Hello everyone. Thank you for joining today's live webinar. I'm your host, Dr. Shah Siddiki, and I have two special guests today. Although we were looking for our Rob friend, he could not join with us. And we will bring him when he's available. So, today is a very special program for us. It's Christmas special from Access Adviser, Zinzi Marketing, and Toucan Diversity. And you know that last one year, we have done several lives with Access Adviser and as well as Toucan Diversity to talk about their work and talk about how they are contributing to the local people, local community, and creating huge possibilities for disabled people and as well as less able people and for the community specifically. Because you know that each disabled people is linked to non-disabled people as well, their families. So, working in this field, this creates possibilities, it creates significant contribution to local economy, as well as all other social-economic boundaries. So today, we have our special guest, Anna Marie Asgari. And she is the director of Toucan Diversity and we've been working together for such a long time now. And we brought this program to talk about specifically what we have done and what we are planning for the future. Anna Marie, how are you today?
Oh, I'm fine. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for inviting me today. It's um, a pity that Rob is not with us right now. Um, I'm um, the director of Toucan Diversity and I'm really excited to be here today with you.
Yes, I think Rob just messaged me. Um, Rob just messaged me, so I'm sending an invitation link to him to join this event. That's good because we were little bit worried about Rob because he's always punctual, he's always on time. Um, so that's a good thing. So Anna, um Anna Marie, I I I just wanted to ask you a little bit about yourself, um about Toucan Diversity to set the scenario.
Um, so I mean, uh Toucan Diversity is a disabled people led organization. Um, we are based in Portsmouth, but we're working really um nationwide now with um, you know, with the digitalization, um, with online training, but also our online portals which um have got no geographical, you know, limits as such. Um yeah, so um, we are we have a whole range of different training modules, um from which from disability equality training, which is our flagship, inclusive employment, and then we have got awareness training sessions like autism um awareness, uh sight impaired awareness, um and also invisible disability and then deaf awareness too. So those are our in-person uh training modules uh and then in addition and those those sessions can all be delivered online uh via Zoom. Um and then our portal has got a whole range of different courses. So we what we do and where we differ is we build um you know, the the own websites, you know, for the company. So um it's properly designed and branded for their needs and whatever kind of course they would like to have on, we put it on that um platform. So that's what we basically do.
Thank you, Anna Marie, and we just got Rob. And Rob, how are you today?
Hello. Hello. Well, that's a different link to the one you sent me, so I don't know why I was sat there waiting on my own for the Access Adviser weekly Christmas meeting.
Oh, okay. I think that was the Google link and I emailed you this link later to join the live.
We got there in the end. So happy Christmas everybody.
Happy Christmas to everyone. Merry Christmas to you too.
Yeah. So Rob, um we're just giving an introduction of Anna Marie about Toucan Diversity. So I wanted to ask you, um give an introduction to our audience about Access Adviser.
Okay, well Access Adviser, it's something that uh I've been working on for a very long time. It's still quite a very small business and it's about a lot of different platforms trying to improve accessibility for disabled people. And it's run by me, a disabled person, and we've got a website where people can review accessibility. We've got social media like Facebook and Instagram where we can talk about disability and accessibility. And so what it is, it's a an inclusive brand and we want it to be run by disabled people for disabled people. And I'll just say I'm also chair of Toucan Diversity, which is a wonderful organization.
Thank you, Rob. And you know that this is a special event, so what we wanted to do uh is to talk about what we have done so far and what we are planning for the next year. And uh to all the all the viewers, if you're watching this live webinar, I am Dr. Shah Siddiki and I have Anna Marie Asgari and Rob Trent and we're going to be discussing what we have done. So, to set the scene for myself, I'm um CEO and founder of uh Time Research and Innovation and we have different brands under our umbrella. One of them is Zinzi Marketing agency. And Zinzi Marketing agency, uh we support um innovators, we support SMEs and corporation enterprises uh with tailored specific services. So, uh if you're in the market and if you're in a business, if you need anything like fractional uh sales directors, fractional um specifically, fractional um development, uh web development, and any other technological needs, uh we cater for that. And uh we're working uh closely with Anna Marie and Rob Trent uh to support them as well as work together to create uh a uh support bubble where people will feel comfortable, where people will think about, okay, they have a good future. And uh we are working together uh in the Southeast of um UK, uh specifically uh Hampshire, and as well as we work for uh global organizations uh in the US and other parts of the world. So today, I just want to ask a few questions to uh Anna Marie. It's going to be the same question to you, Rob, as well. Um, first thing, I want uh ask uh Anna Marie, could you please share a success story that you are so proud of this year?
Um yeah, I mean, I work uh I mean we have done lots of uh different sessions um this year, but in particular with one organizations where where, you know, all the staff have uh attended um the training. Uh and um we are still, you know, in in touch with them if they've got any accessibility issues or questions. Um and you know, so I mean they're really part of our journey. Um so we are so proud uh of having um that kind of contact because everything really is about uh relationships and um you know, staying in tune with the organizations and and being there, um I mean, so that that we are part of their journey. But we also um held for the first time our own stakeholder event, uh and uh we celebrated disability in in a format which is very rarely done, and actually we we'd be held the event on uh the International Day for disabled people on the 3rd of December. Uh and it was really lovely. Um it it was really great to see that we had 23 uh organizations in the room um with us uh listening at our impact and uh the work we have done so far, you know, for the local community but but also for the wider community.
Thank you, Anna Marie. Similar way, Rob, um could you please specifically share a success story for this year?
Okay, well I think it's been quite a a quiet year for Access Adviser. We've been going along without much growth over the last couple of years and that's down to mainly to the fact that it's just been me working on it and, you know, I've got other things that I needed to do as well. Um I think the success story for me is starting to work with Dr. Shah to rebuild Access Adviser and we've already had one success in that we've we've bought on Pressalit as a partner to Access Adviser and now we're looking to start the new year with a new website, a new look and feel. And we want more partners to come on board. So we've had one small success, but it's blooming hard work and uh we're going to enjoy Christmas and then we're going to take off in the new year and I'm fully confident that we will.
Thank you very much, Rob Trent. As as to the all the viewers that if you're watching this live webinar, uh as you know that we work together uh in the local uh local space because the mostly uh what we uh what I have identified myself that all the small organization, even if it is it is a charitable organization or it is a limited company. Uh they have uh you know, they have um less uh resources, uh they have less funding and they wanted to um you know, acquire more space, more funding uh to work better. So uh with Toucan Diversity, the work they are doing for the community, uh it's it's different than other organization because training is a core thing um for anyone in the world. So, when you have specifically disabled uh oriented training, that will enable you to know about your rights. That will enable you to know what people think about you. That will enable you to have a common uh you know, uh understanding of disabled people. So, that's the way Toucan Diversity is supporting uh the current um uh community uh in the Southeast and uh in the UK. And if I talk about the Access Adviser, uh that's like uh a global initiative to uh give people accessibility information because nowadays, you know the big corporate sorry, excuse me, the big corporations, they have funding. So they have accessibility information embedded to their website and to their campaign, all those things. But medium or small-sized uh businesses, they don't have any accessibility information that much, that way they can support individuals like um those people they have accessibility needs. In that space, Access Adviser is supporting and Access Adviser is getting reviews. So we have like uh 3,000 reviews on um our uh website and as Rob said that we are rebranding the website and we will have a full pleasant um website uh in the new year. And we want to Toucan Diversity as well as Access Adviser, uh we want your support to support us, uh funding, support us with different varieties of things. So if you are uh watching this live webinar, please contact us um specifically uh with Toucan Diversity website or uh Access Adviser website, or you can directly contact Anna Marie and Rob Trent or me uh to um support us in this space. So, Anna Marie, my next question. Uh you know, uh with the impact you have made uh in the uh space uh the last uh I would say um nearly uh more than eight years, isn't it? Uh in that space, I just wanted to ask you as well because you have a back story of uh Toucan Diversity. If you could tell a brief a little bit about that, why you are doing this for people?
Okay. Um, well, my daughter set up Toucan Diversity um in 2013, so it is quite a while now, uh because she couldn't access any normal employment. I mean, um she had huge problems. She was sending out lots of different application forms uh and at that time you had to put on your application uh form that you had some kind of disability, whatever. You know, so she was a wheelchair user, but she not only had uh obviously the disability as, you know, but she also had issues uh from her gender um um because she was a female plus she has um ethnic name. So she had quite a few things going against her in um getting some kind or some form of employment. So she decided then that she would create her own venture and she got in touch with me, say, can you help me setting up a business? Uh she didn't want a charity. Uh so we went down the social enterprise route. Um she didn't want the charity because of um the charity model uh has got some real negative implications for disabled people in general. So we went down the social enterprise route and and that's how we started. And we had from the word go, uh she roped quite a few other disabled people in like autistic friends of hers and side impaired friends. Um and um so she set up the structure of um making sure that the trainers were accredited. Um and yeah, so that's how it started off. And then in 2020, she passed away and so we we decided to carry on with her legacy. So that's where we are now. So...
That's that's a that's a um a great story, Anna Marie, and thank you very much for your contribution for such a long time. I I will ask the same question to Rob Trent because uh those uh you are watching this live webinar, you might not know that Rob Trent is a national figure uh in the UK, I would say. Um he's been interviewed for his work. He's a mouth and um mouth print artist, I would say, if I'm if I'm saying it right, Rob, you can correct me.
That's right.
Uh and uh uh he creates amazing uh sketches uh you know, uh uh it's it's amazing. So, could you please tell us a little bit about your those work and as well as why you have come up with this accessibility, Access Adviser?
Okay, I I think it's it's it's really important, you know, that people can see the story behind sort of like Toucan and Access Adviser. There are real reasons why we do it and they're personal reasons and it's heartfelt, you know, that when I grew up, accessibility was poor. It's got better, but there is still a long way to go. You know, and I used to get frustrated at being able to go to places or not being able to go to places and finding them difficult to get into. And so about a dozen years ago, I started Access Adviser just as a website, just as a place where it could be like TripAdvisor and anyone could say how they felt accessibility was at a certain place. You know, and I've just grown into it, I guess. And as more social media platforms have have come along, I've tried to try to get Access Adviser a presence on there. And I don't want it just to be about us or disabled people reviewing things. I'd like Access Adviser to raise enough money to be able to where necessary, make support organizations in making improvements either financially or through the knowledge of disabled people that that come on board with that Access Adviser. You know, I think it'd be nice to set up a little fund somewhere that we could if someone had an accessibility issue that they weren't getting support from, you know, Access Adviser could step in and and provide that support. And we can all say, "Tut, tut, tut, you shouldn't be doing that. You know, why are you doing that when the government should be doing it?" But if they're not, then, you know, rather than let someone who is suffering from accessibility and inclusion issues, let's see if we can help them. And that's where I want Access Adviser to be. By disabled people, for disabled people. Uh and Anna Marie talked about Melissa and the problem facing employment. And I I think, you know, that's also something that needs to be addressed. You know, organizations like Toucan are raising awareness and and doing a fantastic job at doing that. And let's try and improve accessibility to the employment market. We're told disabled people are lazy. Then we're told, why should we sort of support you in work? And when we do get to work, the government's now taking away access to work. So that's my little brand for the moment.
Uh thank you, Rob, and I think uh you didn't touch about your painting. I just specifically wanted to know and let people know about the excellent work you do.
I'm very shy, obviously, you can tell. Um, no, seriously, I I've been painting full-time since about 2018 when I retired from Ordnance Survey. I've been painting when I was working full-time, but that was at weekends or an evening and that's obviously quite difficult to maintain and make any improvement. So when I retired, I had this studio built, and it is a lovely studio at the bottom of our garden and I come down here every day, occasionally to face time with Dr. Shah and Anna Marie, but also to do some paintings and I've had Christmas cards published and I've got pictures in calendars and I just got through the post yesterday, one of my cards is now uh going out this year in Norway. And I know another one's going in Germany. So I love painting. It's a very sort of commercial commercial art. You know, I'm not in it for the artistic pain and suffering. You know, I'm in it to to bring joy to people and hopefully when they get through my card through the door, they'll love them.
Thank you very much Rob and Anna Marie. Uh we're going to be uh uh dive into some more discussion about the work that uh you do as well as how we can support uh the local community as well as uh national and international communities so far. So, um I think uh Toucan Diversity, if I uh ask you, Anna Marie, that you have a future plan for next year. So, would you please share some of it how you can how you wanted to contribute more uh to the disability community, disabled community uh in the 2026?
Yeah, um we want to um increase our trainers. So anybody who has a disability or lived experience of a disability and would like to get involved with us, please get in touch. Um we have a training academy where um we um nurture our uh trainers. Um we would like them to be accredited to TQ UK level three as a minimum. Um but also we uh in our academy we uh provide elocution lesson, uh confidence building. Um and we have academic lectures usually um lined up. Um so we only have run um you know, a pilot scheme once, but we would like to extend it, but we also would like to extend it to other disabled volunteers uh who can come on board and to help us with content writing, marketing, um with any kind of form. Um where we then would also get professional people to support that process, um uh giving lectures on um you know how to set up uh you know um um because I mean the content writing is used for our courses. So and then also uh training on um our digital um the LMSs which we have. So it would be, you know, so that's what we would like to extend. So it's the training academy which was originally set up for our trainers, uh but we would like to extend it for other volunteers to come along so that they get you know, um to benefit from that too. And that would maybe, you know, in return give them a better footing in the employment market if they wish. Um and you know, and support as well. So, yeah, um and and that's quite um you know, unique because there's nothing like that in the UK. So there is a lot of emphasis for people with learning disabilities to get them into employment, but actually nothing is shifting from the gap with all these years and years of government spending um uh you know, to get them into work. So but it's it's very stagnant. So that it's obviously working for some people, but not for the wider disabled community. So, yeah, there's definitely room for improvement. So that's what we're planning, but we're also planning to get much more digitalized, um so that our courses um especially the online courses are more available to a wider public because at the moment we are very much localized. Um but we would like to get further into the UK with with our very specialized courses because they're all designed and written by people with a lived experience.
Thank you, Anna Marie. And uh the great work you do, and uh I specifically engaged with Anna Marie and as well as I attended many of their events. And uh the special thing that I was wanted to do this year, but uh due to my other business commitments, I was away from the UK for a couple of months. And that time it took place. You know the jumping from the sky. Uh that that was amazing. That was amazing and I I would uh definitely join next time if I'm in the UK. Uh can you tell a bit more about that, please?
Yeah. Um because we we are dependent on our trading is quite limited and we we experienced also bias as an organization, you know, with other grant-giving organization because there is a um so we we from very very from very early on, we started creating events uh in order to raise our funds in order to exist. So we have got every year, we have an up-sailing event, which is um because we're based in Portsmouth, we have got this iconic Spinnaker Tower. Uh it's very it's an amazing way of raising funds for us. So we we often have five to ten up-sailors coming down um you know, the Spinnaker Tower. But also um offer um places in skydiving. So that's again a unique experience and we encourage disabled people as well to partake. Um and the same um with the Great South Run. So we it's all about inclusion. Every single penny goes, you know, towards the work we do. So, yeah, if you have got any uh if you're ever thinking of doing something, you know, you know, with on on your bucket list and you would like to do it, yeah, just get in touch with us because we would love to have you as part of our skydivers, up-sailors, or runners. Uh yes, get in touch.
Thank you. Thank you very much. So, if you are thinking to join some challenges um in um Portsmouth areas, uh or if you live uh anywhere of the UK, you can join uh Toucan Diversity with different challenges as well as raise funds for Toucan Diversity. Thank you, Anna Marie, for sharing your stories. I just wanted to jump into uh Rob's trends because uh we have uh we have recorded uh some of uh we have recorded uh last week uh some of our road map that we are doing uh for 2026 together. And Rob, I wanted to ask you, uh we have a you know, extensive road map for 2026. Could you please share uh how uh we're going to be supporting uh Access Adviser from through Access Adviser to more create more reviews uh and disabled access accessible places on our website?
Okay, so what what we plan to do and we're going to relaunch the Access Adviser website sometime in January and what we want to do is have a big relaunch. Um, we've already got Pressalit come back on board and we've got Hex Productions that are also partnering with us. So, you know, things are starting to take off even before January. What we want to do is increase our partners so we can work with more companies. Um we can sort of raise money through our three packages that we've got, sponsorship packages, and um what we also want to do is head up some fundraisers as well. And as I mentioned, there may be some places where we can support other disabled people by improving their accessibility. But over the next um couple of months, we want to set up the website, get it going, get the new look website up and running so people can add reviews and look for places on our new look website. We've also got our YouTube channel, which I'm absolutely delighted with. We've had over 1 million views on that. We've got over 2,000 subscribers and we're adding content all the time. So, you know, that's one place where we want to get people engaging with us. And if you've got an accessibility video you want to share with us, you know, you can't do any worse than send it into us and we'll we'll plug it for you. We'll, you know, mention your name and your business and we've got over 2,000 subscribers, 1 million views. It's great. So, you know, that's where our road map is really going now. That's our next focus, the website and YouTube and bringing in donations so we can grow and employ disabled people.
Thank you very much, Rob. And to all the viewers, as you know that we have a great road map uh with Access Access Adviser because in 2026, we wanted to um uh go out of our comfort zone. Uh that comfort zone uh is to challenge ourselves. So that challenge we are creating now is to work with you. If you're a disabled person or if you're a non-disabled person, but you have friends, family, disabled people, you wanted to share your stories, you will have a place on our uh routine um promos, on our routine podcast, on our uh routine YouTube channels and all our social media. So, get ready and if you wanted to share your story, uh we're going to be um uh bringing you uh to uh thousands, thousands of our um viewers, uh and as well as subscribers, and people uh they care about accessibility. So, if you are a business and you wanted to support us, uh we are here and we will work with you uh to extend your reach to the root levels because I think as we discussed earlier, uh there is a bureaucracy in the government. So, uh they are working and they are very slow. So that's why as Rob said earlier that we wanted to create something for disabled people. And if you're waiting uh maybe for accessibility, maybe for any other things from uh local government help or national government help. Uh why don't we create a organization uh where uh we can support you with? So, your every penny will be spent on disabled accessibility and as well as training together. So, Toucan Diversity here to support with training and Access Adviser is support with you all other things. And we are mixed uh community. So we work together to support the uh national, local and global communities. So thank you, Anna Marie and Rob Trent, uh for joining this live webinar. I have few more uh question to ask and if you have any more question, please feel free to ask us uh through the comment box on LinkedIn or any other social media because uh we are broadcasting in um uh Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, uh all together. And uh if you have any question, please feel to ask us if if you want to have a specific question to answer. But before I um jump on my next um question, I wanted to ask Anna Marie, you know, accessibility disability and learning, why it is so important for people to understand uh the um disability inclusion as well as know about disabled people?
Uh yeah, I mean, 73% of disabled um customers experience barriers on more than one in four website, for instance. But also just um barriers when they go for shopping, uh and 83% actually of disabled people, these these are all uh stats from um the the ONS. Um 83% of uh people who will only shop at, you know, the the places which they know uh are accessible, the website they know are accessible for them. So that means that so many, you know, disabled customers are not using, you know, the wider um opportunities which are out there for them or it is a very narrow um you know, opportunity for them to shop uh or to go. So they know exactly where they go. They do their research beforehand. Um and so it is it makes complete business sense to make sure that your website is accessible. That's the first step people have got to take. Um and there are it it's now um the law. I mean, people can actually take you to court if you're not accessible. So and you miss out on on business opportunities if you are not. So that's the first step you as an organization should do, but then also, when you have got disabled customers, you need your staff to be trained up, you know, on how to treat and not to feel awkward around disabled people. Um so, uh yeah, it it makes complete business sense to um you know, go down that route. Don't miss out because there's not millions, billions, you know, um of pounds which are missed this way. So, yeah.
Thank you, Anna Marie. Uh to Rob, you know, accessibility. Okay. Um common barriers to accessibility. You talk about uh you know, government uh bureaucracy and barriers there. But apart from that, uh are there any common barriers for accessibility that you have uh noticed uh a few uh last uh you know, two, three, um decades of your working uh being a disabled person as well as supporting uh disabled person with accessibility?
I think there are still common barriers in place. I mean, if I think about uh maybe 30 years ago, it was impossible to get on a train without sitting in the guard's van, buses were completely inaccessible, you know, and the only cabs you could actually go in were sort of the black cabs in London. So taking the trains, things have got better. You know, you now have compartments where you can sit in the same carriage as everyone else, you can sit with your friends. Sometimes there are, there is luggage in the way that people put in the way, but the guards will more often than not come and ask them to move. Uh buses, you can now get on most buses and in London, obviously London things are much better. You've just got electric ramps and they're automatic and most of the time the drivers will pick you up. I've not had any drivers drive off yet, but uh I'm sure it will happen sometime. So the barriers are still there, you know, but I think in my lifetime, things have got better, but I will I will say that I think, you know, there is a push back now on some of those barriers. And it's up to us as disabled people to, if you like, push back against that push back. We need to be strong and we need to stand up for what we think, you know, because if society enables disables us through poor accessibility. Then, you know, we're not able to make that meaningful contribution. And that goes on in terms of employment, that goes on in terms of transport and other ways. You know, so I think, I think we have to be strong and push back.
Thank you, thank you, Rob. And uh we have a question from uh Saladuddin and he asked, why is Christmas a meaningful time to talk about diversity inclusion and accessibility? I think that's a very question, uh good question because when um we have like Christmas or New Year or some of the events, we talk about this or disability week or something like that. But why we don't do this usual um apart from uh the dedicated time. We should be talking about this all the time, aren't we? Uh Anna Marie?
Um yeah, I mean, at Christmas is a special time to take a stock and and actually think about it, but also you may have a um a disabled family member coming to your family and for the first time maybe they have acquired a disability. And and you have to think about, you know, different ways of accommodating them or um there is so much out there also children who are neuro divergent and have got different behaviors and how to accommodate them. Uh and and Christmas is normally a time to get together. I mean, it's true, it should be for us it is not just about Christmas, it's about every single day. So, um but it is a time where, yeah, it may come into your home much more where you have to think, okay, do I have to get a ramp now because, you know, um my aunt has is a wheelchair user and and how do we get her in that? You know, that because you will think about that because it's maybe the time, you know, the one time in the year where, you know, families are getting together more so than any other time. Um, you know, from the Christianity point of view, obviously that reflects other religions as well in the same way for for whatever they celebrate and whenever they celebrate. Um, so yeah.
Thank you. Thank you, Anna Marie. What about Rob? Why is Christmas or a specific time, not uh why not uh every day of the year?
I think every day is the meaningful time to talk about Christmas, but if you're looking at Christmas in particular, there's this big focus on inclusion and bringing people together. And I think can you bring people together if you're excluding them through poor accessibility? Can you have a work Christmas party if that's truly inclusive and accessible if you've decided to hold it on the first floor of a restaurant, you know, can you is Christmas really accessible for disabled people if you're excluding them from buildings and they can't get in? So, you know, this is a time to include everyone. So it is special, but all all year round is is important for people. You know, I don't think that just Christmas, things should be accessible for me. I think they could be accessible all year round. And it's up to society to try and find ways to to make that happen.
Thank you, Rob, and thank you, Anna Marie. As as you know that, yes, um I have a mixed emotion about Christmas, being a Muslim Muslim person. Um and we it's it's not like that we don't celebrate it. Uh we we do go for shopping, we do go for friends and family, all those things. But I see it in a different way because uh you know, uh accessibility or disability is embedded to me. Uh why? Uh I have these problems. Uh you know, the time um you know, the time I will die, it will go away, but before that, I am I am with uh a person with disability. So, it's all year round like Anna Marie and like Rob Trent, we work all every day for um uh training or accessibility, all those things. But it could be special for those people, they are non-disabled. Um they they are not disabled and they can uh think about this uh specific time in Christmas time or any other uh time uh to maybe reflect on what they do. Uh maybe reflect on how they can uh create significant contribution. As Rob said, special day is to bring all community together. Uh and celebrate the specific uh time, celebrate the specific day. So, uh it's not like Christmas is the specific way uh that every should every one should work on disability and inclusion. Uh it should be year round and there are many organization in our community, they work year round. So thank you very much for your questions. I have next questions. Uh what's the main purpose um for this Christmas special and how did Access Adviser Zinzi and Toucan Diversity choose together for this uh come together for this collaboration?
Well, I'm happy to go first.
Yes, please.
I just think the main, firstly, I think the main purpose is just to wish everybody an accessible Christmas. And, you know, we're here still working at trying to make things better for disabled people. How did we come together? Well, I think we came together through probably through LinkedIn initially. So, I think Anna Marie and I first contacted each other. I was so impressed by what Toucan was doing and sort of followed them and and then I ended up sort of taking on the role of chair for a while and still am there and, you know, hoping that we can we can keep going into the new year. And then then through Anna Marie, I think I came across Dr. Shah and now we're all in this big happy inclusive family for Christmas and for the for the whole year ahead and maybe many more years ahead. Let's keep it going and see where we can go. That's my that's my idea of why we came together.
Thank you. Thank you, Rob. Anna Marie.
Yeah, I mean it's very similar to what Rob was saying. I mean, um you come across uh individuals um who you really connect with and you also think, okay, they might be able to help us as an organization to university further our aims. Um and yeah, and that really happened with Rob and then um I came across um Dr. Shah Siddiki who is now helping and supporting uh Toucan. So, yeah, and I think um having a Christmas special, yeah, there's always time for a Christmas special. So, you know, um Merry Christmas to all of you out there and um you know, all holiday season because you know, I I know there's so many people who um don't believe on Christmas, but they're still are happy to celebrate and whatever. So, yeah. Um and and I really, you know, enjoy this collaboration because we're learning so much from each other because everybody's lived experience is different. Um and yeah, thank you so much, you know, for setting this up.
Thank you. Thank you, Anna Marie and Rob Trent. From myself, I would say it's about common um uh feelings of supporting individuals or disabled people. I think uh those organization that I work with or Anna Marie or Rob work with, we have a common goal to support the uh disability because uh we are uh an organization uh run by disabled people. And we think about disability 24x7, every day of the year, every minute, every hours. So, uh we have a common characteristics to support each other. And that characteristics brings us together. Uh there are other organization that we work with. We don't want to uh get their name now. It will be too long to discuss about them, but we will bring them uh in the in in new year uh next year uh many of our live events with Anna Marie and as well as with Rob Trent. So what we wanted to do, we wanted to support each other to create a sustainable community uh for the future, uh where uh you will know about disability and as well as you will learn about accessibility. So, as a disabled person myself, I also required accessibility information because uh some places that I go, um I have physical disability which is not seen. Uh and which is not visible, I would say. And uh sometimes people misjudge me, like, okay, they they raise their eyebrows as a normal person. Uh why he needs accessibility? Because some of the disabilities is not visible. And um I used to use a stick after after my brain tumor surgery. I become weakened my left side, but I have to throw my stick away because I was uh you know, people bullied me and it was very uh tough for me to um as a person uh moving with a stick. And that's the normal thing. If you think about people they are in wheelchair, that's even more harder for them because they don't people normally in the community, there are some people, they don't behave or act like, okay, they should support disabled people. So that's why I think we have common um barriers and we wanted to work together to support each other with these common barriers. So thank you everyone for asking uh your questions. Uh we are nearly end of our session. We just have two minutes. In these two minutes, I just want to ask Anna Marie first. Uh can you share uh specifically if you have any asks uh to our viewers, uh how they can help and support uh Toucan Diversity?
Yeah, get in touch. Um follow us on LinkedIn. Um we have a business page, um you know, just check us out or or just book some time with us. Um our team will, you know, be very happy to showcase the work we do. Um and you know, and we'd love to be part of your journey, we would love to hear from you. So, um yes, please do get in touch.
Rob.
Yeah, I just like to say that, you know, we are growing, we're getting more companies come on board. Um and we're going to start fundraising for so that Access Adviser can grow, but also that we can help support disabled people in the community. So, come on board when you see our website launch, you can get involved by becoming a partner or you can get involved by donating. But if you want to get involved by coming and doing some work for us, please let us know. We need all the skills we can because, you know, at the moment, we're still a very small organization and we need you to be honest. Let's let's be honest and say we need you out there to help us. And apart from that, Merry Christmas.
Thank you, Anna Marie and thank you, Rob, and thank you everyone. So, uh from myself, uh I'm working with uh many organization in the UK and globally. So, uh we create possibilities for the future. So if you need uh specifically support with your business development, if you are a charitable organization, you have a vision for uh the future, for the future generation and as well as supporting your local community, national community or global community, I am there to support you. So, uh we are all uh uh combined together our knowledge to support the community in a specific way. You might not support, you might have a different vision or you might have a different um uh different type of uh uh work you wanted to do with the community, that doesn't matter. We can support you with any vision that you have for the disabled community or for the for the country. So, thank you everyone for joining today's live webinar. And uh we're going to be saying bye-bye to everyone and we will welcome you in January with another episode of our Access Adviser and Toucan Diversity uh live webinar. We will bring guest and uh wish you all a happy, very nice Christmas and as well as a new year.
Happy Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Thank you.
For talking.