Page 78 - SEN116 January-February 2022

Leadership
Honouring the
diversity of leadership
Joanna Grace describes how being acknowledged as a leader can open the door for many others to follow.
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In common with many of the people who have been awarded a place on the Dimensions’ Leaders’ List I have never really considered myself a leader. I work for myself and as an autistic person I have always struggled with being a part
of a team, a part of a group. Most of my days are spent on my own on my laptop, working at my standing desk. I think of leadership like ‘follow-my-leader’, with a leader at the front of a line and the followers following on behind. The only possible things behind me are the cat and the dog, both of whom would be very surprised to set foot on my treadmill and follow after me. Who could I possibly be leading?
But I was, of course, honoured to have been recognised in Dimensions Leaders’ List 2019, with this year’s winners soon to be announced.
My first experience of the Leaders’ List was being awarded a place for Advocacy, Media and Policy, in recognition of my contribution to the creation of the Core and Essential Service Standards for Supporting People with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities. The Standards are an advocacy document, a tool for those of us who are seeking to raise the bar with regards to what best practice care provision looks like for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
“Always struggled with being a part of a team”
Since setting up The Sensory Projects nearly a decade ago I have had some amazing opportunities. I’ve done a TEDx talk, and had eight books published. I have got to work with some of my heroes, I’ve met Olympians, Paralympians and even a couple of celebrities here and there. I’ve presented at conferences globally. And the projects themselves have far exceeded the wildest dreams I had for them starting out. Against all of this The Core and Essential Service Standards for Supporting People with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities, though they might not sound very exciting, are easily the best thing I have been a part of. I was thrilled that the Leaders’ List recognised the value in their creation. You can download them for free from TheSensoryProjects.co.uk/ resources/PMLD-service-standards.
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