Inspiring Scotland and the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) teamed up to create a leadership course for people with learning disabilities. It is called Our Future Leaders.
The course was designed to help people with learning disabilities develop the skills and tools to make the choices that are going to help them live healthier, happier and more fulfilled lives.
This is what the course covered:
You can read more about the course in the documents below:
Since the course began in 2020, 52 people have graduated and used the learning gained to further their leadership journey is a range of different ways:
-Breige took on a mentor role at Neighborhood Networks where she began supporting new members to use public transport.
-Aileen-Marie became the leader of the ‘Green Youth’ project – an allotment project for young adults with additional support needs; to learn about gardening, the journey from seed to plate, and to improve their wellbeing.
-Other graduates continue to support Our Future Leaders as Sponsors for participants going through the programme, by joining the evaluation or development group, or returning as a guest speaker to share their leadership journey.
Watch this video and see the difference that the course has made to some of the recent graduates.
A key part of the OFL programme is giving space to think about their own aspirations and what being a leader will look like for them and they develop their own vision statement.
Here’s what some of the graduates from the Class of ’24 had to say:
Derek says:
“I am passionate about getting things for disabled people done. If someone comes to me and wants me to help, then I can help and speak to the appropriate person.”
“I am also wanting to help people to know about health checks and encourage people to get the right diagnosis.”
“I am also passionate about making sure doctors are diagnosing people with the right disabilities and diagnosis.”
“Just because you are disabled don’t be afraid to chase your dreams. Go out and show the world you’re a fighter, fight for a job and fight for your rights. A disability won’t stop me, and I have a voice and I will let it be heard.”
Kris said:
“My hope for the future is that I can get a permanent job, free from benefits, which involves travelling so I can meet people from other countries. I’ve got my passport ready!”
The course includes a session on social media, during which students collaborated with Third Sector Lab to create this animation.
Watch this short video to hear what the graduates enjoyed about the course and to understand the impact of the programme.
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