Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
I have worked in Higher Education for nearly 20 years in several different capacities and have interacted, collaborated closely, and formed great relationships with people of varying races, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds. The main thing I have learned over the years is that people are people regardless of their differences. When I think of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and what it means, I think of unity. When I think of unity, I believe a distinction should be made to understand that unity does not mean uniformity. A commitment to DEI is imperative in all areas of life, not only professionally. We are all created equal, but we are all unique in ways. For environments to be fair, equitable, and welcoming, we need to realize that different is not bad – it is beautiful.
My professional experience has been as a student support person, an HR professional, an academic advisor, and an educational and career coach. I have mentored, coached, advised, and simply made myself available to listen to over 2,500 students over the years. These students have ranged from ages 17-65; they have been male and female; they have been from varying religious backgrounds and beliefs; they have been people with different abilities and impairments. In my experience, labels limit. When we label people, we create a chasm between people, and it is no longer a line to be crossed, but a hole to jump over. Change is required to bridge this gap and find some common ground to stand on. Respect and real conversations are what assist in reaching this goal, knowing that respect is the true foundation of DEI.
In the field of instructional technology, we must do our part to provide all learners the chance to succeed in their learning environment. Thankfully, technology can play a significant role “for inclusion as it increases the participation of the individual and community at large” (Saha and Halder, 2019). This addresses any challenges for learners with varying abilities and requires any type of assistive technology (AT).
To create and develop diverse, equitable, and inclusive content for learners, research that represents the communities it serves is advantageous and can improve the learner culture, and foster innovation, resilience, and retention. To do this, we need to focus on best practices and resources for dealing with diversity in technology and education. One thing to consider is that the thinking behind supporting digital diversity and equity is not just that everyone owns a device, but it also meets the needs of learners, trainers/facilitators, and the community. According to Sandra Paul, Director of IT for Union Public Schools in New Jersey, “The device alone does not answer the question of digital equity. You have to be intentional about what you’re doing – just because you’re 1:1, it doesn’t work that way. Digital equity encompasses so much more than that” (2020).
It is my responsibility as an instructional designer to identify problems and come up with appropriate solutions in a realistic – and timely – way, using technology. I have to consider what technology is to be used all the while keeping in mind what the learners will need in order to be successful using that technology. Applications such as messaging features and speech-to-text – to name a couple – enable learners with diverse needs to be able to be included in learning with more independence.
References:
Saha, S., & Halder, S. (n.d.). Assistive technology and inclusion: Philosophical foundation.
Retrieved November 10, 2022, from
Bendici, R. (2020, August 3). How to support diversity in Technology.
TechLearningMagazine. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/how-to-support-diversity-in-technology