Image: Busy streets in Indonesia, navigating barriers and obstacles. Photo credit Fikri Rasyid, Unsplash.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
How people with disabilities can be supported to lead development and change.
- How has leadership of people with disabilities shaped local processes of change and development?
- What individual and broader social factors enable or constrain the ability of people with disabilities to be effective leaders in their communities?
- What interventions support people with disabilities to take on leadership roles or other positions of influence?
WHAT WE EXPECT TO LEARN
What is enabling or constraining the ability of people with disabilities to be effective leaders. Practical guidance on how a variety of local and international actors can support people with disabilities to play an active role in development.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
People with disabilities (PWDs) and the affiliating organisations can be effective principal drivers of inclusive societal change, if they are provided with training and opportunities to exercise genuine (as opposed to tokenistic) leadership. However, people with disability are grossly underrepresented in formal leadership roles, and face a range of structural and individual barriers.
This research aims to generate in-depth understanding of the processes and dynamics of disability leadership in Indonesia and how it contributes to societal change. It will identify factors that support or constrain PWDs from becoming effective leaders. Drawing from the inclusive and community-oriented framework of servant leadership, it will develop evidence-based leadership interventions to empower and develop PWDs into effective leaders.
“We want to look at the lived realities of leaders with disability so we can understand what things support them to lead change in their communities. We want to use our research findings to guide civil society organisations, governments and international donors to better support people with disability to play an active and central role in development.”
Ekawati Liu, Principal Investigator
WHO’S INVOLVED, WHERE
Elisabeth Jackson, La Trobe University
Ekawati Liu, Deakin University
Erin Wilson, Swinburne University of Technology
Sen Sendjaya, Swinburne University of Technology
Yuyun Yuningsih, Bandung Independent Living Centre
Cucu Saidah
Joni Yulianto
Ishak Salim
Robandi
Nur Syarif Ramadhan
Panji Surya Putra Sahetapy
COUNTRY
Indonesia
Map to highlight research country, Indonesia
TIMELINE
December 2020 – June 2022
CHECK OUT THIS PROJECT’S BLOGS, TALKS & MORE
- Leadership in the Shadow of the Pandemic: Researching Spaces of Resilience and Transformation
- Postcard from Flores: Conversations with Indonesian disability activists
- ‘I had to learn to advocate for myself’: In conversation with Indonesian disability activist Nur Syarif Ramadhan
- Joni Yulianto’s podcasts featuring seven disability activists/leaders
- Seminar talk by the researchers on YouTube: ‘Disability leadership in Indonesia’
- Video about disability leadership produced by the team (in Bahasa with English subtitles)
PROJECT NEWS
Elisabeth Jackson and Nur Syarif Ramadhan spoke about their research at La Trobe University’s disability leadership in Indonesia seminar – you can watch the video back here.
Elisabeth Jackson discusses the project and how people with disabilities are leading efforts for change in LaTrobe’s news feature.
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