Q & A with the BAT Team

Below are 5 short Q&A that we gathered from our team.

Q1: What does inclusive leadership mean to you in one word?
A:
  • Empowering
  • Flexible
  • Communications
  • Willingness
Q2: When did you last feel truly included in a team or group? What made the difference? (This can be any group or team, not just at work)
A:
  • I work to create an inclusive team at work, and as such, it helps me to feel included as well.  Lived experience comes in many forms, and being kind to others allows them to be kind to me.
  • A leader who cares.
  • At pétanque, my hobby, due to everyone making the effort to show up and be a team.
  • I feel included in the research projects I’m part of. Feeling seen, heard, and like my contributions are valued.
Q3: What are some barriers to inclusion that leaders overlook?
A:
  • Making assumptions, not discussing my needs with me. Not empowering me to work at my best.
  • Change from traditional work environment where everyone is working at the same time in the same place.
  • Not being accepting of or practicing cultural inclusion, creating a barrier from the top down.
  • I think some barriers include not knowing when to lead and when to sometimes follow and not reflecting/challenging unconscious biases that may be the result of the sociocultural environment.
Q4: How do you co-create solutions with people with lived experience?
A:
  • I start by genuinely asking what helps each person to thrive and then work with them to put any needed accommodations in place so they can work to their strengths. I don’t make assumptions — instead, I invite them to shape the environment with me, ensuring it reflects their needs, strengths, and ideas. This way, the solutions we create together are not only practical but also empowering and inclusive.
  • Co-design.
  • In my job, supporting PLEx by providing administrative and technical solutions. Contributing to research project administration.
  • You listen to the people with lived experience and share the power in developing solutions.
Q5: What does “nothing about us without us?” look like in practice?
A:
  • To me, “nothing about us without us” means that any discussion, action, or decision connected to my lived experience includes me in the conversation and at the table. It’s about ensuring that decisions are not based on assumptions about me — or about others with similar experiences. While it’s not always possible for everyone to be present, there must be a conscious awareness of where assumptions are made and how they can be harmful. At its heart, it’s about open, respectful dialogue to find the best way forward together.
  • People with lived experience involved throughout the research process.
  • If not for the people and the projects, there would be no practice. It’s all in together to listen, care and share.
  • It looks like genuine power sharing, where people with lived experience are treated as the experts they are. It means as an ally, if you have a platform to use, instead of using it on behalf of the person with lived experience, give the person with the lived experience the platform and let them speak for themselves.