Join us for an insightful webinar as we explore the power of accessibility and inclusion with Simon Sansome, founder of the Snowball Community app.
Date: 9th September, 2024
Time: 4:00 pm HKT/ 8:00 am GMT
About the event:
Disability affects an estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide – that’s 16% of the global population. In the UK alone, 24% of the population reported having a disability in 2021/22. These staggering numbers underscore the urgent need to address the barriers faced by persons with disabilities.
This webinar will shine a light on Simon Sansome’s groundbreaking work with the Snowball Community app. Snowball empowers users to rate and review venues based on their accessibility, driving positive change and creating a more inclusive world.
Since our last webinar, Simon and Snowball have achieved remarkable milestones, including reaching 100,000 venue reviews and securing third place in the prestigious Santander X Global Awards. Join us as we explore the progress made and discuss what more can be done to promote accessibility in everyday spaces.
Key Topics:
- Insights into the challenges faced by persons with disabilities, including barriers in transportation, health, and social participation
- Snowball Community’s latest updates and initiatives to improve accessibility
- Simon Sansome’s vision for a more inclusive future and how to drive positive change
- Opportunities for collaboration and collective action to support accessibility
Who Should Attend:
- Disability advocates and accessibility champions
- Business leaders and policymakers committed to inclusion
- Urban planners, architects, and designers
- Travel and hospitality professionals
- Anyone passionate about creating a more accessible world
Speaker
Simon Sansome
Founder of Snowball Community App
Simon is the founder of Snowball Community, a global disability app which allows users to read and write reviews on how accessible a place is. Available on Android and Apple devices, the app has had 40,000 reviews in 12 months making it the biggest disability app in the world and helping empower thousands of disabled people every day.
Simon sustained a life changing injury when he was 32 which left him disabled from the waist down, and forcing him to take early retirement. Simon decided to go to De Montfort University (DMU) to study Journalism and pursue his passion for writing. In 2016, while at DMU, Simon set up a Facebook Snowball Community with the idea of raising awareness of, and improving, disabled access. His award-winning campaign has had a global impact and the page now reaches more than 20 million people a month.
Simon is also an award winning film and documentary producer after his life story was brought by Amazon Prime and his film ‘Access All Areas’ won 16 international film awards, including best film. Simon has also received a number of major awards in his own right, being named in the top ten of the most influential people in the UK 2023. This year Simon won the Digital and Tech award at the Disability Power 100 and the prestigious Santander X national award, and will be representing the UK at the Santander Glodal awards 2024.
Moderator
Julia Charlton
Chairman, Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce
Julia is the founding and managing partner of Charltons, an award winning Hong Kong corporate finance Hong Kong law firm. Julia is admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong, England and Wales and the BVI. She practises in the field of corporate finance, including M&A, private equity, securities, virtual assets and funds.
Julia is a member of the Commonwealth Enterprise & Investment Council (CWEIC)’s Global Advisory Council. She is also a member of several Hong Kong boards and committees, most notably The Takeovers and Mergers Panel and the Takeovers Appeals Committee of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission and the Listing Review Committee of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Julia is also a Senior Fellow of the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute.