Inclusive Leadership in Action: Diversity Includes
Disability
Kathy Miller, MSW, Director of Community Services
Guy Caruso, Ph.D., Western Coordinator
November 11, 2014
AUCD Conference, Washington D.C.
Pennsylvania’s University Center for Excellence
in Developmental Disabilities
Education, Research and Service
VISION
A society where all people are valued and
respected, and where all people have the
knowledge, opportunity and power to improve
their lives and the lives of others.
MISSION
The Institute on Disabilities leads by example,
creating connections and promoting networks
within and among communities so that people
with disabilities are recognized as integral to
the fabric of community life.
Inclusive Leadership in Action (ILA)
The vision of the ILA project is that generic
community organizations include qualified
individuals with disabilities as fully participating
members of their decision-making bodies, boards
and committees.
Inclusive Leadership in Action (ILA)
The mission of ILA is to identify, develop and
disseminate evidence-based resources, materials
and techniques on including individuals with
disabilities to decision making bodies of generic
community organizations.
Inclusive Leadership in Action (ILA)
This Project is funded by the Pennsylvania
Developmental Disabilities Council for two years
with the possibility of funding for an additional
two years.
Inclusive Leadership in Action (ILA)
Technical assistance will be provided to selected statewide,
diverse, generic community organizations so that they can
recruit, support and sustain qualified individuals with disabilities
as fully participating members of their decision making bodies,
boards and committees.
ILA Presentation Objectives
• Discuss the design, structure and operations of the ILA
Project’s Advisory Committee and Work Groups as a
working model for successful inclusion of individuals with
disabilities on decision making bodies;
• Share the results of our findings in the literature on the
benefits and challenges of diversity for organizations and
their decision making bodies;
ILA Presentation Objectives
• Share the results of our statewide survey of community
organizations and their views on diversity including the
frequency and willingness to include individuals with
disabilities on their decision-making bodies; and
• Discuss our plans for approaching community
organizations and providing them with the necessary
resources, materials and techniques on including
individuals with disabilities to their decision making
bodies.
ILA Advisory Committee and Work Groups
The Advisory Committee is comprised of
16 individuals from across Pennsylvania
representing:
• Generic Community Leadership
Development Organizations
• Disability Organizations
• Disability Leaders
• Board Members of generic community
organizations
ILA Advisory Committee and Work Groups
50% of ILA Committee members are
individuals experiencing disabilities
ILA Community Partners
Self-Advocates United as
One
Leadership Harrisburg
The Coro Center for Civic
Leadership: Pittsburgh
JT Consulting Services
ILA Advisory Committee and Work Groups
ILA’s Committee and Work Group structure is designed to:
• Model successful diverse decision making; and
• Demonstrate the value of individuals with disabilities
actively participating and serving as leaders on decision
making bodies.
ILA Advisory Committee and Work Groups
• The Advisory Group meets as a whole on a bi-monthly basis
and is charged with meeting the objectives of the Project
through small group work
• The Work Groups meet on an as needed basis and consist of:
 Educational Design Work Group
 Accommodations Work Group
 Research Work Group
 Resource Work Group
Research Findings in the Literature on
Including Individuals with Disabilities on Boards
• It is difficult finding evidence-based research stating why it
would be important/ valuable to have individuals with
disabilities on a board of directors.
• As Konrad, Prasad and Pringle note in their 2006 article “ The
majority of literature on diversity on boards concerned
gender. There were a few evidence sources relating to
ethnicity and there was almost no information on disability.”
Research Findings in the Literature on
Including Individuals with Disabilities on Boards
In a survey of non profit boards from across Canada, conducted
in 2008, we found that the majority of board members were
between thirty and sixty years old, and 44 percent were women.
Almost 28 percent of the organizations indicated that there was
at least one person with a disability on their board, while 22.4
percent of those surveyed had a board member who was openly
lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Only 13 percent of board members were
what in Canada are termed “visible minorities,” or persons of
color. (Bradshaw P., Fredette C., 2012)
Research Findings in the Literature on
Including Individuals with Disabilities on Boards
“ Whilst most academic research tackling board
diversity is focused on women, numerous social
groups (racial/ethnic minorities, disabled people,
homosexuals) remain conspicuously
underrepresented in decision-making in general and
on boards of directors in particular, and this is also a
gap in the literature.” (Stone-Romeo E., Stone D., and
Lukaszewski K., 2006)
Why is Diversity so Important?
“Recognize that diversity brings richness. Diversity
brings new ideas. Diversity brings growth. Diversity
brings dynamism. Diversity brings energy. And lack of
diversity means sameness, dullness, lack of growth.”
Interviewed board member
Why is a Diverse Board a Benefit?
• Diversity for the sake of diversity, even without pointed
constituent representation, can form a base for
innovation and creative thinking.
• A diverse board sends a message and sets a powerful
example for the entire organization. (Bradshaw P.,
Fredette C., 2012)
Why is a Diverse Board a Benefit?
• By understanding the power of diversity and by
utilizing it appropriately, a nonprofit board possesses
the basic tools for creating a responsive and openminded organization.
• More diversity leads to superior financial
performance, better strategic decision making,
increased responsiveness to community and client
stakeholders, and an enhanced ability to attract and
retain top talent. (Bradshaw P., Fredette C., 2012)
The Value of Diversity on Decision Making
Boards
A homogeneous board may not always be
ready to deal effectively with problems
due to an inherent near- sightedness.
Diversity on a board breeds varying
opinions, approaches, attitudes, and
solutions. (Bradshaw P., Fredette C., 2012)
The Value of Diversity on Decision Making
Boards
It requires open-mindedness, curiosity,
acceptance, and responsiveness, which can
ultimately facilitate understanding and willingness
to work together. (Bradshaw P., Fredette C., 2012)
The Value of Diversity on Decision Making
Boards
Boards are often expected to “represent” the
organization’s constituency. This is a way to create
accountability and form a link with the constituents, as
long as representation equals to reflecting the needs of
the stakeholders, not creating political fights between
board members. (Bradshaw P., Fredette C., 2012)
The Value of Diversity on Decision Making
Boards
By focusing on defining board diversity in
terms of skills and aptitude, we can create
a structure for matching organizational
needs with acceptable candidates.
(Bradshaw P., Fredette C., 2012)
The Value of Diversity on Decision Making
Boards
Functional inclusion was found to be positively associated with
overall board effectiveness, cohesion, and commitment, while it
did little for group cohesion and commitment. Social inclusion,
on the other hand, had little direct impact on board
effectiveness, but added significantly to group cohesion and
commitment. (Bradshaw P., Fredette C., 2012)
The Value of Diversity on Decision Making
Boards
There is a need to balance both social and functional inclusion,
or else boards neglect one dimension (social inclusion) in favor
of focusing prominently on the other (functional inclusion).
(Bradshaw P., Fredette C., 2012)
The Value of Diversity on Decision Making
Boards
The cumulative implications of diversity and
inclusion are complex and intertwined, but
largely support our general theme that
functional and social inclusion enhance the
effectiveness and viability of governing
groups, particularly in relation to making the
more diverse groups effective, cohesive, and
committed. (Bradshaw P., Fredette C., 2012)
The Value of Diversity on Decision Making
Boards
The (direct and indirect) patterns of
relationships that we found between
board diversity and board effectiveness
speak to the transformative potential that
lies at the heart of inclusion. (Bradshaw,
Fredette, 2012)
ILA Statewide Board Diversity Survey
• The Research Work Group developed a 14
Question Survey to collect information and
attitudes on Board Diversity including Disability
• Disseminated to Generic Community
Organizations through Survey Monkey
• To date we have 94 respondents representing
35 organizations
ILA Statewide Board Diversity Survey
ILA Statewide Board Diversity Survey
ILA Statewide Board Diversity Survey
What comes to mind when you think of diversity and group decision-making?
N=66
Number of
Respondents
Percentage of
Responses
Inclusion of many perspectives makes for higher quality decisions
25
35.9%
People of all races and genders should be included.
20
31.3%
Diversity is standard for group decision making.
13
20.3%
Response unclear or not relevant to question
7
10.9%
Diversity is not required.
1
1.6%
ILA Statewide Board Diversity Survey
88% of the respondents said that their
organization actively sought to recruit members
with the goal of increasing diversity
ILA Statewide Board Diversity Survey
88% of the respondents said that their
organization actively sought to recruit board
members with the goal of increasing diversity
ILA Statewide Board Diversity Survey
• 100% of board member respondents indicated that
they would consider the inclusion of a qualified
candidate with a disability to serve on their board
of directors or decision making group if they knew
where/how to identify and recruit them.
• 81% of respondents indicated that they would very
likely nominate a highly qualified candidate with a
disability to serve on their decision making group.
ILA Statewide Board Diversity Survey
71% of the Respondents indicated that their community
organization have a nominating committee to select board
members
When asked how does your board usually recruit new members?
N= 64
Number of
Respondents
Percentage of
Responses
Nomination and Recommendation
Informal Networks (Word-of-Mouth)
Other/No Process
Application Process
Volunteers
32
19
6
4
3
50.0%
29.7%
9.4%
6.3%
4.7%
ILA Statewide Board Diversity Survey
39 Board members indicated that they would
be interested in receiving information on
recruiting and supporting a qualified person
with a disability to serve on their decision
making groups/board of directors
ILA Curriculum Design
• The ILA Curriculum will be delivered to board
members of selected interested generic
Community Organizations.
• We will select community organizations in
western and central Pennsylvania, located
near Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.
ILA Curriculum Design
Pilot training will begin in the Spring of 2015
Organizations will be invited to training based
on their:
– Expressed interest in participating, ( identified
through their survey response);
– Their affiliation with our community partners and
members.
ILA Curriculum Design
The intent of the training is to:
provide evidence-based information on the
value of including qualified individuals with
disabilities on an organization’s governance
boards; so that
 board members will learn the intrinsic value
to their organizations of more inclusive boards
in our communities.
ILA Curriculum Design
The ILA curriculum has 5 Learning Objectives
Board Members will:
 1. Understand the theory and evidence behind the
idea that effective inclusion of many different
perspectives leads to better decision making.
Evidence–Based Information
Key Objective to be shared:
A compilation of user friendly evidencebased facts on the benefits of a diverse
board to the organization.
ILA Curriculum Design
Board Members will:
2. Understand the current practices and/or
trends in their community regarding board
diversity specifically related to individuals with
disabilities.
Current Practices and Trends
Some Key Actions include :
Sharing the results of our survey.
Highlighting testimonials/vignettes about current
successful board members who experience a wide
range of disabilities.
ILA Curriculum Design
Board Members will:
3.Know how to and be willing to make
accommodations for people with disabilities
on their boards, committees and work groups.
Accommodations
• Some Key Objectives:
Raise awareness of the individual nature of
accommodations needed for people with
disabilities.
Be willing to make accommodations on their own
boards.
Have information on how to make
accommodations.
ILA Curriculum Design
Board Members will:
4. Know how to locate and access potential
new board members with disabilities in their
area.
Locate and Access Potential Board
Members
Key Actions:
Provide boards with resources on where potential
board members may be found; e.g. disability
organizations and disability leadership development
training program contacts.
Provide technical assistance to community
organizations in the matching process.
ILA Curriculum Design
Board Members will:
5. Know the basic requirements of creating a
group culture that maximizes diversity.
Creating a Group Culture
Key learning Objectives :
Understand how to share knowledge.
Know how to build a culture of close listening.
Know how to promote open communication.
Is able to create well-defined process and goals.
Know how to use tools and process to support equal
participation.
Thank you !!
For further information, please
contact:
Kathy Miller
millerk@temple.edu
215.204.9395
Guy Caruso
guy@temple.edu
724.934.1142
Inclusive leadership in Action
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Inclusive leadership in Action
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Inclusive leadership in Action
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