When aged 12, I started at Charters School located in Sunningdale, Ascot. A secondary mainstream school which also caters for students with disabilities. One of the friends I made there was a girl named Steph Carfrae. Years passed and we met again at a day centre called Disability Initiative (D.I), based in Camberley, Surrey. Soon, she told me about a company called Disability Today that she was volunteering at and I was eager to join.
I contacted the owner and founder of company, Grant James Logan (beside me in the picture above). First I started doing data entry, but then came Purple Tuesday. That is when Grant saw my true potential.
Screenshot from Khaleel’s Purple Tuesday Video
After that day my duties changed, and I became a roving reporter. I started to visit different sites and attractions, then produced video reports on my findings such as disabled access. Once completed, the videos were uploaded to YouTube to share with the public. My trips so far include London Dungeons, Windsor Castle and London Zoo. Disability Today soon transformed into Ability Today. However, COVID came and everything changed.
Lockdown restricted the public from socialising. However, Ability Today introduced me to Certificate in Foundation Journalism awarded by National Council for the Training of Journalism. It kept me busy during the pandemic and I completed the course within a year. Since then, I have become the Assistant Editor for Ability Today.
Image from my news article in Maidenhead Advertiser
I enjoy my new role and still have fun doing vlogs. I covered the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022. It was absolutely epic.
Screenshot from Khaleel Reports on the World Cup 2022 in Qatar
Overall, I’m happy with all my achievements that I’ve gained over the years and would like to thank Grant for everything that he has done for me. I would highly recommend Ability Today to all with special needs who are seeking employees and/or want to study journalism. I was warmly welcomed and since then I have had the chance to showcase my own skillset along with developing new ones. I enjoy exploring and feeling honoured by connecting with Grant, who is a true inspiration to today’s society. I look forward to the future of working for Ability Today. Watch more of the videos I have created here.
by Khaleel Chima, Assistant Editor for Ability Today
CFJ Alumni – Academy for Disabled Journalists
