Be seen. Be heard. Belong.


Speaker at a podium addressing an audience in a darkened auditorium or theatre. The person is wearing glasses and a black suit, holding a microphone while referring to notes. In the background, people are seated on stage, engaged in the talk. There i

A leadership course for people with learning disabilities and autistic people

Be A Leader is a leadership course made by and for people with learning disabilities and/or autism. It began in 2022 and was developed with people who have lived experience as trainers and co-producers.

Be A Leader helps people understand what leadership means. It supports people to take more control over their lives and choices.

The course is supported by The National Lottery Community Fund.   


Why Be A Leader Matters

People with learning disabilities and autistic people do not always get the same chances as others. This is not fair.

Be A Leader gives people the chance to:

  • Be involved in their communities

  • Make choices about their own lives

  • Speak up and be listened to

  • Take on leadership roles

We believe in co-production. That means we work together, as equals, to make decisions and take action.


What is taught in the course?

Be A Leader has three levels of learning. Each level helps people learn new skills and take steps towards leadership.

Level 1 – Knowing Yourself

You will learn about:

  • Who you are and what matters to you

  • Your values

  • Disability rights and history

  • How to make choices about your life

You will learn how to take part in decisions about your life.

Level 2 – Speaking Up

You will learn about:

  • Talking to others clearly

  • Standing up for yourself and others (self-advocacy)

  • Telling your story

  • Working with services to make things better (co-production)

You will learn how to influence local services like health and care.

Level 3 – Leading Others

This level is for people who are ready to lead.

You will learn how to:

  • Be a leader in a job or project

  • Work with other leaders

  • Make plans and take action


What’s happening now?

Thanks to the National Lottery funding, we can now:

  • Support 90 people to take part in Levels 1 and 2 over the next 3 years

  • Support 24 people to take part in Level 3 over the next 3 years

  • Train 8 new course leaders to help run the course in the future

Be A Leader is co-produced — people with learning disabilities and autistic people helped design the course.


Who is the course for?

Be A Leader is for:

  • People with learning disabilities and/or autistic people

  • People who are part of a post-16 education programme in Kent or Medway

In the first year, we are delivering the Be A Leader course as part of the bemix post-16 Preparation for Employment programme.

In future years, we will work with other post-16 education programmes in Kent and Medway.


Watch the video

See the joy and power of Be A Leader in action!

Watch the Class of 2023 video:


Contact us

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01227 374285


About the funding

Be A Leader is supported by The National Lottery Community Fund.

This three-year funding lets us:

  • Revise our curriculum in co-production

  • Deliver the programme for free to learners

  • Build a sustainable network of course leaders

Be A Leader is about giving people with learning disabilities and autistic people the skills, knowledge and confidence to lead and govern.

Support us to make a difference

Click here to see our appeals

What we believe

Our Vision and Values 

Read our Evaluation Report

 Easy Read Version Evaluation Report 

Evaluation Report