Cover Sensational Foundation Gala’s keynote speaker Isaac Harvey’s journey shows why the foundation’s “Inspiring Hearts Through Arts” theme hits home
Sensational Foundation Gala’s keynote speaker Isaac Harvey’s journey shows why the foundation’s “Inspiring Hearts Through Arts” theme hits home
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Isaac Harvey’s reality: global stages one day, broken bus ramps the next. At the Sensational Foundation Gala, he shares his story and reminds us that ‘disability is not what happens to other people only’
Disability advocate Isaac Harvey has spoken to 10,000 people at London’s Wembley Stadium, but he’s also been left stranded at a bus stop when the wheelchair ramp wouldn’t work. It’s this contrast that perfectly captures the reality of living with a disability today—extraordinary achievements alongside everyday frustrations that most people never think about.
Harvey will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Sensational Foundation Gala in Hong Kong, where he hopes to educate people through sharing his life experiences. The gala is being organised by homegrown NGO Sensational Foundation, which works to change how society sees disability. The fundraising gala, now in its second year in 2025, puts that mission centre stage through its theme, Inspiring Hearts Through the Arts.
The charity’s founder and CEO, Faride Shroff, says, “We want to move the conversation towards ability, instead of disability. We want to shine a spotlight on the extraordinary talent, creativity and achievement inherent within our community. The arts provide a powerful and universal platform where ability takes centre stage, challenging preconceptions not through rhetoric, but through the undeniable, emotional impact of direct experience.”
Rather than talking about limitations, the gala will showcase what’s possible when barriers are removed. Guests will watch inclusive dance performances and listen to adaptive musicians—not as feel-good entertainment, but as powerful examples of how talent can flourish when people are given the right support.
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Above Isaac Harvey’s experiences reveal just how much work remains to be done in this area
Isaac Harvey’s experiences reveal just how much work remains to be done in this area
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The foundation recognises that this support must begin with employment. They run workshops to help people with disabilities build job skills, work with employers to create truly inclusive workplaces and support families along the way. It sounds simple, but the impact is profound. When someone gains meaningful employment, it changes not just their life, but how their community sees disability.
Shroff’s team practises what they preach. They employ wheelchair users and people with conditions that aren’t immediately visible—mental health challenges, neurodiversity, chronic illness. “We work to create an environment where individuals feel psychologically safe to disclose their needs so we can provide the appropriate accommodations,” Shroff says.
For Harvey, this kind of acceptance took time to find, even within himself. He spent years seeing his role as a disability advocate as separate from his creative side. “I used to think creativity and advocacy couldn’t really mix,” he says. But when he started combining them, something clicked. His content became more powerful, reaching people in ways that traditional advocacy couldn’t.
This realisation speaks to the gala’s theme. Art doesn’t need to be perfect or polished to move people. “It doesn't matter if it’s polished or messy, or whether people interpret it in the ‘right’ way or not,” Harvey says. “If you can express yourself in a way that feels true to you, there’s a good chance it will inspire someone else.”
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Above Faride Shroff, the CEO and founder of Sensational Foundation Gala, shares that there is an urgent need and growing demand for their services
Faride Shroff, the CEO and founder of Sensational Foundation Gala, shares that there is an urgent need and growing demand for their services
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But inspiration only goes so far without practical change. Harvey’s experiences highlight how much work remains. When he wanted to do a skydive for charity, he had to fly to the US because suitable equipment didn’t exist in the UK. The jump was incredible, but as he points out, “Should it really take travelling halfway across the world to do something that should have been possible on my doorstep?”
Often, the biggest barriers aren’t about equipment or buildings—they’re about communication. “So much comes down to whether people are actually willing to listen and have real conversations.”
This is where events like the Sensational Foundation Gala become crucial. They create space for those conversations in a way that feels natural. When someone watches a performance by an artist with a disability, preconceptions shift without anyone having to make a speech about it.
The foundation hopes to reach an ambitious target of HK$2 million through this gala, and Shroff says, it’s “a direct response to the urgent need and growing demand for our services”. But the real measure of success won’t be the money raised—it will be the conversations started, the minds changed, and the barriers challenged.
Suchetana Mukhopadhyay is the Digital Content Manager for Tatler Hong Kong. In this role, she leads all digital editorial and branded content on Tatler Hong Kong’s website, from brainstorming story ideas with the writers to editing and publishing the articles, and from managing the overall content flow to driving search engine optimisation. She also leads the beauty content at Tatler Hong Kong and across the region, and is always looking to champion diversity through her articles. She was previously with Cedar Hong Kong and Gafencu, and freelanced for the South China Morning Post, Campaign Asia-Pacific, CNN and more. Contact her here.
