Building Inclusive Leadership, One Disability Awareness Training at a Time

At Advocacy WA, we believe inclusion starts with lived experience. Our Disability Awareness Training for Leaders is designed and delivered by people with disability, ensuring every session is grounded in real stories, genuine insight, and practical tools for change. The program moves beyond awareness to action helping leaders create workplaces where every person can participate fully and thrive.

Recently, our CEO Stuart Schonell, a person who uses a wheelchair and a passionate advocate for accessibility and inclusion, delivered this training to a group of local leaders. His lived experience set the tone for open, honest discussions about what inclusion truly means, not as a checklist, but as a culture that values people for who they are and what they bring.

The training blends experiential learning, reflective discussion, and practical leadership strategies. Participants step into different perspectives through hands-on activities such as navigating with wheelchairs and vision-impairment goggles, wearing empathy suits, or experiencing sensory overload scenarios. These powerful exercises build understanding and empathy before diving into structured conversations about leadership behaviours and organisational change.

Throughout the session, leaders explore:

• Inclusive Language and Communication — learning respectful terminology, how to ask about communication preferences (person-first or identity-first language), and how to confidently engage with people with disability without fear of saying the “wrong thing.”
• Recognising and Challenging Ableism — understanding how ableism shows up in everyday decisions, systems, and culture, and learning strategies to identify and address it within leadership, recruitment, and service delivery.
• Unconscious Bias and Decision-Making — reflecting on how assumptions and expectations can influence who gets opportunities, promotions, and recognition — and how to make fairer, more informed choices.
• Accessibility and Adjustments — identifying physical, sensory, and communication barriers within the workplace, and learning how to make quick, meaningful adjustments that improve access for employees and customers.
• Inclusive Recruitment and Retention — exploring practical ways to attract, support, and retain talented people with disability by building confidence in flexible practices and inclusive onboarding.
• Creating a Culture of Belonging — recognising that disability inclusion is not only about compliance, but about leadership values — fostering respect, psychological safety, and shared responsibility across teams.

Each session is tailored to the needs of the organisation. Whether your team is new to disability awareness or ready to build on an existing inclusion strategy, our facilitators customise the content to make it relevant, engaging, and action-focused.

Because the training is designed and delivered by people with lived experience of disability, the impact runs deeper than theory, it builds empathy, confidence, and genuine connection. Participants leave with practical tools they can apply immediately, from accessible communication habits to inclusive leadership watchpoints for meetings, hiring, and decision-making.

When leaders understand disability and model inclusive behaviour, it transforms the way organisations operate. It improves staff confidence, strengthens culture, and opens the door for innovation and diverse thinking. Most importantly, it sends a clear message: inclusion isn’t an add-on, it’s how great leadership is done.

If your organisation is ready to move from awareness to action, Advocacy WA’s Disability Awareness Training for Leaders can help. Together, we can build a future where accessibility and inclusion are not the exception, but the standard.

To enquire or book a session, contact our team at admin@advocacaywa.org.au

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