Amo Singh Raju is the CEO of Disability Direct, which is a UK-based organization aimed at securing new fundings and grants to individuals with disabilities and is also one of the largest user-led organizations in the East Midlands.
Disability Direct has set up Social Enterprises that not only support individuals in Derby, but in all parts of the United Kingdom, and payroll service is one of them which helps assist individuals from Newcastle to Kent.
Despite the fact that a lot has changed in the organization since its establishment in 1993, Amo Singh Raju has worked towards improving the infrastructures of the organizations with the help of the organization’s members and other volunteers. Their hard work has led them to answer about 100,000 inquiries in the last 25 years. Amo Singh Raju joined the Disability Direct four years after its establishment and took up the role as a CEO.
Singh is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the industry of management consulting. He is also skilled in numerous other sectors including the: nonprofit organization sector, social enterprise sector, business planning sector, coaching and government sector, and strong business development sector.
This week, we had the opportunity to interview Amo Singh Raju as we spoke about his life’s journey of growing up as a first-generation UK Punjabi Sikh with a disability.
Listen to the full audio interview here:
In his latest book titled, “Walk Like a Man: From Limited to Limitless, an Inspiring Story of Overcoming the Odds,” Singh candidly depicts his life’s story of growing up in two worlds. This book has been co-authored by the writer Mani Hayre who played a substantially contributing role in bringing Amo’s story to life through the eyes of the main protagonist.
Due to his disability as the eldest child of his family, Singh’s parents believed that he wouldn’t amount to much in life due to his limited physical ability.
The book, Walk Like a Man, consists of real-life events of Singh’s life, as it navigates the trials and tribulations of individuals with disabilities, which led him to lead a hidden life of depression. As a person of color with a disability, Amo battled societal norms to make a place for himself in this world while overcoming numerous obstacles and assumptions thrown in his directions.
Amo Singh Raju picked up the bricks others threw at him and used them to build a ladder to lift up and empower the members of his community while continually reminding those around him that anything in life is achievable if one is willing to work hard for it.
In our interview with Amo Singh Raju, we speak about him growing up as a person of color with a disability and why there is a need for more POC CEOs, authors, writers, and community leaders.