Who Decides What's Possible?

Who gets to decide what’s possible?
 
Today – people in positions of power, leaders, teachers, and parents like you determine who gets the opportunity, time investment, and support to help realize their full potential. While some people will “make their own path,” most individuals do not achieve success alone.  Someone accepts a student into a college program; a manager gives the promotion or selects a new hire for an open role.  So that takes us back to the question of who gets to decide what’s possible. As leaders, we can promote and support our people or hold them back. Yet, who are we to judge and determine any human’s potential.
 
When we think about neurodiversity and disability inclusion – we understand that moving forward is an exchange between marginalized individuals and those in power to improve outcomes and equalize access, opportunities, and products. How quickly we forget that this principle can (and should) apply in all domains of human existence.
 
What would happen if you asked your child or employees what they wanted to do and what they aspired toward, and then you supported those goals without judgment or bias on abilities?

Every time I see a disabled person’s success story, I think about their achievement (because they earned their success) and the people who supported them, those who provided opportunities to help another realize their full potential.
 
If we want to celebrate human diversity, we need to open the doors to opportunity. The gatekeepers should not judge what is possible or who has potential but rather gauge the individual’s desire to try, learn, and build the skills needed to succeed.
 
This leads me to a personal point of pride that highlights the power of potential and what can result when others support possibility and provide opportunity.  My oldest son, who is autistic, started taking college classes at the University of Akron this past fall at the age of 14. My youngest son, 12, with ADHD, will join his brother at the University of Akron later this year.
 
Their accomplishment was possible because our boys didn’t fit the typical development path of children. My husband and I knew they wouldn’t have thrived if we tried to force an education cadence and system not designed to meet their needs. They were delayed in physical and social developmental milestones yet years ahead in academic areas. Both were reading and typing on the computer by the age of 2. Due to their asynchronous development, we followed our children’s interests and capabilities. We didn’t (and couldn’t) follow the typical path. So, we chose to take an alternative approach to education.
 
I developed customized learning programs for my sons, and my husband oversaw their education at home. Over the years, we sought others willing to provide our boys the opportunity to realize their full potential. Thank you to the Ohio Department of Education and colleges like the University of Akron for making higher education accessible early to children like mine. Whether it is education, a personal achievement, or a dream job, our story highlights that people can realize their full potential when supported and given a chance.
 
So, who should get to decide what’s possible? I think you now know the answer lies with the individual seeking opportunity. Open the door to possibility, and you will be amazed at what can be achieved!
 
#BeTheChange #BetterTogether #BelieveInPossibility #AustismAwareness #Diversity-Inclusion #Neurodiversity #Leadership #Opportunity #Autism