3.6 Learning from disabled leaders
The social model of disability and the empowerment that comes from it gives many disabled leaders the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the additional life skills and talents that they gain from lived experience in a in a society not designed to include them. Many of the skills needed to successfully navigate life with an impairment are also transferable skills which are beneficial as leaders and CEOs, particularly in civil society. For example, the ability to problem solve, adapt and create new ways of doing things, and managing lots of people are all things that many disabled people have to do on a daily basis which also allow civil society leaders to excel. Currently, the opportunities for non-disabled leaders to learn from disabled leaders and disabled leaders to learn from each other are slim; disabled leaders are rarely asked to talk about innovation, people management or managing governance structures. Instead there is a focus on storytelling and talking about the barriers and solutions to the sector’s and society’s issues around diversity. In the interviews some of the disabled leaders we spoke to felt frustrated that they weren’t given opportunities to talk about financial procedures, fundraising or human resources in the context of being around other CEOs.
[Civil society] perpetuates hierarchy of identity and [as a disabled leader if you are out and/or visible] you are forced to put disability first and put your expertise in a box.
Interestingly, when we asked interviewees to identify current civil society disabled leaders, they identified people based on being visibly present in spaces rather than because that person had done an interesting podcast or written an interesting article. It is essential that if civil society is to achieve its rhetoric around inclusion and diversity that those from diverse backgrounds are given the space to shine and share as leaders rather than being decorative diversity.
Disabled leaders need more allies in the sector, but as allies we should not expect those who are experiencing discrimination and oppression to educate us all the time. There are already resources out there like blogs and podcasts.
Many of those that we talked to saw the value in having a protected space for disabled leaders, and lived experience leaders more broadly, to get peer support from one another and share learning. As stated earlier, organisations like ACEVO and other infrastructure bodies are well placed to facilitate both connections between leaders within the field, and opportunities for intersectional and inter sector learnings.
In addition, ACEVO’s role within the sector positions it well to platform disabled leaders and provide the support many of them are desperately seeking. Working alongside disabled leaders ACEVO has the potential to create connections and promote high quality technical advice.
Finally, through celebrating disabled leaders and the diversity of skills they bring to civil society, ACEVO also has a key role in supporting the career pipelines of the next generation of disabled leaders. Research has identified the importance of relative role models for aspiring leaders; organisations like ACEVO can help to identify and promote these.
If we want more disabled CEOs, young disabled people need to see disabled people in leadership positions.
