"Following a recommendation, we asked Abdi Omar to present a keynote speech at the DfE/BESA LearnED SEND Edition Technology conference in November 2019. We were looking for an opening speaker to give an account of how technology has removed barriers and transformed their life and Abdi did not disappoint. He arrived and after a quick set up he opened up the conference by describing his childhood, about the inspiring people in his life and the challenges he has overcome. Abdi uses a wheelchair and delivered his speech using a communication device which he controls with a dot on his head. His speech was extremely well delivered and positively received by the audience of EdTech professionals at the conference and there were many appreciative comments afterwards. He was able to engage and to entertain effortlessly, describing his personal experiences and how he views challenges in his life. He is truly an inspiration and we would recommend him highly for any other conference or event."

"The event was a huge success and Abdi was fantastic at the end of the day. He did a 20 minute speech, which was really motivating and even set off a few tears in the audience. He then did a short Q&A which the children enjoyed. After the speech, a lot of the students went up to him to have a quick chat and he was happy to stay and talk for a while! Overall, he was amazing. Thank you!"

"Abdi Omar is an engaging and inspirational speaker. He connects effortlessly with a diverse range of people including young children and adults and the professionals supporting them. His talks draw on from personal experience that many of the other professional’s lack and therefore he provides a unique insight. He has given talks in two of the schools I work in and supported me in initial AAC assessments and meetings with families. Having Abdi present encouraged the families to support their children more as well as the service users themselves were further motivated to get to where Abdi has reached independently. He is fun and interested in many fields which makes it easy for anyone feel connected with Abd. I will wholeheartedly recommend Abdi to other schools."

"Abdi Omar came to speak at our special needs primary school in January. He spoke to a group of children with varying needs – cerebral palsy, down syndrome, rett syndrome, autism – about living with a disability and what it means to him. Abdi tailored his speech to suit the needs of the group and the children were all engaged. He made it an active session and invited the children to join in, e.g. to introduce themselves to him or ask him questions. Several of the children were very emotionally affected by Abdi’s visit, in a positive way, as it has made them realise the possibilities of what they could achieve, e.g. be able to control their wheelchair with a head switch like Abdi. Abdi is a very inspirational speaker and the children are still talking about him now, 2 months later. We hope to invite Abdi back to work with them again in the future."

"I have heard Abdi speak on a number of occasions and he is an incredible motivational speaker. He captures a room with his life story of overcoming severe disability to use high technology software and computers to communicate. He has the power to motivate and make people sit up and listen. Abdi also manages to handle challenging and difficult questions from audience members, as he has demonstrated on our 'Ask Me Anything' panel made up of expert communication aid users. Abdi manages all of this whilst using complex communication aid software and a head mouse to control his computer. I would highly recommend Abdi as a speaker. "