Disability and leadership
Disability and leadership
Author
Introduction
There are very few disabled people in positions of leadership within the third sector, particularly outside of disability-related organisations. Recent research commissioned by ACEVO found that many disabled leaders either feel pigeonholed into disability roles or hide their disability for fear of being seen as being a weak leader.
2021 Award
Zara Todd (CF 2016) is a disability rights activist and educator who has spent the years following her Fellowship conducting research on this under-developed area, inspired by her own experience as a disabled person working in the third sector for the past 15 years. Through this research, including the report for ACEVO mentioned above, she has found that many third organisations lack the confidence or resources to realise inclusive practices and that many disabled people would appreciate mentoring and other support to aid career development.
Zara has been awarded one of our Activate grants to develop the framework for a social enterprise that supports disability leadership. Zara will use her funding to create a website to provide supportive materials for disabled people looking to work in the third sector and progress to a leadership position; to facilitate a peer learning space for disabled people in the third sector; to produce training and resources that support organisations to develop disability inclusive practices; and to create the framework for a mentoring programme specifically aimed at disabled people in the third sector. Through this, she hopes to work with organisations and individuals to make disability leadership visible and something to aspire to.
Zara’s Fellowship to Australia and New Zealand explored approaches to disability inclusive leadership.
2021 Award
Zara Todd (CF 2016) is a disability rights activist and educator who has spent the years following her Fellowship conducting research on this under-developed area, inspired by her own experience as a disabled person working in the third sector for the past 15 years. Through this research, including the report for ACEVO mentioned above, she has found that many third organisations lack the confidence or resources to realise inclusive practices and that many disabled people would appreciate mentoring and other support to aid career development.
Zara has been awarded one of our Activate grants to develop the framework for a social enterprise that supports disability leadership. Zara will use her funding to create a website to provide supportive materials for disabled people looking to work in the third sector and progress to a leadership position; to facilitate a peer learning space for disabled people in the third sector; to produce training and resources that support organisations to develop disability inclusive practices; and to create the framework for a mentoring programme specifically aimed at disabled people in the third sector. Through this, she hopes to work with organisations and individuals to make disability leadership visible and something to aspire to.
Zara’s Fellowship to Australia and New Zealand explored approaches to disability inclusive leadership.