Sami Dar

Since its launch in October 2022, the 10,000 Able Interns programme has provided internships to roughy 500 Disabled students in the UK. We work with 15+ sectors, across a range of corporate and creative industries, striving to create opportunities, at scale, for Disabled talent.

It is a sense of duty that motivated me to embark on this mission. I am fortunate enough to have been able to pursue higher education at a high level, and it’s this undeniable privilege that gives rise to a sense of responsibility. A high proportion of cerebral palsy cases are paired with intellectual disabilities, and as such, many are unable to pursue education to the extent they may have hoped. I have immense gratitude for the skills I have developed, and it is my responsibility to apply them to further the advocacy efforts of the Disabled community wherever possible.

I personally found it challenging to manage my disability, education, and social life alongside internship applications at university, which left me with fewer options upon graduating. I launched 10,000 Able Interns to make the application process more streamlined for Disabled students, who already have enough to manage. In doing so, I hope to create a long-term funnel of Disabled talent in the British workplace, that helps to close the disability employment gap.

If there’s anything I want an audience to take away from my journey, it’s to take a crack at whatever it is you may want to pursue, professionally or personally. So many brilliant ideas sit stagnant, gathering dust. The relationships we would’ve known, never materialised, and the places it would’ve taken us, never seen. Countless surreal moments and formative experiences are reduced to wistful fiction. And there’s no harm in failing. You will learn so much from everything you do, but you’ll learn nothing from the things you don’t do. Best of luck!