Surveillance Is Not Leadership
Sometimes being watched is mistaken for being supported.
I’ve noticed that systems often monitor people more closely when what they actually need is access, trust, and clear support.
Surveillance can look like oversight.
Check-ins.
Reviews.
Recorded concerns.
Closer observation.
But watching someone struggle is not the same as removing the barriers around them.
For Deaf and disabled people, surveillance often appears when access has already failed.
Communication is unclear.
Support is inconsistent.
Expectations keep shifting.
Then the person’s response becomes the focus.
Their tone.
Their pace.
Their confidence.
Their behaviour.
The system watches the impact instead of questioning the conditions that created it.
This is not leadership.
It is control.
Real leadership does not wait for people to struggle and then document the struggle.
It notices risk early.
It removes barriers.
It shares responsibility.
Surveillance protects the system from accountability.
Leadership protects people from preventable harm.
