The Reflection of Acceptance by Wilfred Joey Klein (prints available for purchase here to support the Canada FASD Research Network’s Lived Experience Leadership Fund)
Every September, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Month encourages us to learn more about a disability that remains widely misunderstood. Over the years, I’ve learned a great deal about FASD through ABLE2’s work in the community, but I didn’t expect how much it would teach me about leadership.
Like many people, I’ve been conditioned to think that success looks a certain way: people who learn quickly, communicate effectively, adapt easily, and produce results in ways that fit neatly within the systems we’ve built. But after decades of working in the disability sector, and especially alongside our FASD team, I’ve come to realize that success often has less to do with a person’s potential and more to do with whether we’ve created the conditions for them to thrive.
Not everyone learns, communicates, or processes information in the same way. Yet many workplaces, schools, and organizations still operate as though they should. We spend a lot of time asking people to adapt to our systems and far less time asking whether our systems could better support people.
That’s one of the most important leadership lessons FASD has taught me: different people need different approaches. The responsibility isn’t always on the individual to fit the environment. Sometimes it’s on us to create an environment where more people can succeed.
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that not everyone learns, communicates, or processes information in the same way. Yet many workplaces, schools, and organizations still operate as though they should. We spend a lot of time asking people to adapt to the system. We spend much less time asking whether the system could adapt to better support people.
I’ve also learned that clarity is kindness.
People do better when expectations are clear, consistent, and realistic. More often, people struggle because expectations are vague, constantly changing, or based on assumptions that were never communicated in the first place.
FASD has also challenged me to focus on strengths before limitations.
Too often, conversations about disability begin with what a person can’t do. Yet every individual brings talents, perspectives, creativity, and lived experience that deserve to be recognized. Some of the most resourceful problem-solvers I’ve met are people who have spent their lives navigating systems that weren’t designed with them in mind. When we focus only on limitations, we miss the very strengths that could help organizations, teams, and communities grow.
Perhaps the most important lesson, however, is the value of relationships.
At ABLE2, we see every day how people flourish when they feel connected, understood, and supported. Whether it’s a family member, mentor, volunteer, colleague, or ally, success is rarely achieved alone. People are far more likely to grow when someone believes in them before they fully believe in themselves. That same idea actually inspired ABLE2’s rebrand in 2020. The “2” in ABLE2 reflects the power of partnership—the idea that it takes more than one person, one program, or one organization to create meaningful change. Building an inclusive community happens when people come together to ensure that everyone is seen as able, important, and valued.
That, too, has changed how I think about leadership.
Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating the conditions where people can contribute their best, in ways that work for them. It’s about recognizing potential that may not present itself in familiar ways. And it’s about understanding that accommodation is not lowering the bar; it’s removing barriers that may be standing between someone and the opportunity to meet it.
As we recognize FASD Awareness Month, I find myself thinking less about awareness and more about what FASD reveals about people. It reminds us that potential doesn’t always look the way we expect it to. It reminds us that success is not one-size-fits-all. And it reminds us that when we build environments that embrace different ways of thinking, learning, and contributing, everyone benefits.
FASD has reminded me that our role as leaders is not to decide who can succeed. Our role is to create the conditions where success becomes possible.
I’d love to learn from your experience: how do you create space for different people to succeed?
Published by
Experienced Non-Profit Executive Director