Q&A with Imali Chislett

An award-winning entrepreneur & disability advocate

Hi Imali! Can you introduce yourself to our lovely readers?

Hello! I’m Imali, a 24-year-old disabled entrepreneur and blogger, based in Dorset. I’ve been chronically ill for many years, with a range of conditions from hearing loss to ulcerative colitis with a stoma bag. I’m super colourful and love being creative.

What do you think of accessibility in the UK in 2025?

It’s definitely better than it used to be, but there’s still a long way to go! Unfortunately, access is so often dictated by somebody who isn’t in need of an aid, meaning that they miss the mark on what will actually help. However, there are notable, positive improvements coming, it’s just taking its time! 

You spoke in the House of Lords in July this year. How did that come about, and how can people help amplify your message?

I was lucky enough to mentor last year with Small Business Britain’s Small & Mighty programme, so when the opportunity arose to get involved in the Lilac Review peeches about disabled entrepreneurship, I couldn’t pass it up. The key takeaway of my speech was that disabled people shouldn’t be seen as your inspiration, we are in fact your competition and we mean business! 

You speak about mobility aids a lot on your blog. Which aids do you use?

I use a wheelchair (powered and manual), walking sticks for short distances, as well as hearing aids. 

What do you get up to in your spare time? 

I adore Disneyland Paris – I went for the first time this June and had a wonderful time, so I’m desperately hoping to go back. I also love anything creative, so a day spend being arty with a cup of tea makes me happy! 

What do you do for work? 

Some of my time is spent blogging over at Mali & ME, while the other part is spent running my main business Inkfire – a disabled-led marketing and design collaboration. We’ve had a great year, that’s been crazily busy – including winning two awards! 

What would you say to someone who had recently been diagnosed with an illness or acquired a disability?

Take it a day at a time, work out what things you’re struggling with and then work backwards from there to find a solution. There’s an insane amount of advice, tools and equipment out there, but it’s really important to find what works for you. Don’t settle! 

What do you think are some of your biggest challenges? 

Managing my schedule around my medical needs – on the daily I have appointments, medications to collect, stoma supplies to refill, the list goes on and on. It can be really difficult to slot ‘normal’ life around these. 

For those who don’t know – what is hEDS and how can we raise further awareness?

Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome – it’s a condition in which you don’t have enough collagen, meaning you’re too bendy – inside and out! It can cause a
plethora of symptoms, including daily dislocations, organ issues and skin splitting. There’s no fix for it, but you can manage the condition through careful pain management and avoiding strain through using mobility aids. 

Tell us about your recent travelling and what you thought about the levels of accessibility there?

It was absolutely amazing! Disneyland is very wheelchair accessible which was a breath of fresh air. Getting to go out and explore was so unique. It was definitely a big win in my books – I can’t wait to go back! 

You’re a lover of music and you go to afew concerts! Do you think that venues are doing enough for accessibility?

I really don’t. Basic ticket booking for events like shows held at Wembley still require such analogue booking – in the case of going to see Taylor Swift in 2024, my friend and I had to manually call the venue over 250 times, in order to get through. There’s no provision to book online if you need an access ticket – it’s infuriating!

And – the big question – are you still one of the UK’s biggest Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte fans?

Absolutely, and they’ve just hit the UK again so safe to say, I’ll be getting my fix soon.