Recap of Attending the Disability Leadership Summit by Disability Lead

Earlier this month, I registered for the virtual Disability Leadership Summit by Disability Lead, after seeing that Alycia Anderson and Keely Cat-Wells were two of the speakers, women I already followed on LinkedIn and was excited to learn from.

Today was the last day of the Summit and I'm SO glad I attended!

Some highlights that stuck out:

• "You don't need permission to lead as yourself. What you do need is self trust, self trust to reject the lowered expectations, to define your own trajectory, to lead without shrinking." — Claudia L. Gordon, Esq.
• "Owning who you are isn't a risk, it's a professional superpower and builds cultures where everyone can rise together." — Alycia Anderson
• "Every time I speak up for myself, I'm inevitably clearing a path for the next person." — Chaz Kellem
• "Representation isn't just about who's in the room, it's about who feels safe being seen in the room." — Shannon Fitzpatrick
• "People with disabilities have to unlearn cultural and societal ableism in order to lead." — Leah Katz-Hernandez
• "Society tells us to set realistic expectations and goals, but don't. Dream big." — Keely Cat-Wells
• "The more we feel we belong in an environment, the better we do. Inclusion is what allows belongingness to happen." — Wesley Jackson Wade, LCMHC, LCAS

Although I was born with my rare neuromuscular disorder, I wasn't diagnosed until I was 20, didn't find a disability community until 26, and wasn't open about it until 32.

Now, it feels so special to learn from and connect with others in disability leadership, and be reminded that we're not alone.

10/10 recommend and would absolutely do it again next year. Yay! ✨