Madeleine Little's leadership journey: Auslan lessons, mentorship and professional development

I am so grateful for the National Leadership Award and the opportunities it has already afforded me.

Since January, I have been taking weekly Auslan lessons with Green Door Auslan. I am thankful that we were able to switch to lessons over Zoom, so this has been my one consistent activity so far this year. I am looking forward to continuing and am happy to see how my communication skills have increased and will continue to do so.

Thanks to the National Leadership Award, I was able to purchase a new iPad, Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil. These tools have been instrumental in my professional practice already, as I’m able to take notes and attend meetings without lugging around different notebooks and files; it’s all in one easy-to-carry bundle. I appreciate the ability to convert my handwritten notes into notes on the iPad, and through Google Docs and Pages, I am able to update documents wherever I am. COVID-19 meant that many activities are now on Zoom, and I am thankful that the portability of the iPad allows me to participate wherever is most accessible and comfortable for me.

I have completed the Governance short course with Disability Leadership Institute (DLI) and have just started the Represent course. I was due to complete a leadership short course with a local university in May, but that course has been postponed to later this year. I am waiting for further information on the rescheduled date. The Governance DLI short course helped solidify my pre-existing understanding of board responsibilities and basic governance for organisations. It also helped provide context for organisational structures that aren’t specifically arts-focused. This has proven useful in my participation in the Undercover Artist Festival Steering Committee and in my professional practice planning.

And of course, I cannot go without mentioning the wonderful Caroline Bowditch, whose mentoring has already made a significant impact on my professional practice and personal growth. Caroline’s wisdom and validation have strengthened me and challenged me already in just a few catch-ups to date. I am very much looking forward to the rest of our time in this mentorship as I know there is so much more to come.

As my Master of Arts (Creative Arts) has now been approved, I am looking to the next stage of my career post-graduation. I’ve already been applying for various positions and opportunities. I am also strengthening my independent access consultancy and awareness training resources during my ‘downtime’.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the NLA program activities and seeing where I land. I am so grateful to Arts Access Australia for this career-invigorating program.