By Kylie Knott

Copyright scmp

Isaac Harvey’s passion for adrenaline-fuelled adventure started in 2015 when the Briton completed his first skydive. But his biggest challenge was not jumping out of a plane at 14,000ft (4,267 metres). It was the events leading up to it.
Airfields across Britain told Harvey that skydiving was not possible because of his disability: he was born with limb/pelvis hypoplasia/aplasia (LPHA) syndrome. This rare genetic condition resulted in his being born with no arms, short legs, a weak pelvis and scoliosis – curvature of the spine.
“Skydiving harnesses didn’t exist that could meet my needs, and after months of rejection, I almost gave up,” says Harvey.
But quitting is not in his nature, so he found an airfield in the United States that had the right equipment.
“I was nervous, but by the time I was falling through the sky, the fear had been replaced by the determination to carry it through.”
The real reward was not the skydive but knowing that his persistence had turned “no” into “yes”, says Harvey, who has since added skiing and sailing in a tall ship to his list of adventures.

It is the sort of determination that fuels Harvey’s role as one of Britain’s leading disability advocates and sees the 30-year-old champion accessibility, mental health and the message that disability should never limit ambition. It has not limited him.
He has an MBE, awarded by the British monarchy for significant service to the community, and is president of Wheels and Wheelchairs, a sports club that takes roller skaters and wheelchair users on outdoor adventures. He also creates YouTube videos. In 2017, he was named London’s best young vlogger.
In 2012, he carried the torch at the London Olympics, and in 2022, he modelled at London Fashion Week.
Then there are his film roles. He starred in 2024’s Fight to Fly, a documentary about the challenges of inaccessible air travel, and this year’s Fighters, which examines the barriers to sports participation for people with disabilities.

On November 2, Harvey will speak at a gala dinner hosted by the Sensational Foundation, a Hong Kong non-profit organisation that creates opportunities for people with disabilities by raising awareness of inclusive employment.
Taking place at the Kerry Hotel in Kowloon, the event – with the theme “Inspiring Hearts Through Arts” – focuses on ability not disability, and celebrates inclusion, creativity and connection, says Faride Shroff, founder of the Sensational Foundation.
“The evening will feature performances by artists of all abilities, showing first-hand that talent is universal,” says Shroff, who has worked as a special-needs educator for more than 30 years.
Funds raised are critical. “They allow us to provide job coaching for individuals who would otherwise be overlooked. Every dollar is an investment in unlocking human potential and building a stronger, more inclusive economy for Hong Kong.”

The charity leads by example. “We are proud to have a wheelchair user as a valued member of our team, whose insights inform and improve our initiatives,” Shroff says.
“We also strive to foster a psychologically safe environment where staff and volunteers feel comfortable disclosing non-visible disabilities, such as those concerning mental health, neurodiversity or chronic illness, so we can provide the understanding and accommodations they need to succeed.”
The public’s role in helping make a society more inclusive is vital, says Shroff. Inclusion, she adds, happens in communities, not just corporations. And communication is key.
“Advocacy starts with a conversation. Simply sharing our content or talking about these issues over dinner helps normalise the conversation.
“Spend your money at companies that value inclusion and let them, and their competitors, know why.”

Shattering misconceptions is also a key mission of the charity.
“The most persistent and damaging myth I confront is the idea that hiring someone with different abilities is an act of charity,” Shroff says.
Nothing could be further from the truth, she adds.
“It is a strategic business decision. These individuals often possess exceptional problem-solving skills, remarkable loyalty and unique perspectives that drive innovation.”
In 2020, about 7.1 per cent of Hong Kong’s population, or 534,200 people, had disabilities.
And while the city has rehabilitation services and policies to promote inclusion, many people with disabilities still face misconceptions and accessibility barriers.
In November last year, two incidents shone a spotlight on the issue, both of which saw wheelchair users denied entry into restaurants – one of them was a Paralympian.

Shroff wants Hong Kong to evolve into a place where inclusion is seen not as a box to tick, but as a core business strategy and moral imperative.
“This requires deeper commitment from top leadership; the C-suite must embed this into their company’s DNA, not just delegate it to HR,” she says.
A hurdle to better understanding, adds Harvey, is that disability has long been framed as something negative.
“Historically it’s been tied to medicine, hospitals and images of limitation, so it’s not surprising that society still carries that perception,” he says.
“When disability is shown in a positive light, it’s often through the lens of Paralympians, without necessarily showing the real hard work, barriers and daily realities behind those achievements.”

A disability, he says, can happen to anyone, at any time, whether through age, illness or accident. Better accessibility benefits everyone: ramps, automatic doors and bigger spaces, for example, also make life easier for parents with buggies, delivery drivers and people carrying heavy bags.
“Why wouldn’t we want to future-proof the world in ways that help all of us?” he says.
“Every day I could choose to be angry. The lift not working at a station, meaning I have to reroute just to get above ground. Fighting a broken system that doesn’t understand my basic needs. Convincing an airline, yet again, that my wheelchair can go on this type of aircraft because it has many times before.”
Harvey admits that moments like these once bothered him. Then he had a seismic shift in focus triggered by an unlikely source: the 2014 sci-fi film, Lucy.
In the film, the protagonist, played by US actress Scarlett Johansson, gains superhuman powers after accidentally ingesting an experimental drug, allowing her to harness 100 per cent of her brain capacity.
Videos on the Law of Attraction by Bob Proctor, a Canadian self-help author and entrepreneur best known for his 1984 book, You Were Born Rich, also helped reshape his mindset.
All of a sudden, life started to make sense.
“The way we think, feel and speak shapes the reality we experience,” he says.
“When I was stuck in negativity, everything around me was turning to that reality, but when I was calm, life had a way of feeling calmer too.”

Harvey, whose parents took him in as a foster child when he was two weeks old before adopting him at the age of five, has been vocal about Britain’s care system. He says it often reduces people to “tick boxes” instead of recognising them as individuals.
“I’ve sat in meetings with authorities who can clearly see my circumstances … I have a physical disability where I don’t have any upper limbs, my mother is older and is not capable of helping me as much as she used to, my brother isn’t always available meaning life can be restricting at times, but because the form says I have ‘support’ that becomes a reason not to provide more.
“It makes you wonder, how did we get to this point?
“I’ve carried the Olympic torch, received an MBE from King Charles and been featured in Vogue, but those achievements haven’t erased the fact that conversations about care, access or opportunity are still tough when I know what I’m capable of.”
Even harder, he says, “is the way the system seems to punish you for sharing what you can do, and rewards you for focusing on what you can’t. That takes a huge emotional toll.”
For a long time, Harvey’s mental health struggles were not about everyday frustrations, but about comparisons.
“I looked at other people who seemed ‘successful’ and wondered why my life didn’t look like theirs,” he says. Mental health, he discovered, was not something to be fully understood but a continuous journey.
The people around him have helped.
“None of what I’ve achieved would have been possible without friends and family stepping in,” he says.
“From simple moments such as someone giving me a sandwich when I’m hungry, to big ones, like putting me into a sit ski so I could fly down the mountains of Colorado, their support has shaped everything I’ve done.”
His advice for young people with disabilities is to consider that building a career and finding your voice is not a straight path but a roller coaster. There will be days when you want to give up.
“I’ve had those days, and I will probably have many more, but what keeps me going is knowing that I’m not alone,” he says.
“Obstacles will come, but so will the right people – and with them, you can go further than you ever imagined.”
Sensational Foundation – Gala Dinner 2025: Inspiring Hearts Through Arts, November 2, 6pm-10pm, Kerry Hotel, 38 Hung Luen Rd, Hung Hom. For details visit sensationalhk.org
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