Facilitator: Laura Owers (she/her)

Twitter: @OT_LauraO_ACS

Laura is a UK-based occupational therapist based in an Adult Care Services local authority setting. Laura qualified in 2008 and is currently working in a Senior Learning and Development role. Laura has lived experience of disability and a long-term health condition, and will be approaching the topic of ableism from both a personal and professional perspective. Laura identifies as Bisexual and is a crew member of the @LGBTQIA+OT UK affinity group. Laura is committed to challenging oppressive systems within Occupational Therapy practice, and recognises the role that education can play to support this work.

Speaker: Frank Kakuru

Twitter: @FrankKakuruB1

Child and adolescent Mental Health Occupational therapist , I have the desire to help individuals lead a full and satisfying life as independently as possible. I believe I have the patience , ingenuity , determination and enthusiasm for rehabilitation especially for young people .

Email Address: kakurubaguma@gmail.com

Mbarara , Uganda 

Speaker: Tahseen Ahmed (she/her)

Facebook: @deafinately_inspired

Instagram: @deafinately_inspired

My name is Tahseen Ahmed (she/her) and I am originally from Cape Town, South Africa.

I was born deaf. I had a cochlear implant surgery in my right ear in 1995.

I don't use sign language to communicate but I do lip read when communicating with people.

I would love to learn sign language, so that I can communicate with other deaf people.

Graduated at University of Western Cape as an Occupational Therapist in 2007.

I am a Chief Occupational Therapist for the Surgical Unit in the Occupational Therapy department at Groote Schuur Hospital.

I am a healthcare worker and I am currently working in public service in a hospital setting.

Featured in YOU magazine, People's Post, Jonga magazine etc.

Speaker: Nurunnahar Nupur

Speaker: Nurunnahar Nupur

Despite being a person with a disability herself, Nurunnahar Nupur has been working all around Bangladesh for education, exoneration, and the rights of people with disabilities. She completed her BSc. (Hons) in Occupational Therapy in 2003 from Bangladesh Health Professions Institute (BHPI) of CRP under Dhaka University, and obtained a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Flinders University, Australia. The establishment of Positive Thinking in 2009 was a significant step toward her dream of establishing an institutional framework to ensure proper education and mainstreaming for children with special needs. Her organization offers training on special education for parents and teachers as well. Ms. Nupur has provided her expertise to many organizations and universities to design services for special needs children. Along with her organization, she has taken significant initiatives for persons with disabilities regarding their education, training, and most importantly, inclusion in the society. With invitation from the princess of England, Princes Ann; in 2016, she represented Bangladesh in the Global Leader’s Forum in Malaysia. In 2018 she availed an Australian government scholarship and completed her Masters in Special Education. She has also been awarded for her social contributions in Australia. With the support of the Australia Award Bangladesh office, in 2021, she trained 120 parents of special needs children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a well-known activist, she is continuously working to raise awareness on issues concerning disabilities and the significance of Occupational Therapy profession in various media platforms.