What is the Rising Star award for?
The Rising Star award is for someone who has made a great impact in a short space of time. Someone in the disability world who is making waves, educating others and getting things done despite the fact they are new to it.
Many thanks to the 2023 sponsors:
Rising Star Award 2023
Congratulations to the winner…
Puneet Singhal
Puneet Singh Singhal is the founder of “Ssstart,” a charity dedicated to supporting individuals who stammer and advocating for their inclusion and rights. Despite being new to the disability advocacy world, Puneet has quickly become a force to reckon with, embodying the spirit of the Rising Star Award.
Puneet’s work is driven by personal experience and a deep-rooted understanding of the struggles of individuals who stammer. His own journey with stammering has instilled in him an immense dedication to advocating for individuals experiencing similar challenges. His nuanced perspective highlights the diversity within the stammering community, advocating for environments that value people for their character and work output rather than their communication style.
And to the highly commended finalist…
Kala Omeiza
Kala Allen Omeiza is a graduate of Miami University and a 2020 MSc graduate of the University of Oxford in the UK. Kala has worked on various research projects on autism and mental health at Harvard, Duke, Harvard Medical, and as a US Fulbright scholar in Nigeria. She has founded a nonprofit organization, I’m Heard , whose purpose to raise awareness and acceptance of mental illness among minorities.
She has also purposed and gotten funding for a short term mental health clinic in an Nigerian orphanage during the pandemic. Kala has also published a novel , Afrotistic. It is the first YA novel that has an autistic black teenager as the protagonist.
Find out more about the CND Award categories
2023 Awards were Sponsored by
