Jack

Santy
Dale Tampke
UNIV 392
9 June 2015

Paper 1: Learning Outcomes
Being a good leader has always been of great importance of me.. Leadership
has been more than just a skill to put on a resume, but a part of my survival. As a
little person and, more broadly, as a person with disability, it is often expected that
we remain idle to our own oppression and exploitation from the able-bodied
powers that be. This oppression results is the exclusion of people with disabilities
from the community through such devices as institutionalization, denial of
education and refusal to permit participation in core activities of society. In facing
these injustices, a need for great leadership arises. In order to take our bodies and
our voices back and to strive for a more equitable living situation, the disabled
community needs strong leadership and I see myself becoming one of those strong
leaders.
The UNIV 392 course centers on honing leadership skills through practice
within the OL position and for our future. The three learning outcomes that I hope
to achieve over the duration of this summer within the UNIV 392 course all
encompass vulnerability in leadership. They are: 1) Being more open to others, 2)
Being more open to myself and 3) Embracing the things that I cannot change. All
three are important to my role as an OL and as an advocate for disability rights of
my own and my community.
To me, the hardest part of being a leader is showing vulnerability. So often,
vulnerability is perceived as a bad thing, that it is a sign of weakness. But in reality,

vulnerability is a strength and great leaders should have the self-awareness to

recognize this fact.
When a leader demonstrates vulnerability, it brings people together. Being
vulnerable as a leader simply means being willing to let your guard down, put aside
any facades, and be your true self. Recently, I was asked to organize students with
disability around the city for a youth advocacy day put on by the organization
Access Living. However, this task was deeper than simply asking students to come
and participate. The coming out process, as labeled by past disability rights
organizers, is not easy for young people. The process involves accepting ones own
identity as a person with disability and embracing it rather than scorning. This has
been a process that I have only very recently begun and am still working through,
and due to this fact, my recruitment was not as successful as I had hoped. Only a few
people got on board, I was not entirely true to myself in discussions with the
potential organizers because I am still working to become more open about my own
disability. And how can one expect others to be open, if they themselves are not? It
is my hope that the UNIV 392 and Orientation Leader experiences assist me in
becoming a more vulnerable leader so that others can see that that openness and
raw energy are tools rather than hindrances in effective leadership.