A viral north west Belfast TikToker has revealed how her disability enabled her to become a voice for change.
India Sasha was born with a rare congenital hand defect called Symbrachydactyly which causes short or missing fingers on the hand.
However, rather than letting her condition hold her back she has used it to help establish herself as one of Northern Ireland’s most popular TikTokers.
In 2020 she decided to start posting on the video sharing platform as a way of “staying connected to the world” during the pandemic. Now she has amassed more than 550K followers and 35.4 million likes on the app.
“Whenever I first started posting I wasn’t doing it with any sort of intention of it going anywhere.
“I think the first video I ever posted was of me making a Rustlers burger but vamping it up with some extra sauce and cheese,” India said.
However, she explained that it wasn’t until she was tying her hair up in ponytail at work one day that she realised she could use TikTok to “change the narrative around people with disabilities.”
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“All my colleagues were staring at me in amazement, and I hadn’t even thought about it.
“And before that I’d never considered making content about my hand but that made realise that there were probably thousands of people out there who didn’t know or realise that I do lots of things that they maybe didn’t think I could.”
Although India admitted that in the beginning, she had reservations about making content which focuses on her hand she said the response over the last four years has been “overwhelmingly positive.”
“I always thought if I ever did anything to do with my hand people would just go straight to making fun of me especially on social media where they have access to anonymous accounts.
“But there were so many people wanting more - either because they found it interesting, or they knew someone or they themselves had a disability.
“They were eager to see someone like them online, so I just kept at it from there.
“Since then, I’ve just been looking for more ways to make my content more accessible to more people, start more conversations about disability, get more visibility, give more advice and be more valuable to people.”
In addition to establishing herself as a dedicated disability activist India is also known for her lifestyle and fashion content as well as her sense of humour.
Describing herself as the ‘CEO of One Hand Humour’ on TikTok she says comedy has always been her coping mechanism.
“A lot of people who are different develop a coping mechanism and mine has always been making people laugh and joking about things,” she explained.
“It all comes from my daddy, he is the joker of the house – he’s always cracking jokes and it was really good to have that sense of humour instilled in me from such a young age.
“Even growing up when people would make fun of me or make passing comments about my hand – being able to laugh about it was my way of managing it.
“So comedy has always been a massive part of who I am and it kind of naturally developed into my content which I’ve just loved because if people are laughing with me instead of at me it generates conversations and in a really positive way.”
In relation to her content India said her main aim is to “encourage people to ask questions”.
“I think a lot of people are scared of offending somebody, but I openly try and encourage people to ask and I do it in a really light hearted way.
“One of my most popular videos is this one where I go round playing rock, paper, scissors in a bar and the whole point of that was to bring a little bit of fun and light to somebody’s For You Page.
“Like all the more serious stuff I talk about usually has some form of laughter integrated into it which I think hopefully helps people engage and understand it more.”
India’s determination and light-hearted approach has clearly paid off as earlier this year she was a finalist in the first-ever TikTok Awards in the UK and Ireland.
Nominated for the Voice for Change award the category recognises creators who are ready for change and stand against outdated social constructs.
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“None of the other social media awards I’ve been to have ever had a category like that, usually if I’m lucky enough to be nominated for something it’s usually for lifestyle or beauty,” she said.
“But this time I was nominated for something that I think really summaries what the purpose behind everything I’m posting is for.
“Honestly to be in the category already felt like a win because I was being recognised for doing something with my platform.”
India hopes to continue using her platform to find new ways of campaigning for “better visibility of disability”.
“I would love to do more TV and radio.
“Visibility is everything and although we’re getting better, we’re still nowhere near being inclusive.
“So I would love to have the opportunity to be more involved not only in hosting TV shows and being a guest but also creating something that I know would be both fun and inclusive which is what I think we need in society at the minute.”
