Reach Charity is proud to present a series of webinars to offer Insights into commonly asked questions. Aimed at our members and the wider public who have, or support those with upper limb differences Reach will be delivering films which can offer insight, advice, and entertainment.
Our speakers and topics cover various areas from advice surrounding Disability Living Allowance, fitness, music, driving, health professionals, careers to parent’s sharing their personal experiences.
We have our very own bespoke interactive website at reachinsights.live which you can view the events and interact in live Q&As.
These events are inclusive for all, our speakers are happy to be asked questions before, during, if a live Q&A is scheduled, and after the webinar. Please do email all questions to reach@reach.org.uk just state who the question is directed at and we will do the rest! More dates are to be added so watch this space!
Read on for speaker information
Saturday 16th January 2021 10am
Dr Dorothy Cowie BOLDkids – Brain Organisation in Limb Differences, updates in pioneering research
Previous speakers at our Annual Family Weekends, Dorothy and her team at BOLDkids and collaboration with Professor Tamar Makin, an expert on brain plasticity at the UCL Plasticity Lab are no strangers to Reach!
Dorothy will be discussing the research project where everyday behaviour and brain development was studied in children with limb differences, aiming to keep building a better understanding of the amazing ways in which these children develop to not only cope with, but thrive with, their limb differences. 
You can directly ask questions to Dorothy on Saturday 16th January during a live Q&A alternatively email reach@reach.org.uk and we can include on the day.
You can follow BOLDkids on Twitter and Instagram 
Saturday 23rd January 2021 10am
Nate Macabuag & Alex Lewis – Project Limitless, Koalaa /Mitt
Koalaa makers of Mitt, have teamed up with the The Alex Lewis Trust and The Douglas Bader Foundation (DBF) to raise money to provide every child in the UK, access to one of their prosthetics.
Back in March 2020 Reach and LimbBo Foundation collaborated with Mitt and supplied children to Mitt prosthesis for free and for a whole year!
Join Nate and DBF Ambassador Alex Lewis, who will be discussing how Project Limitless has grown, a demonstration of the Mitt and its range of adaptions, and also details of how you can register your child to join, and be involved!
Email any questions or enquiries to reach@reach.org.uk or join Nate, Alex with Alastair for live Q&A on Saturday 23rd January
Date to be Confirmed
Amy Truesdale – Para Taekwondo, training and exercise
Para Taekwondo fighter, Amy Truesdale has had quite the impressive medal tally over the years and is best known for her World Championship wins in 2014 and 2017. In 2019 alone Amy won a bronze medal in the European Para Taekwondo Open Championships, Gold in the Asian Para Open Taekwondo Championships, Gold in the Korea Open Para Taekwondo, and in the African Para Taekwondo Championships, Amy won yet another Gold!
Representing GB, Amy’s primary aim is to win gold at Para Taekwondo’s debut at Tokyo in 2021 and then hopefully do the same in Paris in 2024. Amy is also a keen advocate for disability sport and has made it her mission to raise awareness, she will be talking with Alastair about her sporting journey also focussing on her training and how she adapts exercise and methods to best suit her needs. 
We get many enquiries regarding exercise and how to take part safely, ask your questions today email us at reach@reach.co.uk
Follow Amy’s Olympic Taekwondo journey on Instagram, Amy is also a talented poet, check out Amy’s poem’s at
Saturday 30th January 2021 10am
Remap – Custom made equipment to help people live more independent lives
In 1964 Pat Johnson, an engineer with ICI, decided to help his disabled sister by making some improvements to her home because as a wheelchair user, she was experiencing difficulties in managing daily life. By 1968 a network of groups or panels of volunteers were set up across the country. The acronym Remap officially stands for Rehabilitation Engineering Movement Advisory Panel but these days it is now known as Resourceful Engineers Make Anything Possible. Remap now covers the whole of the UK and completes 3,500 projects every year helping young and older disabled people to become more independent.
Alastair Greener will be interviewing Remap’s Chair of trustees, Peter Cattermole, who will be showing
a practical demonstration of a project he worked, will be joined by the family who benefited from the design, and the occupational therapist who was able to advise.
As their strapline implies ‘making things possible’ is there aim, if there is something you thought you could never get an adaption or modification made to make life a little simpler for you, now is your time to ask that question! Email any questions or enquiries to reach@reach.org.uk or join in the live Q&A on Saturday 30th January
Saturday 6th February 2021 10am
Cornwall Mobility – Getting on the Road, all you need to know about Driving
Cornwall Mobility is the largest mobility centre in the UK. Mobility centres aim, is to provide solutions, services, support and reassurance to people of all ages who face independence and mobility challenges. Some of the most commonly asked questions we have enquiries about, are about learning to drive with an upper limb difference.
Sascha Jacob and Joanna Dixon from Cornwall Mobility will be sharing a presentation which will enlighten and inform, covering license application, coding on licenses, assessments, costs and adaptations. They will also be demonstrating various adaptations that can be fitted in a car.
Please do email any questions to reach@reach.org.uk either before, your questions may well get included, on the day during the live Q&A or even after the event
Saturday 13th February 2021 10am
Joanna Allen – Disability Inclusion. For me, its personal.
Joanna, proud mum to 8 year old Daisy and 6 year old James, wife, CEO of graze, and co-chair of enable, Unilever‘s employee network for people with disabilities alongside Nakul Gaur talks with Alastair and shares her story. Discovery of James’s upper limb difference at her 20 week scan started a whistle-stop tour of further testing, screening, a daunting amniocentesis, DNA scans, options being presented. Together, Joanna and her husband confronted the possibility of the darkest of scenarios.
Join Joanna and listen to her journey of how early support gave hope, viewing her pregnancy ‘the opportunity to reflect on my own behaviour and bias’ and on how inclusive Joanne previously viewed herself – as an individual, as a friend, as a marketeer.
Fast forward to 2020 and appearing on Channel 4’s daytime show ‘Steph’s Packed Lunch‘ promoting James’s Mitt prosthetic as part of a pilot for Koalaa what a journey it has been so far!
Email any questions to reach@reach.org.uk
Saturday 20th February 2021 10am
Ruth Lester OBE – Retired Consultant Hand Surgeon, Presentation and Live Q&A’s
A member of The British Society for Surgery of the Hand, Ruth holds the position of honorary consultant plastic surgeon at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Originally trained as a plastic surgeon, Ruth became a consultant as a Burns Surgeon at the Birmingham Accident Hospital, where she discovered a need for hand surgery. Around 1990, Ruth was contacted by the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, requesting that she join them to help with children’s hand conditions. She then went on to negotiate a transfer to The Birmingham Children’s Hospital as she found that she wanted to operate on children at a younger age and therefore needed the facilities of a children’s hospital.
After retiring in 2015, The Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust were of course delighted to hear of Ruth’s OBE award received for her pioneering work in caring for children and young people with hand and upper limb differences
, describing her “constant dedication to improving the care and support for the children and families she looks after” as “an inspiration to us all. Not only is she an expert in her field, but she is a wonderful and humble human being who has put young people at the heart of everything that she’s done.”
A valued member on the Reach Board of Trustees, Ruth was a key speaker at the 2017 Annual Family Weekend and regularly helps advise and supports members. Ruth will be discussing ‘How does a surgeon think?
Many enquiries are made regarding surgery options, now is you chance to ask your question, please email your enquiries to reach@reach.co.uk Questions can be made prior to Ruth’s webinar or during the event, all enquiries will be responded to.
Saturday 27th February 2021 10am
Cornel Hrisca-Munn – Professional drummer, bass guitar player, double bass player
Cornel is a Senior Access Officer – Disability Manager at Cheshire West and Chester Council , a disability and partnership strategy expert, employability professional and Oxford University graduate. Alongside the day job and in his spare time, Cornel is a professional musician, with a number of prestigious performances and an illustrious musical portfolio to his name. An avid fundraiser from the age of 6, Cornel raised thousands of pounds which was recognised when he received the Pride of Britain Child of Courage Award in March 2004.
Cornel is also Founder and Chief Executive of the Cornel Romanian Rehabilitation Centre Trust.
Cornel will be showcasing his musical talents, sharing some life experiences and answering questions with Alastair, please do email reach@reach.co.uk to put your questions forward.
Follow Cornel on Facebook, Instagram and check out his YouTube channel
Saturday 13th March 2021 10am
Orla Duncan – Psychosocial Practitioner. Curious Questions
Returning key speaker from The Reach Annual Family Weekend in 2018, psychosocial practitioner Orla Duncan will be sharing advice on how to cope when answering those ‘trickier’ questions from strangers, friends and family. Other discussion points will include, as a new parent, grandparents, 
toddler and young school age children, residentials, starting high school/secondary school
Orla, who for many years, has worked closely alongside the charity Changing Faces, helps children with a wide range of conditions that can affect appearance. In offering specialised emotional and practical support to children with scars, markings, upper limb difference and other conditions that affect appearance, Orla can help build self-confidence and teach strategies and ways of coping with negative comments.
We are very keen to be led by questions so please do email us any worries, situations that you are unsure how to approach, email to reach@reach.org.uk
Orla will also be available on Saturday 13th March for live Q&A’s
Saturday 20th March 2021 10am
Frank Letch MBE – Disability living Allowance (DLA)
For many years Frank has campaigned for a fair deal on behalf of families and individuals with disabilities. His breadth of knowledge around Disability Living Allowance has been invaluable to many and Frank has represented several cases with families at Disability Appeal Tribunals.
Frank has many, many strings to his bow! A father of 5 and Grandfather of 5, Frank lives a remarkably independent life. He can ride a modified bike, drive an automatic car, and also enjoys sailing. Frank is extremely skilful using his feet completing daily tasks with ease, writing, working on a computer, gardening, playing darts to name but a few. 
In 2015 he received an MBE for services to people with disabilities and to the wider community in Crediton, and for the 12th year Cllr Frank Letch was elected chairman of Crediton Town Council and Mayor of Crediton May 2020.
Later this year Frank will be featured in a film about his life, we will keep you posted!
Frank is a Reach Ambassador and active disability rights campaigner and has a wealth of experience in handling DLA applications, he will be interviewed by Alastair Greener and available for live Q&As, email us at reach@reach.co.uk if their is a particular area you would like Frank to cover.
Date to be Confirmed
Hollie Arnold MBE – British parasport athlete competing in category F46 javelin
Hollie represents Wales in the Commonwealth Games and was the youngest ever field athlete to ever compete in the Paralympics/Olympics, at the age of 14 at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing throwing a personal best. Hollie also threw a personal best in 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, winning a gold medal in the F46 javelin in the 2016 Summer Paralympics at Rio, also throwing a new world record at the same time.
In 2018, she became the first ever Javelin thrower in history to hold all four major titles in the same Paralympic/Olympic 4-year cycle: Rio Paralympics and world record 2016, London World Championships and world record 2017, Berlin European Championships and course record 2018 and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and world record 2018. She also holds four consecutive world titles: 2013 Lyon, 2015 Doha, 2017 London, and 2019 Dubai.
. Hollie was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to field athletics. Facing a new challenge in November 2020, Hollie joined the cast of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out, The Castle
Representing GB in Tokyo at the Paralympic games 2021, join Hollie and hear all about her successes, achievements, training and hopes for the 16th Summer Paralympics, interview with Alastair Greener.
Follow Hollie on Instagram
Please do email any questions to reach@reach.org.uk either before or during the live Q&A
Date to be Confirmed
Anoushé Husain – Disability Advocate. Keep believing the impossible is possible
Reach member, Anoushé is a champion for all those experiencing barriers and self-limiting beliefs. Born missing her right arm below the elbow, living with multiple health conditions, a cancer survivor, a Muslim and coming from an ethnic minority, Anoushé has never let what society or culture thinks she should do limit her or dictate the direction of her life. She is constantly breaking the mould and challenging not only her own beliefs about her own potential but also that of society and her own culture.
Anoushé has become a role model to anyone facing a self-limiting belief or barrier and is sharing her journey to help others unlock their potential. Anoushé candidly talks about her life, how she has remained resilient in the face of huge obstacles and talks about issues that we as a society do not talk about enough.
A civil servant by day, Anoushé is a paraclimber in the UK and an ambassador for both Ehlers-Danlos Support UK and Limbpower. In 2017, Anoushé won the Asian Women of Achievement Award for Sport and the 2017 recipient of the Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration at The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards.
Follow Anoushé on Instagram
Email any questions to reach@reach.org.uk
Date to be Confirmed
Rupinder Kaur – A Parent’s Perspective
Rupinder Kaur is the award winning founder of Asian Women Mean Business, AWMB, a British Asian woman Rupinder has experienced and excelled in both corporate and entrepreneurial environments. With eighteen years experience in the world of human resources, psychology, coaching and mentoring Rupinder is a mother to Daya and Sahib who has an upper limb difference. She understands the challenges that working mothers face but also how becoming a mother can challenge your identity as a woman, your life aspirations and trying to understand who you really are.
Experiencing postnatal depression after giving birth to Sahib in 2017, Rupinder struggled to talk openly at the time. Very few close family members and friends knew, there were feelings of shame, guilt and embarrassment to admit it, but Rupinder managed to shift it by treating the cause and addressing the symptoms.
“PND was something that I had to go through to make sense of many things in my life, my one question constantly through that time was “what are you here to teach me?” And teach me it did.
Compassion. Empathy. Self belief. Boundaries. The power of our thoughts and emotions. Humanity. Love.”
Follow AWMB on Instagram
