One of the landmark strategies to build sustained leadership within the disability community is the Common Vision Workshop. Participants explore an historical reflection of disability issues and movements from ancient to modern times. They learn what a leader is and is not. They identify their own skills and the skills needed to work on human and civil rights issues. They work on a shared vision of the society they want to create and identify what they will address in the community and the workplace that will help create this vision.
Participants give the workshop high marks.
The four-day workshop process plus the many opportunities to practice the lessons learned allow for a deeper leadership training experience. Building leaders to create change takes time. The ACT Board and staff get high marks for making the necessary organizational changes that will utilize the strengths of each person and for developing leadership training models for persons with disabilities that lead to successful social action.