I want to be part of the change that I want in society,” she said. “And that means helping people understand that accessibility and inclusion are not just for disabled people – they benefit us all.”