Testimonials ❤️ (What others say)

Extensive work on her blog www.maleekaabbas.com to promote awareness around being a visually impaired teen. Taken part in documentaries, public speaking events, newspaper and magazine articles in UK. Recently won competition to represent London zoo out of 5000 applicants for David Attenborough premier. At first her application was rejected due to being under 16 however she managed to get selected after explaining her reasons why they were missing out on a young market and how it would be positive move for her to be considered. She was one of 2 to win the competition in the end. She has been actively involved in redevelopment of local town centre to help make accessible to people with physical challenges. Been interviewed on BBc Radio to share her experiences and work recognised

She is really intelligent and very positive about everything

Maleeka is an amazing teenager and an inspiration to us all.

Seriously? A bright blooming young woman trying to change attitudes of society by following her dreams, hobbies and passions is no doubt commendable. Well done Maleeka. Keep striving

Maleeka\'s character is inspiring and her outlook on life is a breath of fresh air in the increasingly negative environment us normal people live in

I believe Maleeka will make a difference in the world. She is outspoken and is able to think \'outside the box Her creativity, ingenuity and ability to verbalize her thought will make her an ideal ambassador. I have the feeling that this will just be the start of her contribution to our society.

Maleeka has been an inspiration and had a huge impact through her participation in our Nicholsons Community Planning process to redevelop a key part of Maidenhead town centre as a young person and as a visually impaired person. She has participated in workshops presenting back hers and her groups ideas and the needs of young and visually impaired people. She has also taken our design team through the experiences of people with various levels of visual impairment. She is tireless, confident and driven and is an important force in changing people’s perception of disability and ensuring the built environment is designed for full accessibility. As a partially sighted from birth person myself who doesn\'t consider myself as disabled, rather I am differently abled, I salute Maleeka’s work and energy and fully endorse her nomination - what an amazing young person she is

She\\\'s an inspiration!

I am very impressed with Maleeka’s wisdom for such a young girl. She very well deserves to be The Impact Award Winner! Not only for herself but for others who have similar challenges in their lives. God has truly blessed her with a gift and the world needs to know it.

Maleeka is an inspiration!

She is extraordinary.

I know Maleeka’s bravery and passion was fostered by her mother, whom I’ve known for years. I’ve watched Maleeka blossom from a shy little girl into a force for good. She’s a great role model for kids and adults alike.

She is a fantastic role model and spokes person with great ideas

Vision is an immense privildge and not appreciated by the majority of us.Maleeka is a lesson for us all on how we percieve disadvantaged members of our sad selfish society. For me as a so called healthy adult she is an inspiration.Therefore surely to all others in simular circumtances to herself she will touch them, reach out,inspire them and to others like myself feel humble. At this present time in the history of mankind when Nature is reminding us we are not in control of our destany. Many people will draw energy from Mallka

 I have looked at the work she has been doing for the people who are facing difficulties and she is a real motivator to all the young children who otherwise would have face difficult times. I am happy to see that got recognition from so many sources including Ex-PM Theresa May. I would like to nominate her for the award.

Inspiring spirit and realisation of own gifts and capacity for creative change and commitment to help make others\' to equally realise theirs.

 Maleeka wants to change the world for the better and stop people calling others disabled instead they are VIP's

 I think that she should definitely be nominated! ~Erin Delaney :)

 She is a very inspiring and a great role model for all those with special needs, that our visually impaired or want to just aspire to something in life. She is a good friend and has come so far and has not let anything get in her way. Well done 

 Wonderful example of and for humanity -for showing that any and all challenges are surmountable

Such a great role model for young children to really explore and make a difference in the world. Demonstrates that with passion and determination, there truly is not any challenge we can overcome.knows and gets excited about it.

Maleeka seems like a very inspirational person for teenagers. She has not let her sight get the better of her. I wish her all the best.

 Maleeka is a great role model to society and deserves this award as she has showed how unique people can also be treated as normal in society even if they are different to others. Maleeka has created awareness and gained confidence within her peer group. I she hope continues to be this role model creating the awareness needed!

For her positive attiutde, along with her determination.

 Positive attitude

Maleeka is a fantastic young lady, with spirit, drive and courage. Maleeka is using her physical challenge for the good of the world and others and for that she deserves to win

Maleeka is an extraordinary human being with a heart of gold, but don\'t be fooled, her heart is also courageous, brave and tenacious, meaning she is willing to take on any challenge. My experience of Maleeka has been seeing her tackle sport and physical activity (the organisation where I\'m based specialises in this), meaning I have seen up close her impecible attitude and resilience in action. In particular, we have worked closely with her as she learnt Archery last year, and showed a taste for a challenge by completing a beginners course at the club. There is no doubt that whatever Maleeka puts her mind to in the future, the outcome will be golden, and for that reason, she has my vote.

I've been virtually impaired since I was 25 & it took some litttle while before I could respond to my sight loss. I've met Maleeka, read her work & I think her energy & verve is inspiring. I have met numerous other VI young people & many of them need a dose of Maleeka energy & optimism

 I met Maleeka at a Community Planning Weekend I was involved in with JTP (architects) last year (2019). She turned up at the participatory, co-design event for the Nicholson Shopping Centre in Maidenhead, and made a memorable impact on us all. I was personally very impressed with her maturity, her resilience, the way she was keen to participate in the public event and be honest and open about her condition. She articulated so clearly the problems a visually impaired person experiences as they walk around a town. This first hand knowledge is extremely useful for urban designers and Maleeka had the intelligence and confidence to explain it to the team. It was difficult to believe she was only 13. We have kept in touch, through WhatsApp conversations with her mother, and I have always been interested to hear what she is doing. I continue to be impressed by her initiatives, how she seems to ignore the inconvenience of her visual impairment and live a normal life, being creative, thinking of new ideas, books she could write, challenges she is determined to overcome. I have enjoyed looking at her videos and her website Meeks Speeks is truly inspirational. I am nominating  

Maleeka because she is already a role model for other people who may be equally challenged in life (through visual impairment or other issues), and the more people who get to know about her, and her experience, the better. Winning this award would provide the opportunity for more people to benefit from Maleeka\'s positive attitude to life, to be inspired by her ideas, to learn from what she has learned, to try out what she has tried out, to conquer the challenges that can intimidate us all. And live a fulfilling life, despite the potential pitfalls of \'being different\'.

Her personality leaps off the page. She's bubbly, entertaining but , more importantly , totally bereft of self pity, she smashes the stereotype of visual impairment.,. She almost makes being a VIP something positive; a springboard for all she can do to motivate, inspire and be a force for good..ironically she has the ability to light up the room through her writing, talks and deeds. She most definitely has my vote .

Maleeka had worked very hard to get where she is.She is kind considerate and an amazing role model for others.

Maleeka is an exceptional young woman with vast creative energy and a personal mission to encourage others with physical challenges to dare to speak out and share their genius in an unsympathetic world. She visited our project to restore Alexander Pope\'s Grotto and to make the poet known to a wider audiences. Her unique take on him and her understanding of the challenges he overcame will be an inspiration to a wholly new and younger audience.

A strong young lady who has faced difficulties but continues to move forward while advocating for others, while highlighting important issues for those with visual impairments

A very motivated and intelligent young person who has overcome obstacles (and continues to do so) - showing the world that all are equal

Her work and effort is incredibly important. She is really outstanding and brilliant girl and also she is a role model for all other people especially who are in special needs.

She is a wonderful person who has done a lot for the visually impaired community. Her contribution to create awareness is helping the community to understand more about blind and partially sighted people.

Maleeka is a young girl who despite her challenges in life has the drive and tenacity to achieve things she is passionate about and for caring about others. Maleeka is a positively inspiring girl who deserves to win to add to her achievements they she had already accomplished in her life. Good luck Maleeka from the Stannard family