Mother Theresa said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” This is what leadership is about to me. No one individual alone can create change that affects our most vulnerable citizens, but together, we can make a difference. This is the spirit that I see at NDRN. It is a team effort and everyone plays a crucial role in the mission at hand. In my internship experience, I get to watch a team of leaders work together toward a goal of supporting the Protection and Advocacy Centers in each state to do the work of advocacy for persons with disabilities. Because I am being mentored by a team of leaders, naturally, I have been given the opportunity to demonstrate leadership myself.
One component of leadership is passion. As the parent of two adult children on the autism spectrum, I am passionate about advocacy for individuals with disabilities. Each member of the NDRN team has their own reasons for working for the cause of social justice for individuals with disabilities. This runs the gamut from those who are born with disabilities to those who are now disabled as a result of going to war on behalf of our country. Some have family members that have dealt with the struggle of disability, and others have experienced it themselves. There is a deep commitment of care given in each and every decision and action that this important team of individuals takes. I have also been given the opportunity to attend meetings, briefings, and hearings that I feel are important to us as an organization. Innovation is an important characteristic of leadership. My team has also given me the opportunity to provide input and write documents that are meaningful to those that we protect and advocate for. They have given me complete freedom in creating fact sheets that will be used to advocate for more funding to better advocate for persons with disabilities. My co-workers display leadership in several ways, one of which is slowing down enough to explain what is unknown to interns. Every moment of the day is valuable to my co-workers and supervisors. They are constantly in coalition meetings, phone conferences, meetings on the hill, research, and interdepartmental meetings. This means that every moment of their day is valuable. Still, as a leader, they take the time to help me, as an intern, to understand things on the hill that come naturally to them because of the amount of their experience. One of my favorite times is our commutes to meetings. This is walking time that I can spend asking questions and listening to their wise education and direction.
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Daphne ThompsonPursuing a Bachelor Degree in Public Services and Policy, Daphne is starting her senior year this fall. Archives
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