A Seat at the Table is Not Enough: Creating Accessible Leadership Spaces
One of my greatest sources of professional enjoyment is having the opportunity to be the student instead of the educator. It is a gift to sit among colleagues and friends and listen to new perspectives and insights, especially those grounded in lived experience. I truly believe that my leadership and worldview are most shaped by my commitment to lifelong learning.
Earlier this month, Hannah, Holly, Judi and Travis presented a panel discussion on accessibility in leadership spaces at the Disability Rights NC Conference. As part of their session, they explored how organizations and businesses can create opportunities for people with IDD to lead on boards, advisory committees, and within networking spaces.
As consultants, we were encouraged by the response to this conversation, with the session reaching standing-room-only attendance. It was a meaningful reminder that people are interested not only in the importance of inclusive leadership, but also in learning practical ways to make mutual access possible.
Listening to the presentation, I was struck by each person’s ability to draw from their lived experience not only to highlight the value of inclusion, but also to shape leadership practices that are relevant, impactful, and genuinely welcoming. Having the opportunity to practice and grow their skills through the Ability Leadership Program helped foster a shared culture of leadership. At the same time, each presenter highlighted how their unique perspective, lived experiences, and relationship to disability have shaped who they are within leadership spaces.
As a business owner and program administrator, I began to question how my own lens shapes the leadership spaces I create.
What are the biases I bring to the work?
How do I move beyond my own learning style and work practices to ensure that I am widening the circle for leadership engagement?
How do I meaningfully weave lived experience into the conversations that shape the operations and programming supporting inclusive leadership and development?
And perhaps most importantly, in what ways am I creating spaces that embrace and welcome a diverse, experienced, and representative group of leaders?
If we repeat current practices, we repeat current barriers.
Barriers to Access
In their presentation, our consultants focused on three common barriers:
Structure - the logistics necessary for supporting access to leadership spaces and activities (meeting times, locations, transportation, tech access)
Communication - the ways we express and receive information (jargon, acronyms, simple/plain language, accessible materials and modes of communication during meetings)
Culture - the group norms or dynamics that occur within the context of a leadership space (hidden norms, assumptions, clear or unclear expectations)
While many of these practices can be implemented without significant additional resources, organizations and businesses often rely on long-standing patterns and routines that unintentionally create barriers—not only for people with disabilities, but for everyone involved. For example, if you polled members of a board or advisory committee, many would likely express frustration at receiving an agenda the morning of a meeting. In many cases, what we consider “accessible” practices are also leadership “best” practices that benefit all participants.
Inclusive Design that Strengthens Groups
In response to the barriers noted above, our subject matter experts suggested some ways that businesses and organizations can reflect on their own internal practices:
Ask, don’t assume - Are you including the voice of lived experience in designing leadership spaces rather than assuming what their priorities and preferences are.
Offer a variety of options - Do you provide resources, communications, and materials that can be accessed by everyone in your leadership space?
Be flexible - Are you open to adapting the current culture and practices of your leadership opportunities in order to focus on the access needs of those participating
Crafting access for all - Are you engaging in intentional planning that supports dignity, innovation, and trust among all members?
What Is the Cost of Accessibility?
As the session wrapped up, one participant asked the panel about the financial investment of accessibility, and what it takes to create these kind of leadership spaces. The consultants and I discussed this question over lunch, and the consensus can be summed up in a question - What is the cost of not creating access? Some of our feedback included:
Accessibility is less about a financial investment and more about a cultural investment. More than anything, it is our perspective that shapes how we design our leadership spaces.
When people cannot fully participate, organizations lose valuable insight and leadership that could strengthen programs, services, and culture.
Access should not be viewed as a special accommodation for a few people, but as a way to create environments where all people can contribute effectively.
Over the course of this month, I have continued to reflect on what I learned from my colleagues at Centered Resources. Their insights challenged me to think more intentionally about the ways leadership spaces are created, facilitated, and sustained, and how accessibility must be woven into those discussions from the very beginning.
Our team is looking forward to continuing the conversations that began during this conference presentation. We will soon be opening registration for our four-part series on accessibility practices for civic entities and businesses. Through practical tools, guided reflection, and actionable strategies, we will help teams explore how accessible practices can strengthen engagement, communication, and community connection. Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn to receive the latest updates!
