In 2022, 27-year-old Hafsa Qadeer took a bold step by leaving her day job to focus entirely on a grander mission: creating a ‘LinkedIn’ for people of determination. As a Pakistani expat venturing into the startup world without a formal business background, her driving force was a profound sense of purpose, deeply influenced by her younger brother Ahmed, who is also a person of determination.
“I’d often ponder about Ahmed’s future. What would his life look like when he has a job? Will he go to an office? In the back of my mind, I couldn’t shake this thought: When he goes for his first interview, no one’s going to recognise how talented or witty he is, they’ll just see his wheelchair,” Hafsa recalls.
A few years later, the family faced new challenges when Hafsa’s mother temporarily acquired a disability due to an injury, also requiring the use of a wheelchair. “This experience was a turning point for me, prompting me to work on ‘ImInclusive’ full-time. Since then, I haven’t looked back,” says the 29-year-old.
ImInclusive, which started as a conversation between Hafsa and her brother, has since evolved into a revenue-generating social enterprise. It now serves as an employability platform for people of determination seeking jobs and offers disability inclusion services to large-scale employers.
“We assist organisations, particularly HR departments, in developing strategies to build a disability-inclusive business and integrate this into their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives,” Hafsa explains. The platform also provides CPD-certified training programs to educate employers on engaging with people with disabilities, conducting interviews, and maintaining an inclusive team.
ImInclusive’s approach has resonated with several large clients, including Dnata and Chalhoub Group. “They have embraced our services not just from a corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspective, but as part of their HR strategy. To have such industry giants pledge to be more inclusive is a milestone my team will cherish forever.”
On September 9, ImInclusive launched the largest career fair for Emirati people of determination in the UAE. “Some of our career fairs cater exclusively to the Emirati population, while others include both Emirati and expat communities,” says Hafsa, noting the significant increase in event participation since their first career fair in 2023.
The ‘Inclusivity Career Fair 2024’ provided a unique platform for employers, corporate entities, and government sectors to explore and implement disability-inclusive employment solutions. The fair was part of the ongoing Atmah Programme, the GCC’s first Social Impact Bond, initiated by the Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an.
“2024 has been transformative for us,” says Hafsa. “The Atmah programme is significantly changing community interactions, and we’re the delivery provider for the inclusive employment criteria under this initiative. This has increased our engagement from 100 employers per year to 160 additional employers just for this project alone.”
For this career fair, ImInclusive selected 100 Emirati job seekers of determination to participate. These candidates have either already been placed in roles or will be placed in the coming months through the organisation's upskilling process.
Salem Bawazir, a learning and development associate, shared how the initiative has eased his job search. “ImInclusive played a crucial role in simplifying my job search journey. Their event provided me with a platform to connect with various employers and explore a wide range of job opportunities.”
Similarly, Mohamed Ashraf Eid Mahmoud, a 24-year-old receptionist at the Intercontinental Hotel Abu Dhabi, expressed his gratitude for the support he has received from the community. “The company helped me develop my work by conducting training courses that prepared me with all the support I needed before entering the job interview.”
Currently, ImInclusive works with four primary disability classifications: hearing disabilities, visual disabilities, physical disabilities, and neurodivergence. Through initiatives like career fairs and targeted training programs, they've empowered many people of determination to succeed in their professional journeys. “So far, we have created 400 economic opportunities for people of determination,” Hafsa says, with a smile.
“Economic opportunity” in this context means creating assignments that can be completed remotely, allowing candidates to deliver work for the corporations they partner with, thus adding direct value to the corporate chain while ensuring they receive compensation for their efforts.
As a result, ImInclusive offers full-time roles, part-time, and contractual roles, with opportunities for event-based hiring. “The entire process is structured as an upskilling pathway,” says Hafsa.
When a person of determination reaches out to ImInclusive—either via email or by creating a profile on their web portal—they undergo a screening process based on the criteria set by the registered employers to find a suitable match. If they are not yet ready to enter the workforce, the organisation also provides events and socialisation groups to help them build their skills and confidence.
“As you may have noticed, all of this aligns with my dream of creating a LinkedIn for people of determination! At the time, the thought seemed very far-fetched but now we’re much closer to achieving that dream,” says Hafsa. “We are currently working to upskill at least 5,000 individuals from this community.”
Regardless of all the milestones the social enterprise has achieved, the core mission of ImInclusive remains grounded in the belief that disability should not define a person's ability to work or live fully. “There is real shame and stigma that people face, and a lot of cultural bias that perpetuates the idea of disability as either a curse or a blessing.”
“Society often defaults to the charity model of disability instead of recognising it through the human rights or social models, which call for community support to reduce barriers,” says Hafsa. “People of determination are often tagged as children, which is detrimental to their growth, especially in workplace inclusion. They are not children. They are adults—equal and capable, just like everyone else. It’s almost like taking away their wholesome personality and limiting their identity to just their disability. We cannot allow that to happen.”
To ensure this, Hafsa and her team have ambitious plans to continue expanding their impact. “We have a major career fair coming up in Abu Dhabi again in April 2025, and another in Dubai at the end of this October, inclusive of both Emiratis and expats,” she shares. “We'll keep breaking our own records and pushing the boundaries of what's possible for people of determination.”
