Caroline Cardus
Artist
What makes a good leader?
A strategic planner with good communication skills, honesty and passion.
I’d say Tony Heaton - he’s able to articulate complex issues in a straightforward way and doesn’t hold with any nonsense!
Is leadership different for disabled people?
Yes. I believe there is a cultural side to shared experience of barriers and experiences of life, and believe a non-disabled person cannot imagine this. A disabled leader who has experienced barriers will be knowledgeable about where they exist.
Do disabled people experience barriers to leadership that non disabled people don’t experience?
Yes.
The idea that a disabled person won’t have the same kind of provable track record, or may have been fast tracked because of impairment, not expertise.
The fear that if a disabled leader has health issues or communicates differently, or looks different, their intellectual ability and consistency may also be impaired.
The possibility that a disabled person is automatically assumed to be an expert on disability – instead of a non-disabled bodied person making the effort to engage with disability issues as well.
