The Directing Change Scholarship program was a three-year program aimed at increasing representation of people with disability on boards through mentoring, networking and education. The program also offered boards a pathway to build disability confidence and awareness as they work towards inclusive practice. This evaluation reports on the effectiveness of the program and the factors affecting this.

Key findings

1. The Directing Change Scholarship program aimed to increase opportunities for leaders with disability to achieve board roles and the evaluation results indicate that these aims were successful.
2. Program participants, including scholars, mentors and partner organisations reported experiencing a range of benefits from the program.
3. Scholars rated governance training and mentoring as highly valued program activities.
4. The Directing Change Scholarship program offers insights into a potential pathway for people with disability to gain leadership skills and experience and to work towards board roles.
5. The pathway to leadership for people with disability will only succeed if it is paired with a pathway for boards to build their commitment to inclusive practice.