In a special in-conversation with Charlie Leadbeater, Al Etmanski will look back on his lifelong activism around disability in Canada, which has been guided by a belief in the ethic of care as a guiding principle. What does this kind of connected leadership demand of us on a human level, and how do we support each other to sustain systems change over the long haul?
Al Etmanski is a community organizer, social entrepreneur, and author. He’s been a parent activist in the disability world since his daughter Liz was born. He led the closure of institutions and segregated schools in British Columbia, and founded Canada’s first Family Support Institute. In 1989 he co-founded Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN) with his wife Vickie Cammack. While at PLAN he lobbied into existence the world’s first Disability Savings Plan. Al is a global Ashoka fellow and a member of John McKnight’s Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) network. He has received many awards for his activism including the Order of Canada and the Big Picture award from his peers in the disability movement.