Mentoring

In June 2024, Two Way Street and AGOSCI were excited to be awarded a three-year Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) grant to explore and redefine mentoring practices for and by People with Communication Disability (PWCD). The project aims to review current mentoring practices and experiences, then call on the creativity of our whole community to create a collaborative and nationally available toolkit.

Tell us what you think

Grant Phases

Phase 1: Information gathering

We will start by reviewing existing research on peer mentoring and gathering insights from past and current programs

Community consultations will help identify gaps and best practices

We will share our findings, ideas and resources with PWCD, their families, educators and service providers for their feedback

Phase 2: Deep dive and co-design

Next, we’ll take a deeper dive into personal mentoring experiences based on what we learned in phase 1

This will involve detailed interviews, focus groups and other collaborative methods, with a special focus on the voices of PWCD as we co-design the toolkit

Phase 3: Toolkit development

In this phase, we will compile a draft toolkit using insights from the first two phases

It will include videos, resources, programs and guidelines in various accessible formats

The draft will be available for review and feedback, and made available as a free public resource when the grant ends

Redefining Mentoring

Mentoring is one of the strategies we use to enable us to be who we want to be and do what we want to do. In traditional mentoring, there is a reciprocal relationship (or two-way street) that involves the transfer of knowledge and sharing experiences between two individuals – a mentor and a mentee. The mentor is typically more experienced and guides or supports the mentee, while the mentee is someone who seeks to grow.

The act of mentoring is a strategy. If we are going to redefine it then the first step is to reflect on its purpose. As a community, we can then explore creative and inclusive ways to achieve that purpose.

“A mentor empowers a person to see a possible future, and believe it can be obtained.”

Shawn Hitchcock

Types of mentoring

Mentoring is a diverse topic. All humans seek guidance and influence from others on various topics like career, education, employment, social engagement, leisure activities and more. These topics are self-directed and can change over time, ranging from specific skills to broader life lessons. Similarly, mentoring in the context of PWCD goes beyond just improving communication skills. Interest can span across any area of life.

Just like the topics we explore, our choice of mentors is also diverse and self-directed. We can’t just be assigned a mentor or told who to connect with; influence comes through meaningful connections. For instance, we might follow someone on social media, or hear them speak at a conference, leading us to reach out and learn more. Over time, these connections can grow or fade based on our shifting interests and perspectives.

Get involved!

While this project is focused on people with communication disability (PWCD), we also want to hear from their broader community. We welcome input from:

people with communication disability
parents and family members
teachers
health care professionals
employment agencies
service providers, and
organisations and businesses that regularly interact with PWCD

We aim to open the door to endless possibilities for our community and we want to do this together. Here’s how:

Tell us what you think about mentoring on our ‘Mentoring Information Gathering’ form
Register your interest to continue to hear more about this project
Follow @TwoWaySt and @Agosci on the socials

Mentoring Information Gathering form

Register your interest

Acknowledgment of Terminology

We acknowledge that terms like AAC and PWCD are labels that may or may not be preferred terminology by some people. We respect diversity of opinion and an individual’s right to decide on their own terminology. Currently at Two Way Street, we’ve chosen to use the term “People with Communication Disability” (PWCD). Importantly, this term assumes a model of disability that recognises the dynamic interactions between the individual, their communication partners, the environment, and the topics of conversation, highlighting that meaningful communication is shaped by multiple factors working together. This means that PWCD includes anyone who experiences breakdowns in communication related to their own methods of communication, their communication partners, or barriers created by a less inclusive environment.

Acknowledgment of Cultural Influence

We recognise the cultural biases and influences that shape our perspectives in this project, particularly the predominant Western viewpoints on communication, autonomy, connection, belonging, and opportunity. While we strive to be inclusive of all individuals and communicators, we understand that our own cultural backgrounds, funding, and time capacity may pose limitations. We invite everyone to engage with the information and resources we share through their own cultural lenses, and we welcome feedback and modifications that enhance our collective understanding.