By Colleen Scott, NYSOFA Advocacy Specialist
October is a time when many ethnic backgrounds are celebrated: Filipino American History Month, German American Heritage Month, Italian American Heritage Month, and Polish American Heritage Month. It’s also fitting that we celebrate Global Diversity Awareness in October, which recognizes and honors these and many other diverse customs, cultures, religions, and languages, including in our own practice as aging services providers.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a term used to describe policies and programs that promote the representation and participation of different groups of individuals, including people of different ages, races and ethnicities, abilities and disabilities, genders, religions, cultures, and sexual orientations.
What does this look like in practice? Here are some examples:
- Someone with hearing loss may not be able to fully participate at an event or presentation where microphones are not used. This changes when that individual is provided a role on the event’s planning committee and can address hearing accessibility and other accommodations prior to the event.
- A mother who is returning from maternity leave may be hesitant to ask about her need for a private place to pump if she is breastfeeding. But this individual’s participation in an office Environmental Projects and Planning Committee may offer a venue for her to raise this concern and potential solutions to a group who had not considered it.
- Someone who is a member of a specific racial or ethnic group may offer insight regarding the use of certain terminology, given that language, the connotations of words, and their acceptability change over time.
In summary, people who represent various communities are best able to articulate the needs and preferences of these communities – and this can only happen if they are part of groups that make policies.
What you can do:
- Invite participation from all cross sections of the community in agency events, and particularly on groups that influence policy, such as an advisory council or long term care council.
- Invite input from diverse communities on published materials to ensure that the words and messages conveyed do not inadvertently offend any population and to make sure the language choices resonate with the populations being served.
- Volunteer! Whether it is a library board, school board, advisory council, faith-based organization’s board. The value of diverse perspectives enriches the experience for all.
Did you know?
October is Filipino American History Month, German American Heritage Month, Italian American Heritage Month, and Polish American Heritage Month. Here are some facts:
