Ishan Jalill

Want to know how your team can turn challenges into opportunities? Ishan Jalill can help!

Born into an ordinary middle-class family in the suburbs of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Ishan Jalill became the first ever born-blind person in the world to participate in competitive rowing. His subsequent advocacy work for people with disabilities and youth has taken him all over the world, including the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

If your team needs motivation to break through limiting beliefs and imagine new possibilities for your organization (and themselves), Ishan is who you’re looking for.

Aside from his work as a motivational speaker, Ishan is the founder and President of Ability for Action (A4A), a newly formed organization serving women and youth with disabilities. Ability for Action is currently implementing a project funded by the US Embassy in Colombo (through Sri Lanka Unites, the country's largest youth-led grassroots peacebuilding organization). The project, “Red for You”, is related to the menstrual health and hygiene of women and girls with disabilities.

Ishan is also a Diversity and Inclusion Consultant specializing in Disability, Gender and Youth with over 13 years of experience in advocacy and campaigning. He has worked with many national and international organizations and entities (including the United Nations, the US State Department, International Republican Institute, International Foundation for Electoral Systems, Leonard Cheshire Disability UK, Standard Chartered Bank, and the Sri Lanka Youth Parliament) to promote and ensure inclusion of youth, women, and persons with disabilities.

Services offered

• Motivational sessions
• Leadership training
• Disability sensitization training
• Disability confident training
• Gender Sensitization and Youth Development Training
• Development and execution of corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects related to youth and women with disabilities