tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/inclusion-37530/articlesInclusion – The Conversation2024-03-20T13:59:10Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2254412024-03-20T13:59:10Z2024-03-20T13:59:10ZFashion needs stronger storytelling that is more inclusive, relevant and responsible<p>The fashion industry could not exist without storytelling. Compelling and aspirational stories conveyed through catwalks, campaigns and social media are the stuff that make garments fashionable, fostering a strong desire to be seen wearing them.</p>
<p>Fashion’s stories can spread positive messaging about issues that affect us all. In 2020, Stella McCartney’s Paris show featured models wearing cartoonish animal costumes. This humorous stunt emphasised a serious point about the “planet-friendly” brand’s <a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a31191131/stella-mccartney-mascot-paris-fashion-week/">pledge</a> not to use leather, fur, skins, feathers or animal glues.</p>
<p>But more often, the darker, more unpalatable truth is that fashion’s storytelling drives overconsumption. And it defines unrealistic beauty expectations that exclude many by perpetuating western standards about what is normal and acceptable.</p>
<p>As a cultural historian who researches fashion, I believe the industry has to do better to effect change, and this can be achieved through stronger, more inclusive and responsible storytelling. </p>
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<h2>Fashion and world problems</h2>
<p>According to recent fashion industry <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/sustainable-fashion-communication-playbook">reports</a>, storytelling is becoming more prominent as brands seek to demonstrate their social responsibility by forging deeper relationships with consumers. The increased significance of storytelling within fashion can be linked to two themes that have defined social and political debate about the world’s post-COVID recovery: self and society.</p>
<p>Consumers want more meaningful experiences that enable them to explore their identities and connect with others. Fashion is the ideal medium for this, especially during a time of social and political unease. The industry’s global reach means that visual cues and messaging conveyed through clothing campaigns can be easily shared and understood.</p>
<p>The Business of Fashion’s report, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion">The State of Fashion 2024</a>, links the increased importance of storytelling to consumers being “more demanding when it comes to authenticity and relatability”. People want to buy brands that share and support their values.</p>
<p>The consumer group most concerned to align their lifestyle choices and beliefs with the companies that clothe them is Gen-Z – people born between 1996 and 2010 – who “value pursuing their own unique identities and appreciate diversity”. </p>
<p>The increasing prominence of storytelling in fashion is also linked to the industry’s global sway and corresponding social responsibility. Organisations like the UN are <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/sustainable-fashion-communication-playbook">increasingly clear</a> that the fashion industry will only help tackle the global challenges emphasised by COVID if it uses its influence to change consumers’ mindsets.</p>
<p>The uneven social impact of the pandemic, which <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2021/06/inequality-and-covid-19-ferreira.htm">emphasised longstanding inequalities</a>, provided a wake-up call to take action on many global problems, including climate change, overconsumption and racial discrimination. This makes the fashion industry, which <a href="https://fashinnovation.nyc/fashion-industry-statistics/">contributes 2% to global GDP</a>, a culprit but also a potential champion for driving change. </p>
<p>The British Fashion Council’s <a href="https://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/Innovation/Diversity-Equity-Inclusion--Belonging">Fashion Diversity Equality & Inclusion Report</a>, published in January 2024, highlights “fashion’s colossal power to influence, to provide cultural reference and guide social trends”. Similarly, the UN’s <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/sustainable-fashion-communication-playbook">Fashion Communication Playbook</a>, published last year, urges the industry to use its “cultural reach, powers of persuasion and educational role to both raise awareness and drive a shift towards a more sustainable and equitable industry”.</p>
<p>To do this, the UN’s report urges storytellers, imagemakers and role models to change the narrative of the fashion industry. They are asked to educate consumers and inspire them to alter their behaviour if it can help create positive change. </p>
<h2>Fashion’s new stories</h2>
<p>Since the pandemic, there is evidence the fashion industry has begun to change the content and form of the stories it tells, chiefly by putting a human face on current global challenges. Large-scale, entrenched social problems are being explored through real-life stories. This can help people to understand the problems that confront them, and grasp their role in working towards overcoming them.</p>
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<p>One example is Nike’s <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/nike-move-to-zero-sustainability">Move to Zero campaign</a>, a global sustainability initiative which launched during the pandemic in 2020. Instead of endless statistics and apocalyptic warnings about crisis-point climate emergency, Nike encourages people to “<a href="https://www.nike.com/nl/en/product-advice/product-care">refresh</a>” sports gear with maintenance and repair. Old Nike products that have been recreated by designers are sold through pop-ups. When salvage is not possible, Nike provides ways for people to <a href="https://www.nike.com/nl/en/sustainability/recycling-donation">recycle and donate old products</a>.</p>
<p>By encouraging relatively small changes that align the lifecycle of a product with consumers’ everyday lives, Nike’s campaign challenges the traditional idea of clothes being new, immediate and ultimately disposable by making change aspirational. </p>
<h2>Narrative hang-ups</h2>
<p>While some fashion brands are rethinking the stories they tell, my <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/hangups-9781350197268/">recent book</a>, Hang-Ups: Reflections on the Causes and Consequences of Fashion’s Western Centrism, explains that some of fashion’s most powerful and harmful stories are deep-rooted.</p>
<p>Concepts defined during the 18th and 19th centuries – civilisation, anthropology, sexology – still influence how the fashion industry engages with age, gender, race and sex. Its drive for newness and the way it pushes the idea that purchasing expensive brands brings automatic status is also based on traditional western social values that fit poorly with 21st-century perspectives and priorities.</p>
<p>The persistence of centuries-old attitudes is apparent too in Nike’s Move to Zero campaign, however well-intentioned. While the initiative is clearly conceived to influence consumer behaviour in a positive way, it still doesn’t fundamentally address what the fashion industry is and does. But at the very least, it accepts that fashion functions through high consumption and the sense of status that owning and wearing a brand confers.</p>
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<h2>Throwing everything out</h2>
<p>One of the key points I make in my book is that effective change will be more likely if we understand how the industry developed into what it is today. This calls for more audacious storytelling that critiques notions of normality, acceptability and inclusivity.</p>
<p>One example is Swedish brand <a href="https://avavav.com/en-gb/about">Avavav</a>, which commits itself to “creative freedom driven by humour, entertainment and design evolution”. In February 2024, the brand’s <a href="https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/gallery/avavav-fashion-show-trash-photos-1236222394/avavav-runway-milan-fashion-week-womenswear-fall-winter-2024-2025/">Milan catwalk show</a> concluded with models being pelted with litter. This experimental performance explored prevailing social media stories by calling out online trolls and highlighting the hurt of hate speech, within and beyond the fashion industry.</p>
<p>Naturally, it <a href="https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/62036/1/avavav-aw24-fw24-beate-karlsson-milan-fashion-week-mfw-trash">caused a sensation</a> and was widely covered in the media. A stunt perhaps, but it got people talking and drew attention to designer Beate Karlsson’s message about online hate. Clearly, compelling and innovative storytelling has the power to change minds and behaviour.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benjamin Wild does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Representing 2% of global GDP, the fashion industry must use its cultural reach to drive a shift towards a more sustainable and equitable industry.Benjamin Wild, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Narratives, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2248922024-03-13T12:38:53Z2024-03-13T12:38:53ZWhat the numbers say about diversity on corporate boards<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581302/original/file-20240312-28-1hong4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=956%2C204%2C8157%2C5260&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Corporate diversity efforts have resulted in more women and minorities sitting on boards. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/bright-clean-modern-style-conference-room-royalty-free-image/1667099947?phrase=corporate++board+directors&adppopup=true">Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Through the decades, corporate boards have been mostly white and mostly male. </p>
<p>That started changing in the early 1970s. Fueled by the historic gains of the Civil Rights Movement that broke down racial and gender barriers, a variety of social groups such as the <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/promising-students-benefit-commitment-developing-170000223.html">National Black MBA Association</a> and the <a href="https://now.org/">National Organization for Women</a> pressured corporations to build diversity programs into their management structures. </p>
<p>Over the years, a dramatic change has occurred. My latest research on the corporate boards of the top 50 companies from 2011 to 2023 shows that the percentage of whites dropped to 73.6%, the percentage of men dropped to 65.3% and, rather remarkably, the percentage of white men dropped below 50%, to 49.5%. </p>
<p>My research included reviewing the published names of the members of the boards of directors of the top 50 companies on the 2011 and 2023 Fortune 500 lists, as well as information on company websites about each of these hundreds of directors. I coded for gender, ethnicity and educational background. </p>
<p>Though the patterns differ for each of these demographic groups, the percentages of white women, Asian, Hispanic and Black Americans increased by different amounts as the percentage of white men decreased.</p>
<h2>White female directors</h2>
<p>The percentage of white females serving on boards at the top-50 companies increased from 16.8% in 2011 to 24.1% in 2023. All of these white women had undergraduate degrees, and almost two-thirds had advanced degrees, including in business, law and medicine. Many of them were <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/06/05/fortune-500-companies-2023-women-10-percent/">current or former CEOs</a> of Fortune 500 companies.</p>
<p>Notably, and related to the increase in white female directors, between 2000 and 2020 there was <a href="https://whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu/power/diversity_update_2020.html#fnr20">a dramatic increase</a> in the number of white female CEOs.</p>
<p>There were almost as many white female directors in 2023 as there were Blacks, Asian Americans and Latinos combined. In terms of sheer numbers, white men have been replaced by white women more than by any other single group.</p>
<h2>Asian American directors</h2>
<p>The changes can be seen clearly in a comparison between the makeup of the top-50 company boards <a href="https://whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu/diversity/unexpected_increase_in_diversity.html">between 2011 and 2023</a>. </p>
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<p>During that time period, the percentage of Asian Americans more than tripled, from 1.8% to 6.1%. The percentages more than doubled for Asian American men, and increased almost ninefold for Asian American females. </p>
<p>Strikingly, 17 of the 20 Asian American men who were directors in 2023 were of Indian heritage – and most but not all were born in India. Only six of the 15 Asian American women were of Indian heritage, and seven were of Chinese background.</p>
<p>Asian Americans make up about 7% of the population, so they are now only slightly underrepresented on the top Fortune boards.</p>
<h2>Black and Hispanic directors</h2>
<p>Black Americans also showed a sizable increase, from 9.4% in 2011 to 15.1% in 2023. They, too, showed a bigger jump for women, from 1.9% to 5.9%, than for men, from 7.4% to 9.2%.</p>
<p>Black people made up about 13.6% of the population in 2023, so they were slightly overrepresented on these Fortune boards. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/race-in-the-workplace-the-frontline-experience">McKinsey & Company</a>, a management consulting firm, conducted a study of 53 corporations, most of which were Fortune 500 companies. The study, released in 2022, found that there were far fewer Black men and women in the pipeline leading to the CEO office than on the boards. That pipeline includes jobs such as managers, vice presidents and others on leadership teams.</p>
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<span class="caption">Michelle Jordan, AT&T chief diversity officer, talks about equity and inclusion during a 2023 conference in Atlanta.</span>
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<p>This suggests that these companies are trying to appear diverse through the makeup of their boards, even as they haven’t diversified the executive ranks.</p>
<p>Hispanic Americans showed only a slight increase in representation on the boards, from 4.7% in 2011 to 5.2% in 2023, with women almost doubling their representation, from 1.1% to 2.1%, and men decreasing from 3.6% to 3.1%. </p>
<p>Hispanic Americans make up about 19% of the U.S. population. As a group, they were very much underrepresented on corporate boards.</p>
<p>Many of those in all of the groups I looked at had attended elite colleges and universities, either as undergraduates or for postgraduate work. Recent evidence showing that Hispanic men and women have been <a href="https://edtrust.org/resource/private-universities-havent-increased-diversity/?emci=6e70acb4-83d5-ee11-85f9-002248223794&emdi=425387aa-41d6-ee11-85f9-002248223794&ceid=456745%5D">vastly underrepresented at elite colleges</a> over the past two decades suggests that few are making it through the pipeline from these schools to Fortune 500 boards.</p>
<h2>Recent attacks on diversity</h2>
<p>With <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-2003-supreme-court-decision-upholding-affirmative-action-planted-the-seeds-of-its-overturning-as-justices-then-and-now-thought-racism-an-easily-solved-problem-208807">the 2023 Supreme Court decision</a> against affirmative action in higher education – and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/diversity-equity-dei-companies-blum-2040b173">subsequent lawsuits</a> against the practices that some corporations have used to address inequality – the civil rights gains in higher education and on corporate boards are in jeopardy of being reversed by conservative resistance. </p>
<p>In fact, many big companies have been “backing away from efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in their ranks,” according to a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/04/01/woke-capitalism-esg-dei-climate-investment/">Washington Post corporate culture reporter</a>.</p>
<p>The pattern that I have found in board composition between the 1990s and 2023 is consistent with data from 2013 to 2023 that was published by <a href="https://www.spencerstuart.com/research-and-insight/sp-500-new-director-and-diversity-snapshot">Spencer Stuart</a>, an executive search firm. It found that in 2013, only 39% of newly appointed directors were women and underrepresented minorities.</p>
<p>In the next decade, the percentage of new diversity appointments to boards increased dramatically, from the 39% in 2013, to 60% in 2018, to 86% in 2021, and then tapered off to 82% in 2022 and 75% in 2023.</p>
<p>Based on my findings and those of other researchers, it is likely that the ups and downs of diversity on corporate boards will serve as an indicator of the success – or failure – of ongoing efforts to increase inclusion in all walks of American life.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224892/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richie Zweigenhaft does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Since the 1970s, corporate boards have included more women and minorities. But those gains are likely to change after a US Supreme Court ruling and increased conservative resistance.Richie Zweigenhaft, Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Guilford CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2195572024-02-23T13:48:31Z2024-02-23T13:48:31ZHow governments handle data matters for inclusion<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576859/original/file-20240220-30-3ger1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1785%2C0%2C3779%2C3704&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Do you feel included in how government handles and uses data?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/Biden/1577ded6699c49ea835bbf2ee5fbb3a7/photo">AP Photo/Patrick Semansky</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Governments increasingly rely on large amounts of data to provide services ranging from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820902682">mobility</a> and <a href="https://www.epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data/air-data-basic-information">air quality</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2020.1724928">child welfare</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1473225419883706">policing programs</a>. While governments have always relied on data, their increasing use of algorithms and <a href="https://www.oecd.org/gov/innovative-government/working-paper-hello-world-artificial-intelligence-and-its-use-in-the-public-sector.htm">artificial intelligence</a> has fundamentally changed the way they use data for public services.</p>
<p>These technologies have the potential to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public services. But if data is not handled thoughtfully, it can lead to inequitable outcomes for different communities because data gathered by governments can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119815075.ch46">mirror existing inequalities</a>. To minimize this effect, governments can make inclusion an element of their data practices. </p>
<p>To better understand how data practices affect inclusion, we – scholars of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=sRReVx0AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">public affairs</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=vi&user=d1PUVQgAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">policy</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Uhk-JAcAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">administration</a> – break down <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13585">government data practices</a> into four activities: data collection, storage, analysis and use. </p>
<h2>Collection</h2>
<p>Governments collect data about all manner of subjects via surveys, registrations, social media and in <a href="https://www.trafficengland.com/">real time</a> via mobile devices such as sensors, cellphones and body cameras. These datasets provide opportunities to shape social inclusion and <a href="https://www.census.gov/about/what/data-equity.html">equity</a>. For example, open data can be used as a spotlight to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12608">expose</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/02/12/upshot/child-maternal-mortality-rich-poor.html">health disparities</a> or inequalities in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/06/business/economy/commuting-change-covid.html">commuting</a>. </p>
<p>At the same time, we found that poor-quality data can worsen inequalities. Data that is incomplete, outdated or inaccurate can result in the underrepresentation of vulnerable groups because they may not have access to the technology used to collect the data. Also, government data collection might lead to <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-17/lapd-adopts-new-rules-for-obtaining-using-t">oversurveillance</a> of vulnerable communities. Consequently, some people may <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122417725865">choose to avoid</a> contributing data to government institutions.</p>
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<span class="caption">Predictive policing is an example of government use of data that researchers have found can be biased and inaccurate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Criminaliteits_Anticipatie_Systeem.png">Arnout de Vries/Wikimedia</a></span>
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<p>To foster inclusive practices, government practitioners could work with citizens to develop inclusive data collection protocols.</p>
<h2>Storage</h2>
<p>Data storage refers to where and how data is stored by the government, such as in databases or cloud data storage services. We found that government decisions about access to stored data and data ownership might lead to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13615">administrative exclusion</a>, meaning unintentionally restricting citizen access to benefits and services. For example, administrative registration errors in applications for services and the difficulty citizens experience when they attempt to correct errors in stored data can lead to differences in how governments treat them and even a loss of public services. </p>
<p>We also found that personal data might be stored with cloud vendors in data warehouses <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951720912775">outside the influence of the government organizations</a> that initially created and collected the data. While governments are typically required to follow rigorous data collection practices, data storage companies do not necessarily need to comply with the same standards. </p>
<p>To overcome this problem, governments can set transparency and accountability requirements for data storage that foster inclusion.</p>
<h2>Analysis</h2>
<p>One important way governments analyze data to extract information is by using algorithms. For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856520933838">predictive policing</a> uses algorithms to predict where crime will occur.</p>
<p>A key question is who is conducting the analysis. Those who might be providing data, such as citizens or civil society organizations, are less likely to analyze the data. Citizens may not have the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23251042.2016.1220849">skills, expertise or the tools</a> to do so. Often, external experts conduct the analysis, and they might be unaware of the historical context, culture and local conditions of the data. In that way, data may also construct and reinforce inequalities.</p>
<p>To foster inclusion, governments could diversify and increase the training of the teams who perform the analyses and write the algorithms so that they can interpret data within its larger historical and political context.</p>
<h2>Using the data</h2>
<p>Finally, governments are using the results of data analysis to inform public service provision. For example, data-driven visualizations, such as maps, might be used to <a href="https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/crime-mapping-crime-forecasting-evolution-place-based-policing">make decisions about where to direct police officers</a>. However, this might also lead to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122417725865">disproportionate surveillance</a> of different groups.</p>
<p>Another issue is “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17579961.2021.1898299">function creep</a>.” Data might be collected for one purpose but is often eventually used for other purposes or by other government agencies, possibly leading to misuse of data and the reproduction of inequalities.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24639">Digital literacy programs</a> for both government professionals and the public can facilitate a better understanding of how data is visualized and used.</p>
<h2>Building inclusion into the process</h2>
<p>It is important to highlight that these activities – collection, storage, analysis and use – are linked. Inequalities in the early stages may eventually lead to inequitable outcomes in the form of policies, decisions and services. </p>
<p>Additionally, we found a conundrum: On the one hand, the invisibility of vulnerable groups in data collection can result in inequalities. Therefore, different groups should be included in the activities of the data process. On the other hand, this can also be problematic because digital footprints can lead to oversurveillance of the same groups.</p>
<p>Reconciling these conflicting concerns requires an <a href="https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=7400442">ethical reflection</a>: pausing before embracing data and reflecting on its purpose, limitations and long-term implications for inclusion. </p>
<p>The four activities are a repeated rather than linear process in which governments, citizens and third parties embrace <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13585">inclusive data strategies</a>. This means looking at what was created, including diverse voices and understanding the analysis, results and consequences of decisions. And it means consistently changing aspects of the process that do not foster inclusion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219557/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Suzanne J. Piotrowski has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the Open Government Partnership.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gregory Porumbescu has received external funding from the National Science Foundation and the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erna Ruijer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Governments can exclude certain groups of people in policies and services not only by the type of data they collect but also how they collect, store, analyze and use the data.Suzanne J. Piotrowski, Professor of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University - NewarkErna Ruijer, Assistant Professor of Governance, Utrecht UniversityGregory Porumbescu, Associate Professor of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University - NewarkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2221682024-02-12T14:14:27Z2024-02-12T14:14:27ZKenya’s sex workers have solutions to their problems, but international NGOs aren’t hearing them<p>In Kenya, rights organisations run by sex workers have gone into numerous partnerships with international organisations over the past decade. In <a href="https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/making-noise-sex-worker-led-organising-and-knowledge-politics-in-">recent research</a>, I set out to understand whether these relationships worked in favour of the sex workers and their organisations. My research focused on an organisation in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, that supports male sex workers. </p>
<p>Kenya’s laws punish activities related to <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Migration/CallEndingImmigrationDetentionChildren/CSOs/RefugeeConsortium_of_Kenya_Annex2.pdf#page=57">sex work</a> and <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Migration/CallEndingImmigrationDetentionChildren/CSOs/RefugeeConsortium_of_Kenya_Annex2.pdf#page=59">same-sex relationships</a>. These laws, along with societal prejudice, force the men in my study to <a href="https://www.northumbriajournals.co.uk/index.php/IJGSL/article/view/1264">operate in the shadows</a>. </p>
<p>This exposes them to various types of violence. In response to their everyday experiences, more than 70 Kenyan organisations led by sex workers are doing what they can to achieve social justice. </p>
<p>Following interviews and conversations with 99 sex workers between 2018 and 2022, I found that in most cases, sex workers’ knowledge – based on their daily experiences – was sidelined. Donor organisations, despite having good intentions, sometimes fell short of their objectives because they didn’t draw on the knowledge held by marginalised communities. </p>
<p>By ignoring sex workers’ knowledge, development partnerships keep power imbalances unchanged. This leaves many issues that sex workers face – including insecurity, poverty and mental health – unresolved.</p>
<p>My findings illustrate that policies, services and support should include sex workers’ experiential knowledge and needs. </p>
<h2>The research</h2>
<p>Between 2018 and 2022, I conducted a 10-month study as part of my PhD project. I investigated how international NGOs worked with a community-based organisation led by Kenyan sex workers. Their collaborations were aimed at improving health and human rights outcomes. </p>
<p>My focus was how more powerful organisations, such as international NGOs, include sex workers’ knowledge and expertise in these partnerships.</p>
<p>I identified two primary issues affecting the relationship. </p>
<p>Firstly, international development agencies prioritised their own expertise over that of the communities they set out to help. This was despite NGO employees believing they had taken the perspectives of sex workers into account. They didn’t realise they weren’t listening to what sex workers were telling them. </p>
<p>Secondly, because it relied on statistics and frameworks, the development aid system made it difficult to incorporate other kinds of knowledge into intervention programmes. </p>
<h2>The gaps</h2>
<p>Development partnerships tend to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dech.12758">sideline the perspectives of sex workers</a>. </p>
<p>For example, NGOs asked the sex workers in my study to provide input on outreach strategies for HIV prevention. But they had already decided what they thought would work best – peer educators and a drop-in centre.</p>
<p>As one respondent in my research put it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(We ask them), ‘How do you plan to do outreach work; how do you plan to make the DICE (drop-in centre) more attractive to peer educators?’. And then we work around that. So, they get the idea, and then we fine-tune it with the team.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This approach limits sex workers to providing local contacts rather than shaping the agenda based on their priorities. </p>
<p>This tokenistic approach leaves sex workers frustrated. They recognise their crucial role in the success of programmes but <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13691058.2020.1842499?role=tab&tab=permissions&scroll=top">are excluded</a> from the decision-making. </p>
<p>This has led to a strong programmatic focus on sex workers’ sexual health and HIV. But they’d like to address other issues too, like insecurity and mental health. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Can the community get more services on mental health … condoms and lubes we can buy; you have empowered us enough. Now get to know our story, our sad moments, the violence we have faced and how it has affected us. How trying to make a living, get a job, a house has been the struggle and how we cope. That’s what we need.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The focus on scientific evidence, professional knowledge and statistical data makes it difficult to discover and share what sex workers know. This knowledge comes from the experience of what it means to do sex work and <a href="https://theconversation.com/queerphobia-in-kenya-a-supreme-court-ruling-on-gay-rights-triggers-a-new-wave-of-anger-against-the-lgbtiq-community-204575">live as queer in Kenya</a>. </p>
<p>One respondent said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Now, most (of what) they are doing is health services, but you see the sex worker has been beaten, has been raped, so still the HIV prevalence wouldn’t really go down … They are talking about how to reach targets but this sex worker is still being violated, still being raped, still being beaten.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It’s difficult to integrate such perspectives into the evidence-based policies typical of the international development aid system. Interviews with NGO employees illustrate that requirements for accountability add to the challenge.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>They (headquarters) have set out goals and strategies towards epidemic control and everything we do is guided in that context. We work within the context … and then we try … to take into account the more structural issues.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What can be done</h2>
<p>The sex workers in my study wanted their knowledge to be included in development partnerships. They identified three things they’d want development organisations to consider.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Take sex workers’ experiential knowledge more seriously. Acknowledge that their insights are as important as academic and professional knowledge. </p></li>
<li><p>Acknowledge the leadership, creativity and expertise of marginalised communities. Allow these groups to design programmes based on their unique desires and needs. <a href="https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/60520/9781000843309.pdf?sequence=1#page=58">Community-led research methods</a> can help make this a reality. Support communities to address what they – instead of others – consider important and liberating.</p></li>
<li><p>Recognise and disrupt the power dynamics in the international aid system. Dominant actors need to unlearn the power differences in their relationships with communities, which are often uncritically perceived as natural. Critically examine assumptions and practices. Question the legitimacy of the expertise of donors in community collaborations, and see whether there are gaps created by sidelining sex work-related knowledge.</p></li>
</ol><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222168/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lise Woensdregt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sex workers have a deep understanding of their needs but development partnerships tend to prioritise scientific knowledge.Lise Woensdregt, Assistant Professor in Sociology, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2209702024-02-05T23:35:20Z2024-02-05T23:35:20ZHow entrepreneurship education can be more inclusive<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573150/original/file-20240202-15-ub3pui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C104%2C5383%2C2868&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When entrepreneurship programs do consider inclusion, most focus on gender without considering age, ethnicity, race or other identity factors.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Organizations with resources to <a href="https://telfer.uottawa.ca/assets/documents/2019/5515_TELFER-Orser-Inclusive-Innovation-report_0419_final-aoda.pdf">support entrepreneurs often overlook their own organizational roles in amplifying stereotypes</a> of entrepreneurs <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242612453933">as primarily masculine</a>, white and technology-focused. </p>
<p>Globally, <a href="https://www.galidata.org/assets/report/pdf/accelarating_women_led_startups_final.pdf">women are less likely to benefit from entrepreneurship education and training</a>, particularly in programs supporting high-growth enterprises. When entrepreneurship programs do consider inclusion, most focus on gender without considering age, ethnicity, race or other identity factors. </p>
<p>From an economic development perspective, the effectiveness and inclusivity of entrepreneurship programs is important as <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/statcan/11-626-x/11-626-x2012011-eng.pdf">new businesses account for most net job creation</a>. </p>
<p>Entrepreneurial training <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2015.0026">is associated with entrepreneurial intentions, inspiration, tolerance of ambiguity and business start-ups</a>. Many people will be self-employed in their careers. For these reasons, entrepreneurship education is everyone’s business.</p>
<p>Our research is concerned with equipping entrepreneurship educators with resources to identify biases within programs to support all learners.</p>
<h2>Framework to analyze barriers</h2>
<p>We collaborated on research about entrepreneurship programs with an international team including: <a href="https://publichealth.jhu.edu/faculty/635/anita-vernekar-shankar">Anita Shankar</a>, a medical anthropologist who examines impacts of psycho-social interventions in resource-poor settings in the Global South; <a href="https://www.babson.edu/about/our-leaders-and-scholars/faculty-and-academic-divisions/faculty-profiles/candida-brush.php">Candida Brush</a>, a professor of entrepreneurship; and <a href="https://entrepreneurship.babson.edu/amanda-elam-women-entrepreneurs/">Amanda Elam</a>, a sociologist and research fellow in the area of gender and entrepreneurship.</p>
<p>Our team developed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-12-2020-0378">a framework to support</a> a toolkit for inclusive entrepreneurship education and training called the <a href="https://geet.uottawa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ORSER-IEET_Accessible-report_eng.pdf">Gender-Smart Entrepreneurship Education and Training Plus (GEET+) 2.0</a>. The “plus” refers to extending a gender equity lens to <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-intersectionality-all-of-who-i-am-105639">consider intersectional</a> identity factors (like race, ethnicity, religion, age, education, sexual orientation, culture, income, language and mental or physical disability). </p>
<p>The toolkit also profiles lessons learned from a systematic review of literature about entrepreneurship education and highlights barriers that marginalized and underrepresented people encounter in entrepreneurship programs.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-mba-programs-can-remove-disability-related-barriers-176651">How MBA programs can remove disability-related barriers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Biases in education</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A person seen with a microphone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573149/original/file-20240202-27-9c2est.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573149/original/file-20240202-27-9c2est.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=658&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573149/original/file-20240202-27-9c2est.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=658&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573149/original/file-20240202-27-9c2est.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=658&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573149/original/file-20240202-27-9c2est.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=827&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573149/original/file-20240202-27-9c2est.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=827&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573149/original/file-20240202-27-9c2est.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=827&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Most students cannot name entrepreneurial leaders in their own countries, particularly women leaders.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Henri Mathieu Saint Laurent)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Scholars caution that there is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2515127420935444">a need to critically examine entrepreneurship education and training</a>. </p>
<p>Research, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-12-2020-0378">studies conducted at Telfer School of Management</a>, University of Ottawa, document biases in entrepreneurship education programming. </p>
<p>When students around the world are asked to name an entrepreneur, from Jordan to Canada, most cite an American, male, tech icon. Most cannot name <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-04-2020-0048">entrepreneurial leaders in their own countries, particularly women leaders</a>.</p>
<h2>19 countries and EDI entrepreneurship education</h2>
<p>Our research found an absence of policies and criteria associated with equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in entrepreneurship education and training. </p>
<p>We also learned that many educators and trainers seek guidance to enhance inclusion in entrepreneurship programming, and that they define “inclusion” and “diversity” in different ways. </p>
<p>We asked a 19-country panel of entrepreneurship educators to reflect on
entrepreneurship programming. We wanted to know: </p>
<ul>
<li>How inclusive it is? </li>
<li>How do they perceive the need for change? </li>
<li>What are barriers pertaining to culture, gender and entrepreneurial identities, and indicators characterizing inclusive programming? </li>
</ul>
<p>The first of three online surveys included questions related to the challenges people see with enrolling and engaging students from underrepresented or marginalized groups. </p>
<p>While some respondents said there were no problems, others identified multiple challenges seen in processes, program content and outcomes. We learned that how educators perceive who is or is not under-represented in entrepreneurship programs is context-specific. For example, Argentinian entrepreneur educators identified low-income people as “the most marginalized in Argentina.” Educators in the United States tended to discuss ethnicity when speaking about equity and who is marginalized, while German educators described how German-language programs excluded migrants.</p>
<p>Overall, a key finding was that EDI initiatives have generally not reached entrepreneurship programs. </p>
<p>Several panelists cautioned about assuming commonalities or homogeneity within groups. </p>
<h2>The framework</h2>
<p>The toolkit helps educators assess seven content areas of their programs: commitment to inclusive education and training; knowledge and expertise about equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI); access to resources; program design; program development; program delivery; and program evaluation.</p>
<p>Each component of the framework was tested in <a href="https://geet.uottawa.ca/wp-content/reactpress/apps/react-geet/build/resources/National-Louis-University-Master-in-Design-Thinking-and-Entrepreneurship.pdf">settings in the United States</a> <a href="https://geet.uottawa.ca/wp-content/reactpress/apps/react-geet/build/resources/Invest-Ottawa.pdf">and Canada</a>.</p>
<p>All organizations used the toolkit to assess the status of programs and identify program service or inclusion gaps. Some found the toolkit helpful in legitimizing efforts to incorporate EDI efforts with organizational leaders and funders. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/entrepreneurship-learning-all-university-students-can-benefit-172585">Entrepreneurship learning: All university students can benefit</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UK7e8yuSSiw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Roundtable about the GEET+ framework.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Developing common understanding, goals</h2>
<p>Educators from larger organizations emphasized the value of engaging experts in EDI through workshops and team discussions. They developed common understandings of equity and inclusion issues within entrepreneurship education and training. </p>
<p>In some organizations, assessment processes led to team building and ultimately, to program changes. </p>
<p>Some entrepreneurship programs defined knowledge and expertise requirements (such as hiring trainers with lived experiences of specific underserved communities) and gaining clarity about resources and leadership commitments required to reform programs.</p>
<p>To learn more, the toolkit including framework and assessment criteria can be downloaded at the <a href="https://geet.uottawa.ca/">University of Ottawa</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220970/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Barbara Jayne Orser receives funding from SSHRC.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Catherine Elliott does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A toolkit for inclusive entrepreneurship education and training was developed with input from a 19-country panel of entrepreneurship educators.Barbara Jayne Orser, Professor Emerita, Telfer School of Management, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaCatherine Elliott, Adjunct Professor, Telfer School of Management, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2184952024-01-22T20:42:47Z2024-01-22T20:42:47ZDespite legislative progress, accessible cities remain elusive<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566380/original/file-20231218-29-jo501r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5755%2C3833&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Textured surfaces on city pavements can help make public space more accessible to disabled persons.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/despite-legislative-progress-accessible-cities-remain-elusive" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Amid a complex web of disability civil rights legislation in Canada and the <a href="https://www.ada.gov/">United States</a>, one could easily be lulled into thinking that the work is done. Some of this legislation is now <a href="http://www.ccdonline.ca/en/humanrights/promoting/20years">several decades old</a>; more recent additions include <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/110191">accessible design standards and guidelines</a> and barrier-free elements of <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/120332">building codes</a>.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://accessnow.com/moca/">if only this were true</a>. Watching Toronto and other cities in North America work on accessibility feels a bit like watching a snail moving through molasses: the best route is unclear, progress is slow and they often become stuck.</p>
<h2>Paratransit</h2>
<p>Access to safe and reliable public transit is one such problem. For example, many of the issues <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839919888484">plaguing paratransit (ideally on-demand, door-to-door service for disabled persons) today</a> — unacceptably long wait times, having to plan and schedule days in advance, service costs, convoluted trip regulations, failing to pick people up — are often as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839919888484">old as the services themselves</a>. </p>
<p>It’s perhaps hard to imagine, but it could get worse. Data from the <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2021002-eng.htm">2017 Canadian Survey on Disability</a> indicate that nearly 18 per cent of <em>housebound</em> disabled persons report the absence of transport service as the cause — they have somewhere to go, but no way to get there.</p>
<p>New York City, Toronto and Montréal have underground public transit. These systems share a checkered past where disability is concerned. Time and time again, each system has been the site of disability activism, litigation, accessibility retrofit, cycles of investment progress and delay, and what I call last-millimetre problems.</p>
<p>In New York City, it took multiple <a href="https://new.mta.info/accessibility/ada-settlement-notice">class-action lawsuits</a> filed by disabled persons to get the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to launch a multi-decade accessibility plan. This included a promise to stop renovating stations in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/rehabilitation-act-1973-original-text">Rehabilitation Act of 1973</a> and <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/cchr/law/the-law.page">New York City Human Rights Law</a>. </p>
<p>Seven years on, an August 2017 article in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/31/nyregion/nyc-subway-accessible-disabled.html"><em>New York Times</em></a> reported on the MTA’s stalled progress and justifiable skepticism on the part of disabled passengers.</p>
<p>The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is in the midst of a promising multi-year <a href="https://www.ttc.ca/accessibility/Accessible-Transit-Services-Plan">Accessible Transit Services Plan</a>. The plan includes accessibility retrofit of many stations built before the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/05a11">2005 Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)</a> became law. These are massive infrastructure projects with hefty price tags.</p>
<p>Symptomatic of a much broader failure across the province to meet AODA’s 2025 deadline, implementation of the TTC’s accessibility plan is behind schedule. In the most recent <a href="https://files.ontario.ca/msaa-fourth-review-of-aoda-final-report-en-2023-06-30.pdf">AODA progress review</a>, Rich Donovan, CEO of The Return on Disability Group, declared a state of crisis following “17 years of missed opportunities,” “minimal change in accessibility” and reports of terrible accessibility experiences across the province.</p>
<p>Looking back reveals a deep history of transit <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-metro-50-years-criticism-1.3804756">criticism and activism in Montréal</a>. In 1988, members of the American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit (ADAPT) protested poor transit accessibility during the <a href="https://adaptmuseum.net/gallery/index.php?/category/24">American Public Transit Association (APTA) meetings held in Montréal</a>. This occurred two years before the iconic “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/us/ada-disabilities-act-history.html">Capitol Crawl</a>” in Washington, D.C. where, tired of congressional inertia, disabled protesters climbed the steps of the Capitol to push for the immediate passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/stSkqzI9mKY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A 2009 documentary about disabled persons’ experiences with Montréal transit.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Montréal’s Société de transport de Montréal (STM) now has a long-range accessibility plan with an <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/stm-metro-accessibility-plan-will-mean-more-elevators-ramps-1.4013361">aspirational end date of 2038</a>. The <a href="https://cutaactu.ca/stm-wins-equity-diversity-and-inclusion-award/">Canadian Urban Transit Association</a>) recently announced STM as the winner of an equity, diversity and inclusion award, noting it has “taken significant steps in enhancing customer accessibility since 2023.”</p>
<h2>The last millimetre problem</h2>
<p>Beyond a now seemingly normalized requirement for disabled persons to hold transit authorities to account, much of the progress underground has focused on elevators.</p>
<p>What I find astounding is the “last millimetre problem” — a wide gap or vertical misalignment between platforms and transit vehicles making it impossible or hazardous for some disabled persons, like my daughter, to get on or off the system. The problem seems to occur most often when newly acquired trains meet up with old stations. </p>
<p>In New York City, a vertical misalignment of up to six inches was reported in at least one MTA station. Gaps across the system have led to <a href="https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2022/10/26/riders-with-disabilities-sue-mta-to-close-the-gap-between-subway-train-and-platform/">more class-action litigation</a>. </p>
<p>As of 2019, the TTC has a subway platform gap retrofit program. Consultation
with its Accessibility Advisory Committee produced tolerances of <a href="https://pw.ttc.ca/-/media/Project/TTC/DevProto/Documents/Home/Public-Meetings/Board/2019/September_24/Reports/8_Subway_Platform_Gap_Retrofit_Program.pdf">89 mm or less and 38 mm or less respectively for horizontal and vertical misalignments</a>. Misalignment problems have also been reported <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/how-some-universally-accessible-montreal-metro-stations-are-not">across multiple Montréal Metro stations</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X231175595">Disability as an afterthought</a> makes platform and vehicle retrofit an inconvenient, costly necessity. The technical part of this problem can likely be solved with existing technology, like platform gap fillers and bridge plates. Waiting around for disabled passengers to engage in class-action litigation is not an effective strategy.</p>
<h2>Cycling infrastructure</h2>
<p>The voices of disabled persons have been relegated to the edges of the conversation about active transportation (cycling, walking) and healthy, climate-resilient urban futures.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v42i1.8276">Disabled persons ride bikes</a> on and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2059170883639">off-road</a>. The literature on cycling and disability focuses on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2017.01.013">planning for the inclusion of disabled cyclists</a>. Due consideration should also be given to interactions between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102896">disabled pedestrians</a> and transport infrastructure in general, including bike lanes. </p>
<p>Recently, a bike lane in Toronto was built level to an adjacent sidewalk, without sufficient aids to alert <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/blind-advocates-toronto-bike-lanes-1.7034433">blind pedestrians</a>. Design solutions exist — the Canadian National Institute for the Blind’s <a href="https://www.cnib.ca/en/sight-loss-info/clearing-our-path?region=on"><em>Clearing Our Path</em></a> suggests various types and applications of tactile walking surface indicators.</p>
<p>Curbside bike lanes can produce other <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2018/di/comm/communicationfile-79642.pdf">problems for disabled pedestrians</a>. For example, parking spaces adjacent to bike lanes with a step up to the sidewalk can force wheelchair users into the path of bicycles or vehicles.</p>
<p>Cycling infrastructure needs to be inclusive and safe infrastructure.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a bidirectional bike lane" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A bike lane in downtown Toronto.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Consulting the community</h2>
<p>Research, policy, legislation, design and technologies exist to improve urban accessibility. Despite real progress on both the legislative and infrastructure fronts, the lived experiences of disabled persons continue to highlight serious incongruity between legislation, policies and outcomes.</p>
<p>Accessibility advisory committees are often a requirement of provincial legislation, and enacted at the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/municipal-accessibility-advisory-committees">provincial or municipal levels of government</a>. Transit agencies often have separate committees comprised of community volunteers and agency staff — the <a href="https://www.ttc.ca/about-the-ttc/the-advisory-committee-on-accessible-transit">TTC</a>, <a href="https://new.mta.info/accessibility/ACTA">New York MTA</a> and <a href="https://www.stm.info/en/about/corporate-governance/board-committees/customer-service-and-universal-accessibility-committee">Montréal STM</a> all have committees. </p>
<p>Committee membership criteria should ensure adequate representation from within and across disability communities. Disabled community members should be compensated for sharing their specialized knowledge. </p>
<p>Real accountability, rather than performative empty consultation, should be the order of the day. Accessible cities can only happen when governments and their various agencies deeply listen to and act upon what disabled citizens have to say.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ron Buliung does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Decades of activism have resulted in legislation and infrastructure to make cities more accessible, but the lived experiences of disabled residents shows there’s still a long way to go.Ron Buliung, Professor, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2180172024-01-21T12:59:10Z2024-01-21T12:59:10ZAnti-racist, culturally responsive French immersion: Listening to racialized students is an important step towards equitable education<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562480/original/file-20231129-19-xh48rb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C12%2C4256%2C2765&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A study saw racialized students in Ontario French immersion programs write monologues and stories about their experiences, and also invited immersion stakeholders like teachers and parents to give feedback on
race and racism in Ontario immersion programs. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(CDC)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/anti-racist-culturally-responsive-french-immersion-listening-to-racialized-students-is-an-important-step-towards-equitable-education" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://education.macleans.ca/feature/just-say-non-the-problem-with-french-immersion/">Debates among researchers, educators and parents</a> continue about the successes and challenges with French immersion programs across English-speaking parts of Canada.</p>
<p>Programs are criticized for being elitist by some and praised for being exceptional by others. </p>
<p>My master’s research <a href="https://doi.org/10.37213/cjal.2023.32817">showed how Ontario and Toronto French immersion policies exacerbate inequities</a>, finding that program locations favoured middle-class students, curricula demonstrated a Eurocentric focus and colonial lens and program entry-points favoured established residents over newcomers.</p>
<p>My PhD work research has relied upon a collective creation research method known <a href="https://learninglandscapes.ca/index.php/learnland/article/view/1024/1040">as “playbuilding”</a> to propose ways French immersion programs can be more culturally responsive and anti-racist.</p>
<h2>Issues in French immersion</h2>
<p><a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793612731/French-Immersion-Ideologies-in-Canada">Research about students in Alberta has shown</a> that language levels of French immersion graduates are low and many lack confidence in their French skills.</p>
<p>French immersion programs have been known to exclude many students, particularly those with <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/docs/TDSB%20French%20Programs%20Review%20Mar082019.pdf">special education needs, multilingual learners, immigrants and lower-income students</a>. In the past, some immersion programs even <a href="https://www.peelschools.org/documents/Elementary-FI-Program-Review.pdf/Elementary-FI-Program-Review.pdf">required IQ testing for admission</a>. </p>
<p>With <a href="https://doi.org/10.37213/cjal.2023.32817">immersion programs in Toronto mainly found in white, middle-class areas</a>, it is unsurprising that white, middle-class students are the most present in Toronto programs.</p>
<p>In the Toronto District School Board, research about French immersion enrolment shows inequitable demographics have been <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/docs/TDSB%20French%20Programs%20Review%20Mar082019.pdf">improving in terms of racial and multilingual representation of enrolled students</a>. However, it also shows programs remain dominated by white, middle-class, anglophone students with few learning exceptionalities. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Black student seen sitting and reading between two white students." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">French immersion programs in the Toronto District School Board are still dominated by white students with few learning exceptionalities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley for EDUimages)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Documenting student experiences</h2>
<p>French immersion is a heavily researched program; however, <a href="https://doi.org/10.4000/glottopol.4039">research has largely ignored racial identity and racism</a>. </p>
<p>I invited French immersion stakeholders (like teachers, parents, staff and professors in teacher education programs) to engage with stories of racial minority students in Ontario French immersion programs, and my own experiences as a racialized French immersion teacher.</p>
<p>Firstly, my online study recruited two Black and one South Asian French immersion students from Ontario, aged 16–20. Over the course of two weeks, participants created monologues and wrote stories about their experiences as racial minority students in French immersion programs. Stories and monologues are <a href="https://mkunnas.wixsite.com/race-in-fi">available on our website</a>.</p>
<p>In the second stage of research, 39 French immersion stakeholders (students, teachers, parents, staff and professors in teacher education programs) viewed our website and responded to an online survey reacting to stories and suggestions for improving immersion. The findings from stage two support the findings from stage one.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A brown girl teen seen in discussion." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students wrote stories about their experiences as racial minority students in French immersion programs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley for EDU images)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Cultural learning and representation</h2>
<p>Cultural learning is required by the <a href="https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/fsl18-2013curr.pdf">French as a second language (including French immersion) curriculum</a>. Each grade focuses on different local or global cultures to help develop students’ intercultural competence. </p>
<p>For example, Grade 1 French immersion focuses on local francophone communities, Grade 8 focuses on France and Grade 10 focuses on French-speaking Africa and Asia. No matter the cultural focus, the curriculum calls for the inclusion of “diverse French speaking communities” in every grade.</p>
<p>Students in my study recounted that they did not learn about diverse French cultures. In some cases, they were not discussing culture at all. Students’ own cultures and races were also absent from their learning. </p>
<p>The representation in students’ learning was overwhelmingly white and European or Québécois. The lack of diversity is not representative of the curriculum or the reality of the French speaking world, which is <a href="http://observatoire.francophonie.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/LFDM-Synthese-Anglais.pdf">over 50 per cent people of colour</a>. </p>
<h2>Unchecked racism</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-critical-race-theory-make-people-so-uncomfortable-176125">In a racially structured and racist society</a>, the presence of racism in immersion programs is hardly shocking. However, the participants revealed many instances where racism could have been interrupted and was not.</p>
<p>In general, participants’ schools had a culture of racism where racist acts and speech (committed by students, teachers and administrators) were allowed to continue unchecked. </p>
<p>In many cases, teachers were not willing to intervene when racist incidents occurred in their French classes. In one case, a teacher even let a student use a racist French term repeatedly. </p>
<p>A few participants expressed that some teachers and administrators interrupt racism. However, even these teachers were not integrating anti-racist teaching (that is, integrating diverse racial representations and empowering students to combat racism and oppression).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/black-youth-yearn-for-black-teachers-to-disrupt-the-daily-silencing-of-their-experiences-177279">Black youth yearn for Black teachers to disrupt the daily silencing of their experiences</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Educators have important roles in integrating diverse racial representations and empowering students to combat racism and oppression.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley for EDU Images)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Call for change</h2>
<p>Students should not be subjected to racism and should be learning about the diverse realities of the French-speaking world so they can see themselves as legitimate French speakers. </p>
<p>Listening to the voices of racial minority students in French immersion programs in dialogue with research documenting program inequities is an important step towards creating more inclusive French immersion programs and schools. </p>
<p>The preliminary findings of my study, in conjunction with earlier research documenting a Eurocentric focus and colonial lens in Ontario and Toronto immersion programs, point to the need for <a href="https://omlta.org/how-to-be-an-anti-racist-educator-series">supporting anti-racist</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FikFP9lnIcQ">culturally responsive teaching and intercultural awareness</a> to make programs more welcoming to all students.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218017/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marika Kunnas receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Listening to voices of racialized students in French immersion matters for creating more inclusive schooling.Marika Kunnas, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Education, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2178912023-12-07T13:29:27Z2023-12-07T13:29:27ZBiases behind transgender athlete bans are deeply rooted<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563732/original/file-20231205-27-qcfbyg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=988%2C62%2C5002%2C4302&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A California teacher takes part in a demonstration in September 2023 to support the rights of transgender people.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/micki-simon-a-teacher-in-santa-ana-and-a-parent-of-news-photo/1652629912?adppopup=true">Leonard Ortiz/Orange County Register via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 2023, <a href="https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/youth/sports_participation_bans">24 states</a> had laws or regulations in place prohibiting transgender students from participating on public school athletic teams consistent with their gender identity. These bans mean that a person whose sex assigned at birth was male but who identifies as a girl or woman cannot play on a girls or women’s athletic team at a public school in that state.</p>
<p>The topic has spurred many <a href="https://www.cato.org/regulation/fall-2022/transgender-athletes-fair-competition-public-policy">debates about fairness</a>, the science behind <a href="https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/38209262/transgender-athlete-laws-state-legislation-science">sports performance</a>, <a href="https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-condemns-house-vote-on-federal-ban-on-transgender-student-athletes">civil rights</a> and sports as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/kr.2021-0040">human right</a>. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xU8P9K4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">researchers</a> who <a href="https://www.diversityinsport.com/lab-members">study</a> diversity, equity and inclusion in sport, we were interested in understanding what prompted such bans. Though not a surprise, we showed for the first time through an <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53e51960e4b0f38ca4081a61/t/656fa1c769a9f848e8b4c25e/1701814727449/Politics%2C+Bias%2C+and+Transgender+Athlete+Ban+%28Blind%29+%28Final%29.pdf">in-depth study</a> set to be published in the peer-reviewed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2023-0137">Journal of Sport Management</a> that state-level politics and public biases against transgender people are largely to blame.</p>
<h2>Our research</h2>
<p>We collected two years of data in 2021 and 2022 on <a href="https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/youth/sports_participation_bans">states that passed</a> legislation prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in sports on teams that connect with their own gender identities. </p>
<p>To determine the political leanings of a state’s population, we <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/about-state-legislatures/state-partisan-composition">collected data</a> about the share of Republican state senators and the party affiliation of the governor.</p>
<p>Finally, we collected information about the biases people had toward transgender individuals. The data came from responses to the <a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html">Project Implicit website</a>. People visiting the site can take tests aimed at measuring their biases toward different groups, including transgender people. Administrators then remove identifying information and <a href="https://osf.io/y9hiq/">make the data</a> freely available. For our study, we aggregated the responses to have transgender bias scores for each state.</p>
<h2>The politics of transgender bans</h2>
<p>States whose residents have conservative political leanings tend to have more restrictive views on civil rights issues such as <a href="https://doi.org/DOI:10.1177/1532440014524212">immigration</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306126">health care</a> and the use of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/sof.2004.0115">death penalty</a>.</p>
<p>These patterns hold for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0160323X21990839">transgender rights</a>, too.</p>
<p>In our work, we found that states with conservative-leaning legislatures such as in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/03/21/1164917836/wyoming-governor-calls-trans-athlete-ban-bill-draconian-and-then-allows-it-to-pa">Wyoming</a> and <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/supreme-court-says-transgender-girl-can-run-track-in-west-virginia-as-lawsuit-proceeds">West Virginia</a> were most likely to enact transgender athlete bans. As were states with Republican governors, such as <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/01/desantis-transgender-sports-bill-491495">Ron DeSantis</a> in Florida and <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-transgender-college-athletes-bill-greg-abbott-sb-15/">Greg Abbott</a> in Texas.</p>
<p>These statewide patterns are consistent with national political actions. </p>
<p>In 2023, the Biden administration <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/12/politics/republican-governors-letter-transgender-sports-ban-title-ix/index.html">proposed a change</a> to Title IX, the federal law that bans sex discrimination at K-12 schools and colleges that receive federal funds. Under Biden’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/06/us/transgender-athletes-title-ix-biden-adminstration.html">proposed changes</a>, Title IX would also ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.</p>
<p>In response, nearly all – <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/12/politics/republican-governors-letter-transgender-sports-ban-title-ix/index.html">25 of the 26 Republican governors</a> – called on Biden to delay or withdraw the rule change. To date, Biden <a href="https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/a-flood-of-public-feedback-has-delayed-a-title-ix-change-covering-trans-athletes-again/2023/09">has not made</a> a final decision and has delayed the change.</p>
<h2>Bias against transgender people</h2>
<p>But politics tells only part of the story.</p>
<p>We found that conservative political leanings spurred collective biases against transgender people, which in turn prompted the bans.</p>
<p>Political scientists have previously shown that politicians craft narratives and frame their arguments in ways that help shape people’s attitudes about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12475">social issues</a>. In fact, people will sometimes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12243">adjust their perspectives</a> to align with those held by their political representatives. </p>
<p>That’s what we found.</p>
<h2>Impact on sports and athletes</h2>
<p>Biases that are prevalent in a community or state represent <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.08.001">systemic forms</a> of oppression. Coupled with laws that limit rights, collective biases serve to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.010">stigmatize transgender people</a>, hurting their overall <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15856-9">health and well-being</a>. </p>
<p>The impact is far-reaching. </p>
<p>Transgender athletes face the real possibility of participating in a sport one day, only to be prohibited from doing so the next. Ending a career in sports, regardless at what age, <a href="http://csri-jiia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/RA_2019_19.pdf.pdf">can harm</a> the mental health of some athletes, something only likely to be magnified given the reason for the end. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Four sprinters run at an indoor track meet." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401062/original/file-20210517-21-km9t86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401062/original/file-20210517-21-km9t86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401062/original/file-20210517-21-km9t86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401062/original/file-20210517-21-km9t86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401062/original/file-20210517-21-km9t86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401062/original/file-20210517-21-km9t86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401062/original/file-20210517-21-km9t86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bloomfield High School transgender athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins the final of the 55-meter dash over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood, far left, at a Connecticut girls Class S indoor track meet in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/TransgenderAthletesHighSchool/bf19d959b3c24a53b4d315f9a26f8ddc/photo?Query=title%20AND%20ix&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=181&currentItemNo=2">AP Photo/Pat Eaton-Robb</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Coaches and sport administrators living in conservative states might find themselves having to navigate laws affecting who can play on their teams. They can do so by partnering with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2019.04.025">campus counselors</a> and ensuring their athletic departments are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2014-0135">inclusive spaces</a>. </p>
<h2>What’s next?</h2>
<p>The links among conservative politics, collective biases against transgender people and transgender rights are unlikely to diminish any time soon. National political reporters <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/16/us/politics/transgender-conservative-campaign.html">Adam Nagourney and Jeremy Peter</a> explained that social conservatives have targeted transgender rights as a way of galvanizing their constituents. The GOP efforts came about after planning by national conservative organizations to “harness the emotion around gender politics.”</p>
<p>Proponents of transgender inclusion <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-985-920221002">have offered counterarguments</a>, showing that transgender athletes are not a threat to women’s sports, nor have they ever been. </p>
<p>This data is important but will go only so far when combating biases. </p>
<p>Education and the chance to be around transgender people in everyday life also help <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-0110-6">curb prejudice</a>. These collective factors, when combined with <a href="https://hbr.org/2011/03/using-stories-as-a-tool-of-per">compelling stories</a> about transgender inclusion in sports, may be what’s needed to overcome the biases in place.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217891/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sports researchers learned that conservative political leanings among state legislators lead to biases against transgender athletes among voters.George B. Cunningham, UAA Endowed Professor of Sport Management, University of FloridaKelsey Garrison, PhD student, Department of Sports Management, University of FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2177422023-12-05T22:16:16Z2023-12-05T22:16:16ZMicrosoft’s ban on third-party controllers on the Xbox excludes some disabled gamers from using the device<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563483/original/file-20231204-15-zq5wh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C18%2C4031%2C2999&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Xbox Adaptive Controller was designed to make gaming more accessible.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/microsofts-ban-on-third-party-controllers-on-the-xbox-excludes-some-disabled-gamers-from-using-the-device" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>When it comes to accessibility in gaming, Microsoft takes two steps forward with the Xbox Adaptive Controller, but a giant leap back with its ban on third-party devices.</p>
<p>On Oct. 31, some Xbox players began receiving a <a href="https://tech.hindustantimes.com/gaming/news/banned-microsoft-takes-firm-stance-on-third-party-xbox-controllers-and-accessories-71698733625081.html">new error code</a> on their Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles. The error code meant that players were using an unauthorized third-party controller — one not made by Microsoft or an official <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/designed-for-xbox">hardware partner</a>. Players were given two weeks’ notice until the unauthorized controller would no longer work with their consoles. </p>
<p>Essentially, Microsoft had quietly banned the use of controllers not made or approved by the company. In the following weeks, Microsoft officially stated the ban was meant to protect players’ gaming experiences, and <a href="https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/errors/error-code-0x82d60002">ensure the quality and safety of players’ controllers</a>. </p>
<p>The ban, however, presents barriers to many disabled gamers who may use third-party controllers for accessibility reasons. </p>
<h2>Social exclusion and accessibility</h2>
<p>When we talk about accessibility and the social exclusion of disabled people, we often do not consider accessible forms of leisure <a href="https://nyupress.org/9781479853434/restricted-access/">to be important</a>. </p>
<p>Legal policies such as the <a href="https://www.ada.gov/">Americans with Disabilities Act</a> and the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/05a11">Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act</a> that legislate access to public spaces and provide protection from employment discrimination are often viewed as more important.</p>
<p>But video games are a massive source of entertainment for both children and adults. The gaming industry is currently the <a href="https://gamerhub.co.uk/gaming-industry-dominates-as-the-highest-grossing-entertainment-industry/">highest-grossing entertainment industry worldwide</a>. With an estimated 6.2 million disabled people in <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2018002-eng.htm">Canada</a>, 61 million disabled people in the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability-inclusion.html">United States</a> and 1.3 billion disabled people <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health">worldwide</a>, there is undoubtedly a large group of disabled video game players. </p>
<p>In order to have a truly inclusive and accessible society, disabled people’s rights to meaningfully take part in accessible forms of entertainment, leisure and play <a href="http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1486508.1486516">must be supported</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a man in a wheelchair with a game controller" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Video games are the highest-grossing entertainment activity, and ignoring the needs of disabled gamers affects their ability to meaningfully participate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Video game accessibility</h2>
<p>In recent years, Microsoft has been a leader in video game accessibility. In 2018, they were the first major gaming company to release an adaptive controller.</p>
<p>The Xbox Adaptive Controller is a customizable controller that allows players to connect external devices (foot pedals, joysticks, buttons, switches) to ports on the back of the controller. This controller design allows players to <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/05/xbox-adaptive-controller-a-bold-answer-to-the-tricky-world-of-accessible-gaming/">construct their own unique gaming setup</a>. Someone previously unable to hold a controller would now be able to play a game mainly with their feet, for example. </p>
<p>Because controllers require a high amount of dexterity to use, many disabled people (particularly those with mobility impairments) are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-010-0189-5">not able to play video games</a>. <a href="https://www.atia.org/home/at-resources/what-is-at/">Assistive technologies</a> like the Xbox Adaptive Controller help <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267403944_Game_Not_Over_Accessibility_Issues_in_Video_Games">make video games more accessible</a>. </p>
<p>Disabled players have <a href="https://doi.org/10.5334/csci.128">made their own accessibility solutions</a> for years. The Xbox Adaptive Controller was a massive step forward for video game accessibility because it showed official support for accessibility in gaming from a major video game company.</p>
<h2>Banned third-party controllers</h2>
<p>Microsoft has taken a step back in their efforts to champion video game accessibility with their recent announcement. While they have clarified that devices compatible with the Xbox Adaptive Controller will <a href="https://twitter.com/KaitlynJones_/status/1719668307379278135">not be affected</a>, this does not eliminate all accessibility concerns.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1719668307379278135"}"></div></p>
<p>Disability is individual and varies from person to person. While the Xbox Adaptive Controller may work for many disabled gamers, that does not make it a universal solution that works for all disabled gamers. </p>
<p>The Xbox Adaptive Controller is only one accessibility option among many available to disabled gamers. The ban on third-party controllers means that other accessibility options and <a href="https://www.consoletuner.com/products/titan-two/">devices are now unusable</a> for Xbox players.</p>
<h2>Downsides of the Xbox Adaptive Controller</h2>
<p>The Xbox Adaptive Controller is a great accessibility option — however, it has downsides that other third-party devices may address. One of these downsides is that the Xbox Adaptive Controller is not compatible with all external devices. For example, computer mice are <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/disabledgamers/comments/11rkazg/xbox_adaptive_controller_mouse/">not compatible</a> with the Adaptive Controller but are with other now-unauthorized <a href="https://www.cronusmax.com/">devices</a>. </p>
<p>Another downside of the Xbox Adaptive Controller is <a href="https://caniplaythat.com/2020/09/24/xbox-adaptive-controller-review-xbox-pc/">the cost</a>. The controller itself <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-CA/accessories/controllers/xbox-adaptive-controller">costs $130</a>. External buttons and joysticks can also run a high price, with some popular buttons <a href="https://www.ablenetinc.com/big-red/">retailing for $75</a>. This is on top of the initial cost of buying an Xbox, which can range from <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-CA/consoles/xbox-series-s">$380</a> to <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-CA/consoles/xbox-series-x">$650</a>.</p>
<p>According to the 2017 <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2018002-eng.htm">Canadian Survey on Disability</a>, disabled individuals are more than twice as likely as non-disabled people to live in poverty. Disabled people also earn 12 to 51 per cent less annually.</p>
<p>While we may not think about the price of assistive technologies like the Xbox Adaptive Controller as an accessibility barrier, it can play a role in limiting the available options for many disabled people.</p>
<h2>Historically overlooked</h2>
<p>The availability of the Xbox Adaptive Controller may make it seem like Microsoft’s ban of third-party controllers will have little effect on disabled players. But the <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/why-xboxs-third-party-accessories-ban-is-sparking-a-backlash-in-the-disabled-community">backlash from disabled gamers</a> shows this is not true. Disabled players are concerned about the ban’s possible effects on accessibility.</p>
<p>The video game industry has historically <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392326">overlooked disabled gamers</a> as a legitimate and sizeable consumer base. The banning of other assistive technology options for disabled gamers is an unfortunate step back in an already long and hard-fought battle for inclusive and accessible gaming.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217742/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Juan Escobar-Lamanna does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Xbox Adaptive Controller is designed to make gaming more inclusive, but Microsoft’s ban on third-party devices means some disabled gamers are still excluded.Juan Escobar-Lamanna, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2171552023-11-20T21:11:36Z2023-11-20T21:11:36ZThe 15-minute city is a popular planning approach, but relies on ableist assumptions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559829/original/file-20231116-20-8b0gta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C3988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Designing cities around the amount of time needed to reach services and amenities is a popular planning approach.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/the-15-minute-city-is-a-popular-planning-approach-but-relies-on-ableist-assumptions" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The 15-minute city is a popular urban planning concept that promotes people living close to essential services, and encourages the use of walking and biking. Public transit is sometimes included in the transport mix, preferred to automobiles, which are largely absent.</p>
<p>Developed around 2016 by Paris-based urbanist <a href="https://www.moreno-web.net/">Carlos Moreno</a>, the idea of the 15-minute city has spread globally. Moreno subscribes to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X14535905">chrono-urbanism</a>, or the idea of organizing cities around time including the 15-minute city.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TQ2f4sJVXAI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Urbanist Carlos Moreno describes the 15-minute city approach.</span></figcaption>
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<p>For his work, Moreno has received numerous accolades and negative attention, particularly from the political <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/technology/carlos-moreno-15-minute-cities-conspiracy-theories.html">right and conspiracy theorists</a> claiming it will restrict people’s <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-15-minute-city-conspiracy-162fd388f0c435a8289cc9ea213f92ee">freedom of movement</a>.</p>
<p>Moreno isn’t the only contemporary urbanist who thinks about time as a key organizing principle for the design of sustainable cities. Variations on the theme include: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2019.05.005">15-minute walkable neighbourhoods</a>, the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/1/129">20-minute city</a>, the <a href="https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/21630">30-minute city</a>, and so on. </p>
<p>None of these, however, have gained as much traction as the 15-minute city. Moreno’s work has been plugged into the global <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities4010006">conversation about UN Sustainable Development Goal 11</a>: making cities and communities “<a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal11">inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable</a>.”</p>
<p>Can one planning concept possibly lead us toward sustainable and inclusive urban futures? </p>
<h2>Health, time and the past</h2>
<p>One unifying feature of the 15-minute city — or 20-, or 30-minute city — seems to be that by making most everyday activities doable by moving actively over shorter distances, we will become healthier. Research has already shown that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2015.04.005">driving less will likely produce health benefits for some people</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heart-health-design-cities-differently-and-it-can-help-us-live-longer-162038">Heart health: design cities differently and it can help us live longer</a>
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<p>Another area of consensus appears to be that these approaches, employed globally, will successfully treat our <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203107683-1/understanding-twenty-first-century-urban-transformation-elliott-sclar-nicole-volavka-close">largely urban</a> and catastrophic engagement with the environment. </p>
<p>While the 15-minute city might be considered revelatory by some, the relationship between cities and time is as old as cities. In the North American context, before the car and before and during the <a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781442679351/ride-to-modernity/">bike boom of the 1890s</a>, amenities and services were located close to where people lived.</p>
<h2>Ableism and disability</h2>
<p>I think about planning, cities and transportation through a critical ableist and disability studies lens. My lived experience as a parent of a disabled child also informs my <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2023.2279488">research on urban accessibility</a>. </p>
<p>When considering the 15-minute city, I think about the relationship between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/dev.2008.17">ableism</a> — the practices and abilities considered <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203366974">normative by society</a> and the social model of disability. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-86058-6">social model of disability</a> — one of several frameworks — is the idea that disability is produced by discriminatory barriers in society. Ableism produces disability.</p>
<p>The 15-minute city relies on residents’ abilities to walk and bike. This raises several questions: What if a resident’s body <a href="https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v42i1.8276">doesn’t walk or bike</a> in what is considered a normative sense? What if someone <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2022.103521">uses a mobility device or moves at a slower pace</a>? What if a resident requires <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2021.04.005">public or school transportation vehicles to be adapted</a>? </p>
<p>There is no universality to 15 minutes spent in any city. Marginalized people, for example, are more likely to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103003">harassed</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2023.103576">over-policed</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559831/original/file-20231116-27-rt97p3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a green wall with handwritten graffiti saying 15 MINUTE CITIES R EVIL WILL TAKE OUR FREEDOM" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559831/original/file-20231116-27-rt97p3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559831/original/file-20231116-27-rt97p3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559831/original/file-20231116-27-rt97p3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559831/original/file-20231116-27-rt97p3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559831/original/file-20231116-27-rt97p3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559831/original/file-20231116-27-rt97p3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559831/original/file-20231116-27-rt97p3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Graffiti in a Weston-super-Mare, U.K. bus shelter referring to conspiracy theories about 15-minute cities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Planning policy and regulation</h2>
<p>Urban planning and city building occur with a regulatory context. The 15-minute city is unlikely to materialize without professional scrutiny and regulatory compliance. </p>
<p>In Ontario, the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/05a11">Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act</a>, the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/110191">Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation</a>, the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/120332">Ontario Building Code</a> and zoning by-laws regulate accessibility in cities. The <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/ontario-human-rights-code">Ontario Human Rights Code</a> — which prohibits discrimination — protects the right of equal access to services. </p>
<p>The details of this regulatory environment reveal an emphasis on physical disability and serious <a href="https://aoda.ca/recommendations-in-the-third-review-of-the-aoda/">limitations</a> in terms of revision and enforcement. It would therefore be foolish to rely on such a relatively inflexibly narrow regulatory environment to make up for any ableist limitations of planning concepts used to shape sustainable, inclusive urban futures. </p>
<h2>Educating planners</h2>
<p>Disability is often an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X231175595">afterthought in planning education and practice</a>. Perhaps this reflects a lack of representation of disability, and disabled persons in planning education and professional practice. </p>
<p>Designing sustainable, inclusive urban futures, however, requires inclusive education, thinking, rhetoric and design from the beginning. My challenge to those involved in urban design and planning — including planners, engineers, geographers and architects — is to consider what cities or neighbourhoods might look like when <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Doing-Disability-Differently-An-alternative-handbook-on-architecture-disability/Boys/p/book/9780415824958">designed</a> with <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/the-architecture-of-disability">disability in mind</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217155/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ron Buliung does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The idea of the 15-minute city has become popular globally. But this approach relies on ableist assumptions and doesn’t reflect inclusive urban design.Ron Buliung, Professor, Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2143552023-11-12T14:02:50Z2023-11-12T14:02:50ZHow workplaces can create more inclusive environments for employees with deafness and hearing loss<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558486/original/file-20231108-27-9y4qc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=99%2C71%2C9390%2C6245&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Despite the increasing representation of persons with hearing loss in the workplace, discrimination, a lack of accessibility and isolation still prevent equity and inclusion.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-workplaces-can-create-more-inclusive-environments-for-employees-with-deafness-and-hearing-loss" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Hearing loss is a critical diversity, equity and inclusion issue for managers and employers. Persons with hearing loss are a growing population around the world. According to the World Health Organization, over <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss">five per cent of the world’s population</a> — or 430 million people — have disabling hearing loss. This number is expected to rise to over 700 million by 2050. </p>
<p>Despite the increasing number of persons with hearing loss in the workplace, <a href="https://www.chha.ca/new-govt-of-canada-grant-funded-post-secondary-program-for-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-canadians/">only 20.6 per cent of Canadians</a> with hearing loss are employed full-time. Discrimination, a lack of accessibility and isolation still prevent equity and inclusion at work. Persons with hearing loss also <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26235284">experience higher levels of stress</a> and fatigue and earn lower incomes.</p>
<p>Persons with hearing loss have diverse preferences and skills that can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/enz018">affect their career outcomes</a>. Knowledge of disability, reasonable workplace accommodations, effective communication skills and support from mentors and peer networks all contribute to positive career outcomes. </p>
<p>However, experiences can vary greatly by hearing loss type and job demands. For example, sign language users may have more access to Deaf communities and resources, but less access to mainstream opportunities. Spoken language users may have more access to mainstream opportunities, but less access to Deaf communities and resources. </p>
<h2>How do persons with hearing loss cope with isolation at work?</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063221143714">Our new study</a> examines how employees with hearing loss cope with feeling isolated at work. We found that how employees cope depends on both the severity of hearing loss and the quality of their relationship with their supervisors.</p>
<p>Specifically, our results suggest the severity of an employee’s hearing loss influences the degree to which they rely on professional connections for their sense of self. This, in turn, has consequences for their career outcomes, especially for those with less supportive supervisors. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman with hearing aids working at a computer" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558484/original/file-20231108-19-ybwsgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558484/original/file-20231108-19-ybwsgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558484/original/file-20231108-19-ybwsgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558484/original/file-20231108-19-ybwsgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558484/original/file-20231108-19-ybwsgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558484/original/file-20231108-19-ybwsgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558484/original/file-20231108-19-ybwsgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">About 430 million people have hearing loss — a number expected to rise to over 700 million by 2050.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Surprisingly, we found that employees with more severe hearing loss tend to fare better in terms of the impact of isolation on career outcomes. This is because employees with more severe hearing loss were more likely to experience awkward, anxious and frustrating interactions with co-workers and have a harder time building and maintaining professional connections. </p>
<p>As a result, employees with more severe hearing loss usually placed less importance on professional connections and more importance on connections with other persons with hearing loss, making them less sensitive to isolation from professional connections.</p>
<h2>What can persons with hearing loss do to support themselves?</h2>
<p>Our research found that persons with hearing loss use a number of strategies to help themselves thrive in their careers. One thing persons with hearing loss do is accepting and embracing hearing loss as part of their identity. This positively changes how they view themselves and their relationship to work.</p>
<p>Many persons with hearing loss also redefine their personal definitions of career success. They shift from material achievements to social contributions, personal growth and well-being. Some end up moving to new roles or occupations that better match their changing skills, interests and values.</p>
<p>Some even turn their hearing loss into an asset. For instance, attorneys, doctors or therapists with hearing loss can focus on serving clients and patients who share their condition. </p>
<p>Persons with hearing loss often expanded their professional networks to include others in the community. This may involve affiliations with organizations like the <a href="https://alda.org/">Association of Late-Deafened Adults</a>, <a href="https://www.chha.ca/">Canadian Hard of Hearing Association</a>, <a href="https://cad-asc.ca/">Canadian Association of the Deaf</a>, <a href="https://www.hearingloss.org/">Hearing Loss Association of America</a> and the <a href="https://www.nad.org/">National Association of the Deaf</a>.</p>
<p>Our research underscores the resilience and adaptability of persons with hearing loss in the workplace. By redefining success, shifting their perspectives and expanding their networks to include supportive communities, persons with hearing loss are able to lead rich and fulfilling professional lives.</p>
<h2>What can co-workers and supervisors do to help make workplaces more inclusive?</h2>
<p>There are a number of practices supervisors can adopt to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726716687388">support employees with hearing loss effectively</a>. These practices include: avoid assuming an employee with a disability is less able, ask persons with hearing loss about their preferred communication methods and <a href="https://askjan.org/about-us/index.cfm">provide reasonable accommodations</a> for them, such as interpreters, captioning, assistive devices and flexible work arrangements.</p>
<p>These can help persons with hearing loss to communicate effectively, participate in meetings and training sessions, access information and resources and perform their jobs effectively. Supervisors should create a sense of openness and flexibility so employees feel comfortable requesting accommodations as needed. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of three people having a conversation using sign language" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558483/original/file-20231108-27-bpk798.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558483/original/file-20231108-27-bpk798.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558483/original/file-20231108-27-bpk798.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558483/original/file-20231108-27-bpk798.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558483/original/file-20231108-27-bpk798.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558483/original/file-20231108-27-bpk798.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558483/original/file-20231108-27-bpk798.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Supervisors and co-workers should learn more inclusive communication skills, like basic sign language, to help persons with hearing loss to communicate effectively at work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In addition, supervisors and co-workers should learn more inclusive communication skills. For example, they can learn basic sign language, use clear and articulate language, speak more slowly and clearly, and avoid covering their mouths when speaking as this can hinder lip-reading. Many persons with hearing loss also find it easier to communicate one-on-one in well-lit, quiet locations.</p>
<p>Regular check-ins with employees to see how things are going, what challenges they are facing and if they need any support are also essential. Supervisors and co-workers should raise awareness, educate others, challenge stereotypes and promote accessibility at work. They should advocate for a more inclusive and respectful work environment for all employees, especially those with hearing loss.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214355/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liu-Qin Yang receives funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brent John Lyons, Camellia Bryan, and David C Baldridge do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Discrimination, a lack of accessibility and isolation still prevent persons with hearing loss from experiencing equity and inclusion at work.David C Baldridge, Professor of Management/Organizational Behavior, Oregon State UniversityBrent John Lyons, York Research Chair in Stigmatization & Social Identity, Associate Professor of Organization Studies, York University, CanadaCamellia Bryan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Rotman School of Management, University of TorontoLiu-Qin Yang, Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Portland State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2155082023-11-03T12:43:53Z2023-11-03T12:43:53ZWhat is intersectionality? A scholar of organizational behavior explains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556869/original/file-20231031-21-gebvyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=413%2C62%2C2582%2C1782&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Civil rights advocate and legal scholar Kimberle Crenshaw speaks in New York City on Feb. 7, 2015. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/kimberle-crenshaw-speaks-onstage-at-the-3rd-annual-one-news-photo/463097436?adppopup=true">Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In modern conversations on race and politics, a popular buzzword has emerged to describe the impact of belonging to multiple social categories. </p>
<p>Known as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/19/us/intersectionality-feminism-explainer-cec/index.html">intersectionality</a>, the social theory has a complex history and refers to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/intersectionality-how-gender-interacts-with-other-social-identities-to-shape-bias-53724">intertwining of different identities</a>, such as class, gender and age. It is often applied as a way to understand how individuals may experience multiple forms of prejudice simultaneously. </p>
<p>The theory assumes that meanings associated with one identity are insufficient to explain the experiences associated with multiple, coexisting identities.</p>
<h2>The origins of intersectionality</h2>
<p>The term has its roots in feminist, racial and legal academic literature. </p>
<p>In 1977, the Combahee River Collective, a group of Black feminists, issued the <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0028151/">Combahee River Collective Statement</a>. The statement introduced the idea that one’s race, sex, sexual orientation and class were subject to different forms of oppression but ought to be examined simultaneously.</p>
<p>The term was formally coined a dozen years later by Columbia Law Professor <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/5/20/18542843/intersectionality-conservatism-law-race-gender-discrimination">Kimberlé Crenshaw</a>, one of the scholars behind <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/09/20/the-man-behind-critical-race-theory">critical race theory</a>. </p>
<p>That theory comprises a <a href="https://theconversation.com/critical-race-theory-what-it-is-and-what-it-isnt-162752">set of concepts</a> that frame racism as structural, rather than simply expressed through personal discrimination. Scholars <a href="https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/cnr/date/2021-05-22/segment/04">such as Crenshaw</a> point to racial discrepancies in educational achievement, economic and employment opportunities and in the criminal justice system as evidence of how racism is embedded in U.S. institutions.</p>
<p>In her <a href="https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol1989/iss1/8/">1989 paper</a> “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex,” Crenshaw drew upon several legal cases to describe how Black women experience discrimination “greater than the sum of racism and sexism.”</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ROwquxC_Gxc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw defines and discusses ‘intersectionality’ – a term she coined in the late 1980s to describe how individuals may experience multiple forms of prejudice simultaneously.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In a speech two years later at the the Center for American Women and Politics Forum for Women State Legislators, Crenshaw <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/scal65&div=70&id=&page=">further explained</a> that in order to address “sexual harassment of African American women,” policymakers needed to understand the “intersections of race and gender.”</p>
<p>Today, Crenshaw hosts a podcast titled “<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/intersectionality-matters/id1441348908">Intersectionality Matters!</a>” where she discusses the relevance of intersectionality in the #MeToo movement, the COVID-19 pandemic and other modern topics. She has also <a href="https://time.com/5786710/kimberle-crenshaw-intersectionality/">expressed concern</a> over ways that the term has been distorted amid its politicization. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Intersectionality explores how people experience life through multiple coexisting identities. </p>
<p>Outside of intersectionality’s academic origins, there are many debates today over whether it is important for understanding workplace and policy issues.</p>
<p>Organizations are increasingly promoting intersectionality as part of their human resource strategies. For instance, <a href="https://us.pg.com/gender-equality/">Procter & Gamble Co.</a>, a large organization with common household brands such as Tide and Pampers, is one of them. “We’re creating an inclusive, gender-equal environment within P&G, while advocating for gender and intersectional equality in workplaces everywhere,” the company says on its website.</p>
<p>Two large consulting firms, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/bem/our-insights/race-in-the-uk-workplace-the-intersectional-experience">McKinsey & Company</a> and <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/dei/intersections-of-identity.html">Deloitte</a>, have also urged corporate clients to gather and analyze data related to their employees’ intersectionality. They argue that further understanding of intersectionality allows for more tailored firm strategies and equitable workplaces. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Hundreds of women are carrying signs during a march in New York City." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557109/original/file-20231101-21-klhbi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557109/original/file-20231101-21-klhbi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557109/original/file-20231101-21-klhbi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557109/original/file-20231101-21-klhbi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557109/original/file-20231101-21-klhbi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557109/original/file-20231101-21-klhbi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557109/original/file-20231101-21-klhbi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Demonstrators hold signs during the Women’s March in New York City on Jan. 19, 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/marcher-with-a-sign-that-says-vote-with-intersectionality-news-photo/1199544932?adppopup=true">Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Applying this guidance, Google created <a href="https://about.google/belonging/at-work/">Self-ID</a> “to build a workforce that’s representative of our users.” Self-ID allows Google employees the option to share identities beyond their race, ethnicity and binary gender with Google management. </p>
<p>In its <a href="https://about.google/belonging/diversity-annual-report/2022/methodology/">2022 Annual Diversity Report</a>, Google described how Self-ID further “helps to make everyone at Google more visible” and encourages a more inclusive workplace.</p>
<p>Yet, these efforts do not come without controversy. </p>
<p>Shortly after the 2020 <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/racial-bias-trainings-surged-after-george-floyds-death-a-year-later-experts-are-still-waiting-for-bold-change">George Floyd murder</a>, the FBI offered an employee training session on intersectionality. Training materials were obtained by Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, through a <a href="https://christopherrufo.com/p/the-federal-bureau-of-intersectionality">Freedom of Information Act request</a>. The training encouraged employees to reflect on their intersectionality and the role of intersectionality at work. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-intersectionality-training">Conservative critics</a> question the role of such training in creating equitable workplaces and argue instead that it encourages claims of racial discrimination and oppression in America. </p>
<h2>The politics of intersectionality</h2>
<p>Some elected officials have voiced support for policies that account for individuals’ intersectionality. In early 2022, for instance, U.S. Rep. <a href="https://www.suffolk.edu/news-features/news/2022/02/25/03/13/ayanna-pressley-speaks-at-ram-inclusion-week">Ayanna Pressley</a>, a Democrat from Massachusetts, explained during a talk at Suffolk University, “We live in intersectionality … and our policies have to reflect that.” </p>
<p>To that end, Pressley introduced in 2023 the <a href="https://pressley.house.gov/2023/06/22/ahead-of-dobbs-anniversary-pressley-colleagues-advocates-unveil-abortion-justice-act/">Abortion Justice Act</a> to provide abortion access to all individuals “regardless of zip code, immigration status, income, or background.” <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4061259-pressley-decriminalize-abortion-new-legislation/">She described the act</a> as “inclusive and intersectional.”</p>
<p>Yet, other politicians have limited public discussions on intersectionality, especially within schools. </p>
<p>In May 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/266">Florida Senate Bill 266</a> in his <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/05/15/1176210007/florida-ron-desantis-dei-ban-diversity">ongoing effort</a> to eliminate state funding for diversity training programs in public schools and universities.</p>
<p>Although the <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-is-stripped-out-of-floridas-higher-ed-reform-bill">term intersectionality was ultimately removed</a> during revisions of the bill, the new law prohibits teachers from using theories that suggest “systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent … and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequalities.” </p>
<p>For Crenshaw, the problem with such anti-woke laws is deeper than a question of censorship, but instead an attack on those “who value a multiracial democracy.”</p>
<p>“The whole point of anti-wokeness is to fundamentally change the story of the continuing relevance of enslavement and segregation,” <a href="https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2023-07-31/laws-banning-critical-race-theory-in-schools-will-persist-one-of-its-originators-says-its-time-to-address-the-deeper-issue">Crenshaw said</a> on Boston Public Radio in July 2023. “It chills teachers not to teach this material.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215508/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Hymer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>First used in the 1970s, the social theory known as intersectionality triggered widespread debate on racial identifications and the interplay among categories.Christina Hymer, Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2158682023-10-30T22:09:44Z2023-10-30T22:09:44ZMental health needs to be a cornerstone of equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/mental-health-needs-to-be-a-cornerstone-of-equity-diversity-and-inclusion-initiatives" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Equity, diversity and inclusion programs have become ubiquitous in the workplace. As organizations publicly express their commitment to diversity and inclusion, there is a growing concern that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2014/sep/29/diversity-is-a-bombastic-buzzword-and-im-over-it">these concepts are merely buzzwords</a> to make organizations look more socially responsible.</p>
<p>There has also been a <a href="https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/countering-the-corporate-diversity-backlash">growing backlash</a> <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/10/the-diversity-backlash-here-s-how-to-resist-it/">against the diversity, equity and inclusion movement</a>. So, too, is the recognition that diversity statements <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-corporate-diversity-statements-are-backfiring-podcast-190726">can backfire against diverse applicants</a> or <a href="https://business.vanderbilt.edu/news/2018/02/26/tokenism-in-the-workplace/">reek of tokenism</a>. They can result in <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/03/the-unintended-consequences-of-diversity-statements">unintended consequences</a>, like making organizations less likely to notice discrimination or forcing job applicants to tone down their racial identity to increase their chance of a callback. </p>
<p>There is evidence that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-06-2021-0839">bias and diversity training that isn’t grounded in research</a> can be ineffective or <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-problem-with-implicit-bias-training">even have the opposite of the intended effect</a>. Poorly executed equity, diversity and inclusion programs can provoke resentment among certain groups, <a href="https://time.com/5118035/diversity-training-infuriates-men-fails-women/">like white men</a>, or <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/01/diversity-policies-dont-help-women-or-minorities-and-they-make-white-men-feel-threatened">provide a smokescreen for increased discrimination</a>.</p>
<p>On the bright side, the <a href="https://www.mondaq.com/canada/health-safety/971078/why-workplace-diversity-and-inclusion-matter">need to take diversity seriously</a> has grown, too. Arguments for successful equity, diversity and inclusion programs (EDI) often point to <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/how-dei-and-sustainability-can-grow-your-triple-bottom-line/425157">how it can grow the bottom line</a> or <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/08/16/the-power-of-diversity-and-inclusion-driving-innovation-and-success/">improve innovation</a>. Others seek to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/15344843211072356">reconcile the business and social justice cases for diversity</a>. </p>
<p>But there is another part of this conversation that <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/onemind/2020/07/14/the-essential-role-of-mental-health-for-a-diverse-inclusive-workplace/?sh=7064276fac4d">is rarely acknowledged</a>: the universal human right to mental health.</p>
<h2>Mental health is a human right</h2>
<p>Oct. 10 was World Mental Health Day; a day when the World Health Organization seeks to educate people about mental health and combat the stigma associated with it. This year’s theme was “<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2023/10/10/default-calendar/world-mental-health-day-2023---mental-health-is-a-universal-human-right">Mental health is a universal human right</a>.” </p>
<p>This message carries significant weight, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns, which <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1094672">led to a worldwide surge in</a> substance abuse, mental health issues and lingering feelings of fear and anxiety. These issues have a broad societal impact, particularly in the workplace, where people typically spend the majority of their adult lives.</p>
<p>Individuals from marginalized communities <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01380-w">are disproportionately affected by mental health issues</a> in the workplace. These challenges can encompass a range of issues, from anxiety and depression to feelings of loneliness and exclusion.</p>
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<img alt="A person sitting a desk with their head in their hands" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556350/original/file-20231027-30-zy7y0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556350/original/file-20231027-30-zy7y0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556350/original/file-20231027-30-zy7y0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556350/original/file-20231027-30-zy7y0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556350/original/file-20231027-30-zy7y0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556350/original/file-20231027-30-zy7y0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556350/original/file-20231027-30-zy7y0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the mental health challenges faced by marginalized communities, placing additional strain on their mental health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Part of this is due to the harassment and discrimination women and marginalized individuals experience. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023119853894">According to one study</a>, racial and ethnic minorities suffer race-specific discrimination four to six times more often than their white counterparts, while women are three to four times more likely to face gender discrimination and sexual harassment than their male peers. Belonging to more than one disadvantaged group further <a href="https://doi.org/10.29173/cjs29736">increases the likelihood of workplace discrimination</a>. </p>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic has <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00077-eng.htm">exacerbated the mental health challenges faced by marginalized communities</a>, placing additional strain on their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271661">mental health</a>.</p>
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<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mental-health-impact-of-coronavirus-pandemic-hits-marginalized-groups-hardest-142127">Mental health impact of coronavirus pandemic hits marginalized groups hardest</a>
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<p>Additionally, structural racism has led to workplace cultures where <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08445621221110140">fear of retribution silences victims</a> of discrimination, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000235">preventing them from speaking out</a>.</p>
<p>As such, marginalized employees are at risk of losing more than just pay or a promotion — their voices may <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/06/after-30-years-minorities-still-need-be-seen-and-heard">be ignored when it comes to planning and implementing the policies</a> that are supposed to benefit them. This situation is exacerbated by the increased emphasis on workplace meritocracy, which can lead to <a href="https://spsp.org/news-center/character-context-blog/does-reliance-merit-principles-lead-discrimination">hidden discrimination</a>.</p>
<h2>The perils of meritocracy</h2>
<p><a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/meritocracy/">Meritocracy</a> is the idea that there is a clear standard of merit and that individuals can be assessed, judged, ranked or sorted accordingly. </p>
<p>However, the idea of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904815614916">selection by merit</a> tends to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/588738">create a bias</a> against marginalized employees, because they’re assumed to have gotten their position because they <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10100386">belonged to a particular category</a> rather than having deserved it. </p>
<p>Additionally, racialized individuals, particularly those of Asian descent, often face the pressure of conforming to the “<a href="https://hbr.org/2021/06/why-the-model-minority-myth-is-so-harmful">model minority</a>” stereotype and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000015">not speaking out</a> about their needs. They are implicitly expected to work harder and be smarter than others. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/model-minority-blues-the-mental-health-consequences-of-being-a-model-citizen-dont-call-me-resilient-ep-9-transcript-167521">Model minority blues — The mental health consequences of being a model citizen: Don't Call Me Resilient EP 9 transcript</a>
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<p>When individuals are unable to meet these artificial standards, they may <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28856-3_8">blame themselves</a> for not being able to succeed. Poorly executed EDI programs can worsen the situation.</p>
<p>Far too many individuals suffer in silence, rather than seek treatment. A <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/01/publication-disparities">survey from 2016</a> found that Asian-Americans were 51 per cent less likely to use mental health services than European Americans.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of people sit on chairs in a circle, having a conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556351/original/file-20231027-20-fms1bl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556351/original/file-20231027-20-fms1bl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556351/original/file-20231027-20-fms1bl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556351/original/file-20231027-20-fms1bl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556351/original/file-20231027-20-fms1bl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556351/original/file-20231027-20-fms1bl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556351/original/file-20231027-20-fms1bl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Too many individuals suffer in silence instead of seeking support and treatment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>The pandemic has further compounded these challenges for East Asian Canadians, who have been experiencing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100232/">increased levels of anti-Asian discrimination</a>. Even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549211018675">indirect experiences of racism</a> can lead to higher levels of anxiety and depression. </p>
<h2>More effective EDI initiatives</h2>
<p>In light of the pandemic, it’s crucial that workplaces committed to diversity and inclusion don’t overlook the importance of addressing mental health concerns.</p>
<p>Workplace initiatives that support equity, diversity and inclusion should also target mental health. This means any EDI initiative should also address the core problems that cause common mental health issues. There are several potential strategies workplaces should consider:</p>
<p><strong>1. Embrace diverse perspectives:</strong> Workplaces should actively <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-workplaces-can-encourage-diverse-personalities-values-and-attitudes-197004">encourage diverse personalities and attitudes</a> while <a href="https://theconversation.com/diversity-in-the-workplace-isnt-enough-businesses-need-to-work-toward-inclusion-194136">fostering a culture of inclusion</a>.</p>
<p><strong>2. Understanding intersectional discrimination:</strong> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00636-w">Intersectional discrimination</a> refers to the fact that individuals may face discrimination based on multiple aspects of their identity, such as race, gender and sexual orientation. Recognizing and addressing these unique challenges is essential.</p>
<p><strong>3. Empowering women:</strong> Initiatives to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119272106">help women succeed in the workplace</a>, like mentorship and sponsorship programs, are critical. These approaches have shown to have positive outcomes in breaking down barriers for women in various industries.</p>
<p><strong>4. Fostering a sense of belonging:</strong> Ensure employees from diverse backgrounds <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-04-2019-0040">feel like productive and valued members of their work community</a>. This can help organizations tailor their mental health strategies to be more person-centred and holistic.</p>
<p><strong>5. Building workplace communities:</strong> Promote the development of a strong <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2020/10/25/how-to-build-community-and-why-it-matters-so-much/">sense of community</a> within the workplace. This can enhance the overall well-being of employees and contribute to a more supportive and inclusive environment. </p>
<p><strong>6. Culture-specific interventions:</strong> Implement <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-020-00715-3">community-based mental health strategies</a> that take into account the unique cultural backgrounds and experiences of individuals and adapt support accordingly.</p>
<p>These suggestions are only the beginning, however. What truly matters is setting up EDI and mental health programs in the workplace that are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30846-1">based on evidence</a>. While there is still a long road ahead, the integration of EDI and mental health initiatives represents a significant step towards more inclusive, equitable and mentally healthy workplaces for all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215868/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keshav Krishnamurty does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Workplaces committed to diversity and inclusion need to ensure they don’t overlook the importance of addressing mental health concerns.Keshav Krishnamurty, Part-time Instructor, Schulich School of Business, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2108892023-10-16T19:05:50Z2023-10-16T19:05:50Z‘They treat you like an it’: people with intellectual disability on seeing medical professionals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540665/original/file-20230802-25-nm2xby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C28%2C9475%2C6274&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>They don’t treat you like a person. They treat you like an ‘it’.</p>
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<p>This was how Richard*, who has an intellectual disability, described his general experiences with medical professionals. </p>
<p>He was among 18 adults with intellectual disability and eight support people we spoke to for a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41431-023-01282-3">study</a> on how people with intellectual disability have experienced medical care. We were especially interested in experiences with genetic health care (where, for example, a person may get genetic testing to learn more about their disability).</p>
<p>This work, part of a broader body of <a href="https://geneequal.com">research</a> on intellectual disability and medical care, has revealed an urgent need to shift the deeply entrenched assumptions many health-care workers often hold about patients with intellectual disability. </p>
<p>Our research suggests health professionals need training to deliver more inclusive, person-centred and respectful health care.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/does-my-child-have-a-learning-disability-36550">Does my child have a learning disability?</a>
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<h2>Centring lived experience from the outset</h2>
<p>This work demanded a different type of research. </p>
<p>Our team included not just genetics researchers, bioethicists and disability education researchers but also adjunct lecturer Julie Loblinzk OAM, a mother and self-advocate leader with intellectual disability (who is also a co-author on this article). </p>
<p>Together, we formed the inclusive research group <a href="https://geneequal.com/">GeneEQUAL</a>.</p>
<p>We set out to involve people with lived experience of intellectual disability in the project design, implementation and interpretation. </p>
<p>We’ve now produced a number of <a href="https://geneequal.com/geneequal/resources/">studies</a> revealing the startling extent to which people with intellectual disability are often excluded from discussions about their own health. </p>
<p>People with intellectual disability told us how they generally felt <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41431-023-01282-3">cut out of their own health-care</a> appointments, as health-care practitioners often spoke to their support person or family member instead of to them.</p>
<p>Many spoke of how little effort health-care professionals often put in to use accessible language or offer easy-to-read materials. As Lillian told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s very hard to read the form? Even my mum found it hard to read.</p>
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<p>This meant people with intellectual disability were often unsure why they were having a genetic test at all. </p>
<p>Many felt excluded from decisions about consent for genetic tests, or even what was talked about in the appointment. </p>
<p>The video below shows an all-too-common experience for people with intellectual disability seeing a doctor for genetic testing.</p>
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/808199794" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<p>The next video, by contrast, shows what accessible, inclusive and respectful practice would look like.</p>
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/808241579" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hospitals-only-note-a-persons-intellectual-disability-20-of-the-time-so-they-dont-adjust-their-care-180590">Hospitals only note a person's intellectual disability 20% of the time – so they don't adjust their care</a>
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<h2>Post-diagnosis support is often lacking</h2>
<p>Genetic counselling is often emotionally triggering. It touches on deeply personal issues of identity, health implications for children and extended family, and future health. For example, after a genetic diagnosis Katrina said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I feel like I’m not normal now. And I’ve told people about it, and they’re my friends and family and they don’t mean to pick on me about it, but they look like, ‘You’re just a retard. You’re not all there now’.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Three participants said they’d considered suicide after their diagnosis. </p>
<p>However, people with intellectual disability told us they were rarely connected with appropriate psychological supports after their diagnosis. There is also a shortage of these kinds of supports. One interviewee, Katarina, told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>you’ve got to watch the way you present things to us, because we will just break down and cry and think it’s other things […] we get very, like, broken-hearted about things. We dwell on it, we stew on it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The deficit-based language of genetics is peppered with words such as mutation, risk, impairment and abnormality. This can reinforce people’s lifelong experiences of bullying and stigma. As Aaron told us: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>In my mind, Mum has said to me, ‘You’re missing a bad chromosome’. […] I knew I wasn’t normal to others – I knew I was missing, some part of my brain has gone missing.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>All of this means the potential benefits of a genetic diagnosis were often wasted. </p>
<p>Virtually none of the participants in our research knew the name or nature of their genetic condition, let alone what health checks or therapies were recommended. </p>
<p>Worse, their ongoing health-care teams (including their GPs) were often equally in the dark. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540675/original/file-20230802-21-osojpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540675/original/file-20230802-21-osojpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540675/original/file-20230802-21-osojpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540675/original/file-20230802-21-osojpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540675/original/file-20230802-21-osojpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540675/original/file-20230802-21-osojpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540675/original/file-20230802-21-osojpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540675/original/file-20230802-21-osojpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Genetic counselling is often emotionally triggering.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/working-from-home-has-worked-for-people-with-disability-the-back-to-the-office-push-could-wind-back-gains-209870">Working from home has worked for people with disability. The back-to-the-office push could wind back gains</a>
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<h2>Change is underway</h2>
<p>Both the federal government’s <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/national-roadmap-for-improving-the-health-of-people-with-intellectual-disability">National Roadmap to Improving the Healthcare of People with Intellectual Disability</a> and the <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/">Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability</a> have <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2023-09/Final%20Report%20-%20Volume%206%2C%20Enabling%20autonomy%20and%20access.pdf">highlighted</a> how <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2023-09/Final%20Report%20-%20Volume%206%2C%20Enabling%20autonomy%20and%20access%20-%20Easy%20Read.pdf">widespread</a> exclusionary practices are in Australian health care. </p>
<p>Failing to address this means fewer people with intellectual disability getting health checks and screenings, leading to poorer long-term health. The average life expectancy of Australians with intellectual disability is already <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jar.12684">shockingly low</a> compared to the general population.</p>
<p>But slowly, change is underway.</p>
<p>Based on our research, NSW Health funded our team to work with self-advocacy groups and health-care professionals to co-produce the <a href="https://www.genetics.edu.au/SitePages/Intellectual-disability-patient-communication.aspx?web=1%7D">GeneEQUAL Educational Toolkit</a>. This resource empowers medical professionals to deliver better, more equitable genetic healthcare and features <a href="https://geneequal.com/genetic-resources/our-easy-read-health-booklets/">Easy Read</a> booklets about genetic conditions and clinics.</p>
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/829753741" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<p>People with intellectual disability identified three key guiding principles. Health-care professionals need to:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>make reasonable adjustments, such as allowing long enough appointments to explain options in an understandable way</p></li>
<li><p>practice person-centred care, such as making genetic reports and letters available in <a href="https://pwd.org.au/resources/easy-read-info/">Easy Read</a> (a style of presenting information simple and easy-to-understand ways) and ensuring the genetic diagnosis and management plan is shared with the patient themselves, their support person and their clinical team</p></li>
<li><p>offer choices and deliver trauma-informed care, given the <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/">high rate of abuse</a> and stigma experienced by people with intellectual disability; language should be strengths-based and environments welcoming.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>This toolkit has been widely used in Australia and internationally since its launch, with many showing interest not just in the content but also in the collaborative way it was produced.</p>
<p><em>*Names changed to protect identities. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210889/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Emma Palmer has received funding from the NHMRC and NSW Health. She is a clinical geneticist at Sydney Children's Hospitals Network-Randwick and a member of the medical and scientific advisory committee for Rare Voices Australia, the national peak body for Australians living with a rare condition. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Iva Strnadová has received funding from the NHMRC and the NSW Department of Health. She is also a Board member of Self Advocacy Sydney, an organisation run by and for people with intellectual disability.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>The institute that Jackie Leach Scully directs has received funding from the NHMRC and the NSW Department of Health.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Loblinzk has received funding from the NHMRC and the NSW Department of Health. She is also a Board member of Self Advocacy Sydney, an organisation run by and for people with intellectual disability.</span></em></p>People with intellectual disability told us they often felt cut out of their own health appointments, as healthcare practitioners spoke to their support person or family instead of to them.Elizabeth Emma Palmer, Senior clinical lecturer in medical genetics, UNSW SydneyIva Strnadová, Professor, UNSW SydneyJackie Leach Scully, Professor of Bioethics, Director of the Disability Innovation Institute UNSW, UNSW SydneyJulie Loblinzk, Adjunct Lecturer at School of Education, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2152512023-10-11T19:05:36Z2023-10-11T19:05:36Z3 things the disability royal commission missed: health, transport, day programs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/553155/original/file-20231011-23-dqd9wd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=62%2C44%2C5927%2C3942&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/person-physical-disability-enters-public-transport-2107265798">Roman Zaiets/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability has shared its final report. In this <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/disability-rc-2023-146083">series</a>, we unpack what the commission’s 222 recommendations could mean for a more inclusive Australia.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>The disability royal commission’s <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/final-report">final report</a> included an expansive range of recommendations including the introduction of an Australian disability rights act, a minister for disability inclusion and a department of disability equality and inclusion. </p>
<p>The government says it will establish a taskforce and a staged response to dismantle barriers to inclusive education, open employment, and accessible, appropriate and safe housing. </p>
<p>But in three critical areas, the report barely scratches the surface of what is needed to make life more inclusive and equitable for Australians with disability. </p>
<h2>1. Preventive health</h2>
<p>The commission <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2023-09/Final%20Report%20-%20Executive%20Summary%2C%20Our%20vision%20for%20an%20inclusive%20Australia%20and%20Recommendations.pdf">said</a> a disability rights act would ensure equitable access to health services. But the report fails to provide a comprehensive analysis of the overall health and wellbeing of disabled Australians, or to set a reform agenda for health policy. </p>
<p>The commission received promising <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2022-03/Overview%20of%20responses%20to%20the%20Health%20care%20for%20people%20with%20cognitive%20disability%20Issues%20paper.pdf">proposals</a> early on to reform health care for people with disability. Options for strengthening preventive care, such as extending Medicare to cover dental and oral health for people with disability, and funding longer consultations for GPs and patients with disability are practical, systemic changes that could improve the health of Australians with disability. </p>
<p>Similarly, proposals to redesign physical environments so people with cognitive disabilities feel calm and safe did not feature (though there was <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2023-09/Final%20Report%20-%20Executive%20Summary%2C%20Our%20vision%20for%20an%20inclusive%20Australia%20and%20Recommendations.pdf">mention</a> of the value of co-design and collaborative care planning). </p>
<p>International examples of good practice also fell off the agenda. Last year the <a href="https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases/sensory-functions-disability-and-rehabilitation/global-report-on-health-equity-for-persons-with-disabilities">World Health Organization</a> identified 40 actions to improve health outcomes for people with disability. They span policy, funding, models of care, physical infrastructure and digital technologies to improve access, participation and outcomes. </p>
<p>The United Kingdom’s <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/learning-disabilities/annual-health-checks/#:%7E:text=Anyone%20aged%2014%20or%20over,for%20is%20on%20the%20register.">National Health Service</a> has acted to address the poorer physical and mental health of people with intellectual disabilities through annual health checks. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-why-we-need-a-disability-rights-act-not-just-a-disability-discrimination-one-214715">Here's why we need a disability rights act – not just a disability discrimination one</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>2. Urgent transport reforms</h2>
<p>Transport is crucial to inclusion. In countless hearings and witness statements the commissioners heard disturbing <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2022-10/Transcript%20Day%201%20-%20Public%20hearing%2028%2C%20Brisbane.pdf">accounts</a> of inaccessible transport, and harassment and abuse on buses, trains and aeroplanes. But the report offers little in the way of practical reforms or recommendations for improvement.</p>
<p>The commissioners acknowledge deficiencies in the <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/transport-accessibility/transport-disability-standards">Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport</a>, which are linked to Australia’s anti-discrimination laws and human rights obligations. But their interest in reform stopped short of recommending ways to improve transport for people with disability through either legislation or policy. </p>
<p>Beefing up legislation, urging education for providers about the difficulties disabled passengers face and quantifying the wastage created by inaccessible transport would have been practical steps. </p>
<p>It’s important to note transport and health care are both areas where state and territory governments are not meeting their commitments to make reasonable adjustments for people with disability. Their failure to do so only adds to pressure on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which is forced to fund supports to cover the gaps. We can only hope the upcoming <a href="https://www.ndisreview.gov.au/">NDIS Review</a> makes recommendations for managing these boundaries better.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-disability-royal-commission-recommendations-could-fix-some-of-the-worst-living-conditions-but-thats-just-the-start-213466">The disability royal commission recommendations could fix some of the worst living conditions – but that's just the start</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>3. Meaningful day services</h2>
<p>Another glaring omission in the final report is the absence of specific recommendations about the role of day programs, in which people with disability are grouped together – often behind closed doors. </p>
<p>The commission heard evidence of violence suffered by people with disability in these settings, including <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2023-02/Public%20hearing%2023%20-%20Counsel%20Assisting%20submissions%20-%20SUBM.0029.0001.0001.pdf">accounts</a> of NDIS participants being subjected to sexual abuse and assault.</p>
<p>Testimony made it clear many day programs are essentially segregated services that offer little by way of meaningful pursuits or skills development. One witness <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-21/disbility-royal-commission-afford/101078214">said</a> the day program her son attended was nothing more than “glorified babysitting”.</p>
<p>The commissioners missed a golden opportunity to clarify what a meaningful, inclusive experience might mean in these settings. Recommendations for reform could help people with disability lead full and purposeful lives in the community, with a range of friendships, activities and relationships – a <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/declaration-rights-disabled-persons#:%7E:text=Disabled%20persons%20have%20the%20right,enable%20them%20to%20develop%20their">human right</a> they share with the rest of society. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-disability-royal-commission-heard-horrific-stories-of-harm-now-we-must-move-towards-repair-214479">The disability royal commission heard horrific stories of harm – now we must move towards repair</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What’s next?</h2>
<p>Decades in the making, the disability royal commission was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to investigate the realities of life for disabled Australians. It showed current policy settings are not up to the mark. Many of its recommendations stand to improve the lives of Australians with disability. </p>
<p>However, when it comes to reforming the health system disabled Australians depend on, making transport more accessible and creating meaningful social and recreational opportunities, the commissioners’ report seems to have handed government a free pass.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215251/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Grattan Institute's Disability Program has support from the Summer Foundation.</span></em></p>The disability royal commission was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to investigate the realities of life for disabled Australians. But it missed three critical areas in need or urgent reform.Sam Bennett, Disability Program Director, Grattan InstituteHannah Orban, Associate Disability Program, Grattan InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2107692023-10-09T15:26:10Z2023-10-09T15:26:10ZHow employers can tackle misconceptions about disabled people in the workplace<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550464/original/file-20230926-17-slcdal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C59%2C7898%2C5225&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many countries adopt legislation to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities. Yet, many still face challenges finding work.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-employers-can-tackle-misconceptions-about-disabled-people-in-the-workplace" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Disability is a common part of the human experience: <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health">the United Nations estimates that 16 per cent of the world’s population is disabled</a>, and a 2019 study from the United States found that over <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7130a3.htm">half of American adults aged 18 to 34</a> have at least one chronic illness.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disability">being disabled can often mean being poor</a>. One recent report from the U.S. found the <a href="https://disabilitycompendium.org/sites/default/files/user-uploads/Accessible-Annual%20Report%20---%202023%20---%20Accessible.pdf">poverty rate for people with disabilities was just over 25 per cent</a>, whereas the poverty rate for non-disabled people was under 12 per cent. These percentages are very similar <a href="https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/esdc-edsc/documents/programs/disability-inclusion-action-plan-2/action-plan-2022/ESDC_PDF_DIAP_EN_20221005.pdf">in Canada</a>, although the recently passed Canada Disability Benefit <a href="https://theconversation.com/bill-c-22-will-provide-income-security-to-canadians-with-disabilities-but-it-needs-to-be-done-right-213344">may help alleviate this situation</a>. </p>
<p>One reason for this is that people with disabilities can often <a href="https://www.oecd.org/employment/disability-work-and-inclusion-1eaa5e9c-en.htm">lack access to good, well-paying work</a>. Many countries have tried to solve this problem by <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/disability-laws-and-acts-by-country-area.html">adopting legislation</a> that protects disabled people from employment discrimination and guarantees them reasonable accommodations at work. Despite these laws, people with disabilities around the world still have <a href="https://ilostat.ilo.org/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-how-disability-affects-labour-market-outcomes/">much lower rates of employment</a> than non-disabled people.</p>
<p>Researchers are trying to understand why these laws have not closed <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2022/10/31/why-is-the-employment-gap-for-people-with-disabilities-so-consistently-wide/?sh=69d1c27d276b">the disability employment gap</a>, and what <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4938-8">governments, organizations and individuals can do to fix it</a>. </p>
<h2>The PROUD Project</h2>
<p>We are part of a research team called <a href="https://www.theproudproject.ca/">The PROUD Project</a> based at the University of Toronto. The project is focused on understanding how disabled people can beat the odds and find work.</p>
<p>To do this, we interviewed disabled employees, disabled entrepreneurs and managers of disabled workers. For this project, we only included workers with evident physical or sensory disabilities, because they <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/style/invisible-disabilities.html">face different challenges</a> than people with <a href="https://hdsunflower.com/uk/insights/category/invisible-disabilities">invisible disabilities</a>.</p>
<p>We interviewed people in five developed countries: Canada, the U.S., the United Kingdom, France and Belgium. We wanted to see if different laws, cultures and physical environments had an impact on disability and employment. The more than 80 semi-structured interviews we conducted revealed several factors that allowed disabled people to find work.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551029/original/file-20230928-27-rwhvd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man and a woman using sign language to communicate" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551029/original/file-20230928-27-rwhvd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551029/original/file-20230928-27-rwhvd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551029/original/file-20230928-27-rwhvd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551029/original/file-20230928-27-rwhvd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551029/original/file-20230928-27-rwhvd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551029/original/file-20230928-27-rwhvd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551029/original/file-20230928-27-rwhvd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The UN estimates that around 16 per cent of the world’s population is disabled.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p>Legislation is an important mechanism for supporting disabled workers. In the U.S., many people used <a href="https://rsa.ed.gov/about">the Vocational Rehabilitation program</a> (created by a 1973 law) to establish careers. Meanwhile, France enforces <a href="https://entreprendre.service-public.fr/vosdroits/F23149">a quota</a> which requires businesses with more than 20 employees to have six per cent of their workers identified as disabled or pay an annual fine. </p>
<p>However, many companies do not meet the quota. In 2021, <a href="https://www.vie-publique.fr/en-bref/287047-travailleurs-handicapes-le-taux-demploi-minimal-nest-pas-atteint">only 29 per cent of companies</a> met their obligations. Several of our interviewees observed that some companies even explicitly decide to pay the fine instead of hiring disabled people. Yet, having the quota law forces companies to think about disabled workers. While the majority of employers pay the fine for not meeting the quota, many admitted the annual audit makes them think about the issue.</p>
<p>Endurance and persistence were common themes in the interviews — many participants described themselves as “fighters.” Some of them went to dozens of job interviews before finally landing a position. </p>
<p>In addition, having formal and informal support networks were important for interviewees. In the U.S., the Vocational Rehab program can facilitate this through their counsellors. Often, persistence was encouraged by parents, teachers and other mentors. Several participants said their parents had always treated them as “normal,” and expected them to have a “normal” life path, including a career. </p>
<p>Accessible transportation is also <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/12/03/for-persons-with-disabilities-accessible-transport-provides-pathways-to-opportunity">essential for a successful career</a>. Many of the participants we spoke to lived within walking or rolling distance from their workplace. Some took accessible public transit, while others had adapted transportation to work. </p>
<p>Designing and implementing accessible public transit systems is an important step that governments must take to ensure people with disabilities can get where they need to go. Without the ability to move around, disabled individuals simply cannot get to work. For example, the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work">Access to Work program</a> in the U.K. pays for disabled workers to take taxis to work. This means that people can financially provide for themselves and their families.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-canada-can-make-better-progress-on-disability-inclusion-211988">How Canada can make better progress on disability inclusion</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>Reforming government programs</h2>
<p>In some countries, disability pensions <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2022/10/31/why-is-the-employment-gap-for-people-with-disabilities-so-consistently-wide/?sh=54db1d65276b">prevent disabled people from working</a>. Many participants talked about the stress they felt when deciding to take the risk of working and potentially losing their benefits. </p>
<p>Others still received some benefits, but had to be very careful about how much they worked. On the other hand, some participants had independent financial resources that were not subject to restrictive state policies. Governments need to move away from viewing disabled people as burdens and only providing them with subsistence support and move toward facilitating their contribution and participation in communities.</p>
<p>Disabled people also need access to high quality education. In general, <a href="https://ilostat.ilo.org/new-ilo-database-highlights-labour-market-challenges-of-persons-with-disabilities/">disabled people tend to have lower levels of education than the general population</a>. However, the participants we interviewed had higher levels of education than the average in all five countries. </p>
<p>In fact, many disabled workers were overqualified for their current positions. This suggests that disabled people need to have higher levels of education than non-disabled people to get the same job.</p>
<p>They also have to contend with other barriers and preconceptions about their abilities. Fears, misconceptions and <a href="https://aoda.ca/attitudinal-barriers-at-work/">prejudices about disabled persons create barriers to professional inclusion</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549166/original/file-20230919-29-vhk6al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman in a wheechair speaks with a man seated on a sofa. Both are using laptops." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549166/original/file-20230919-29-vhk6al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549166/original/file-20230919-29-vhk6al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549166/original/file-20230919-29-vhk6al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549166/original/file-20230919-29-vhk6al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549166/original/file-20230919-29-vhk6al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549166/original/file-20230919-29-vhk6al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549166/original/file-20230919-29-vhk6al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fears, misconceptions and prejudices about disabled persons create barriers to professional inclusion.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Supportive workplaces vital</h2>
<p>Our project found that it was much easier for disabled people to find work in sectors, industries and companies where employers were aware, supportive and proactive about disability inclusion. For example, employees with disabilities in all five countries tended to work in non-profit or government sectors, where attitudes toward disability may be more positive than in the private sector.</p>
<p>Once again, France was an outlier; private industry employers we spoke to expressed enthusiasm for hiring individuals with disabilities. They recognized the contributions made by disabled employees and expressed a desire to hire more disabled workers. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-it-makes-good-business-sense-to-hire-people-with-disabilities-164476">Why it makes good business sense to hire people with disabilities</a>
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<p>Several French managers wanted to educate non-disabled workers and supervisors about the benefits of including their disabled colleagues. Others argued that social stigma means that some employees who qualify do not want to receive an official designation of disability.</p>
<p>However, it is important to acknowledge that, even for disabled people who had managed to find work, there were still significant problems. Some experienced little or no career development, staying in the same roles for which they had been originally hired. Others could only find work in disability-related positions, even if their education, training and skills were tailored to other industries.</p>
<p>Disabled people are <a href="https://theconversation.com/employers-miss-out-on-talent-by-overlooking-workers-living-with-disabilities-119626">capable, flexible, adaptive and creative</a>. Governments and private companies must do more to include disabled people in the workforce. By not doing so, communities will lose out on the contributions talented people could make.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210769/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chloe G K Atkins receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and TechNation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Isabelle Avakumovic-Pointon receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and TechNation.</span></em></p>Communities and employers miss out when they don’t embrace disabled employees. Companies must be supportive and proactive about including and accommodating people with disabilities.Chloe G K Atkins, Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of TorontoIsabelle Avakumovic-Pointon, PhD Student in History, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2150722023-10-06T00:44:58Z2023-10-06T00:44:58ZPolitics with Michelle Grattan: Greens Jordon Steele-John on the disability royal commission and Bill Shorten’s NDIS reforms<p><em>The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability has shared its final report. In this <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/disability-rc-2023-146083">series</a>, we unpack what the commission’s 222 recommendations could mean for a more inclusive Australia.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>The federal government last week released the report of the <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au">Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability</a>, which painted a confronting picture and recorded the calls of disabled people “for a more inclusive Australia”.</p>
<p>The commission made more than 220 recommendations, and was conducted at a cost to the taxpayer of $600 million. But commissioners split on the key issues of special schools and group housing for people with disabilities, causing immediate controversy. </p>
<p>In this podcast, the Greens spokesman on disability, Jordon Steele-John, who campaigned for the royal commission, joins The Conversation to discuss the report, and also to canvass the NDIS, which is under review in another inquiry. </p>
<p>Steele-John feels “immense pride” in the disabled community for their contribution to the royal commission report, and sees it as a milestone: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>This is the work of so many people who have themselves experienced violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect, who campaigned for decades to see this investigation be undertaken […] It’s a milestone for the Australian disability community who have come together in the aftermath of this report to say ‘now is the time to end segregation and to end ableism in Australian government policy’.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Steele-John opposes separating disabled people into special schools and group homes, so he backs those commissioners who want a phase-out. But he believes the proposed timelines are unnacceptably long. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>They’ve suggested that we wait until 2050. In segregated education, for instance, that would mean that a disabled child born today would be likely to see their child educated in a segregated setting. That’s not acceptable. </p>
<p>They’ve also recommended that we take a decade to reach the point at which a disabled person is paid the same as a non-disabled person in the workplace. That’s unacceptable, but I think it is really important that we really grapple with and acknowledge the reality of the damage that segregation does to people. It leads to loneliness and isolation, and it exposes them to the violence, abuse and neglect that the recommendations in the report found.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While Steele-John has seen an improvement in the NDIS since Labor won the election, he has criticisms. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>My quite critical observation of the government is that they have, I think, failed to push back on and have in many ways bought into a conversation about the NDIS, which is very one sided, focusing on its financial implications on the overall federal budget and minimising the good that it does in people’s lives; while point blank refusing to commission new research or investigations into the positive economic impact of a scheme who, the last time anybody checked, [the investment] actually returned $2.25 for every dollar that was invested in it. </p>
<p>So if you combine that with the fact that the minister’s made a number of comments and their colleagues have made a number of comments about people with psychosocial disabilities and other disabilities and there being too many of them on the scheme, I think that’s really concerning to me and really concerned to the disability community more broadly.</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215072/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In this podcast, Greens Senator and disability advocate Jordon Steele-John, who campaigned for the Royal Commission, joins The Conversation to give us his take on the report.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2144792023-10-03T04:51:47Z2023-10-03T04:51:47ZThe disability royal commission heard horrific stories of harm – now we must move towards repair<p><em>The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability has shared its final report. In this <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/disability-rc-2023-146083">series</a>, we unpack what the commission’s 222 recommendations could mean for a more inclusive Australia.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>The final report of the <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/">Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability</a> follows <a href="https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/126332/1/CICJ.pdf">years of advocacy</a> from the disability community. It gave voice to people with disability to tell their stories of violence, so policymakers and broader community would listen and take action. Segregation emerged as a key driver of violence.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/final-report">report</a> makes 222 recommendations to improve laws, policies and practices for a more just and inclusive society. They include a new disability rights act, including access to remedies when people experience human rights breaches. </p>
<p>The final report recommends disability service providers offer redress to people with disability who experience harm while receiving their services. This could include “apologies, compensation, reimbursement of fees, credits for services and other practical remedies or supports”.</p>
<p>However, there are no recommendations that governments should also offer apologies or redress. In addition, a call for governments and disability services to look back and repair the harm caused by century-long policies of segregation and institutionalisation is missing from the final report. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/disability-royal-commissioners-disagreed-over-phasing-out-special-schools-that-leaves-segregation-on-the-table-214706">Disability royal commissioners disagreed over phasing out 'special schools' – that leaves segregation on the table</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What do ‘institutionalisation’ and ‘segregation’ mean?</h2>
<p>Institutionalisation involves grouping people with disability together – such as in residential, educational or work settings – and segregating them (keeping them separate) from people without disability. </p>
<p>All people with disability have the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/general-comment-no5-article-19-right-live">human right</a> to live independently in the community regardless of how high their support needs are. This means providing access to services and support so people with disability can exercise choice and control over their lives and make all decisions concerning their lives.</p>
<p>In 20th century Australia, people with disability were institutionalised in many large residential settings. They were <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2023-05/Research%20Report%20-%20Disability%20in%20Australia%20-%20Shadows%2C%20struggles%20and%20successes.pdf">subjected</a> to </p>
<ul>
<li>physical and sexual violence </li>
<li>medical neglect </li>
<li>use of <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/restrictive-practices-pathway-elimination">restrictive practices</a> (such as sedation, locking people in a room or restraining them in a bed or chair) </li>
<li>sterilisation (such as women having their tubes tied)</li>
<li>and unpaid work. </li>
</ul>
<p>Eventually, Australian government policies prompted the gradual closure of many large residential settings.</p>
<p>Shutting down institutions has not put an end to injustices. Follow-up processes have not been established to <a href="https://cid.org.au/our-campaigns/disability-institutions/">recognise and redress the experiences</a> of people who lived there. </p>
<p>This institutional history intersects with Australia’s violence towards <a href="https://www.daru.org.au/resource/culture-is-inclusion">First Nations people with disability</a> and with <a href="https://www.eugenicsarchive.ca/around-the-world?id=530b8d09acea8cf99a000001">broader practices of eugenics</a> (discriminatory “planned breeding”). </p>
<p>People with disability remain traumatised by their experiences, yet governments and charities have not been called to account. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-disability-royal-commission-recommendations-could-fix-some-of-the-worst-living-conditions-but-thats-just-the-start-213466">The disability royal commission recommendations could fix some of the worst living conditions – but that's just the start</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Problems today</h2>
<p>Today, many people – especially those with intellectual disability – live in <a href="https://www.inclusionaustralia.org.au/story/group-homes/">group homes</a> where segregation, social isolation, violence and lack of choice in their daily lives are <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-with-disabilities-in-group-homes-are-suffering-shocking-abuse-new-housing-models-could-prevent-harm-197989">a common reality</a>. </p>
<p>Harms such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/26/disabled-australian-women-face-forced-sterilisation-abortion-and-contraception-health-groups-say">sterilisation</a>, restrictive practices and below-minimum wages continue. </p>
<p>The disability royal commission heard how <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/public-hearings/public-hearing-3">group homes</a> replicate the harm of large residential settings, with <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/news-and-media/media-releases/report-finds-service-provider-failed-prevent-violence-and-abuse-against-residents-group-homes">operators</a> failing to prevent violence and avoiding accountability. </p>
<p>People with disability have called for an end to <a href="https://pwd.org.au/pwda-calls-for-a-radical-response-to-end-segregation-and-discrimination/">segregation</a> in housing and other aspects of their lives. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-with-disabilities-in-group-homes-are-suffering-shocking-abuse-new-housing-models-could-prevent-harm-197989">People with disabilities in group homes are suffering shocking abuse. New housing models could prevent harm</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Recognising wrongs</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/basic-principles-and-guidelines-right-remedy-and-reparation">Reparations</a> are actions to recognise and respond to systemic wrongs. They might involve compensation, restitution (such as returning money or property) or rehabilitation (health or legal services). Reparations can seek satisfaction (with apologies and memorials) and guarantees something won’t happen again via law reform or human rights education. </p>
<p>In Australia, we’ve seen <a href="https://www.nationalredress.gov.au/">compensation, rehabilitation</a> and apologies for <a href="https://www.childabuseroyalcommissionresponse.gov.au/national-apology">institutional child sexual abuse</a>. </p>
<p>We have also seen <a href="https://www.aboriginalaffairs.nsw.gov.au/healing-and-reparations/stolen-generations/reparations-scheme/">reparations</a> and an <a href="https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/national-apology#:%7E:text=On%2013%20February%202008%20Prime%20Minister%20Kevin%20Rudd,government%20policies%20of%20forced%20child%20removal%20and%20assimilation.">apology</a> for members of the Stolen Generations.</p>
<p>People with disability are entitled to reparations as a <a href="https://www.hhrjournal.org/2022/06/reparations-for-harms-experienced-in-residential-aged-care/">human right</a>, including for <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/legal-standards-and-guidelines/crpdc5-guidelines-deinstitutionalization-including">institutionalisation</a>. </p>
<p>There are overseas examples of reparations for people with disability, including <a href="https://www.eugenicsarchive.ca/encyclopedia?id=5554c14735ae9d9e7f0000a2">compensation for sterilisation</a>, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/denmark-apologizes-for-abuse-of-people-with-disabilities/a-66783019">apologies for disability institutionalisation</a>, <a href="https://truthsofinstitutionalization.ca/">public education</a> and <a href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/special-commission-on-state-institutions-statute">truth-telling</a>. </p>
<h2>What do people with disability want?</h2>
<p>Co-author Jack Kelly describes the ongoing effects of institutionalisation:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>People with disability were not seen as part of local communities when they lived in institutions. This has to change and still takes time. I think it is really important that we address the history of what has been going on and say; ‘Sorry that we didn’t look after your loved ones’ and ‘Sorry we didn’t value you as a person’. It is time to work with people with disability towards a national apology from the government.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Jack’s statement <a href="https://wwda.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ACDA_Sub_Sen_Inquiry_Violence_Institutions.pdf">resonates</a> with broader calls by the disability community for reparations. </p>
<p>In 2021, the Council for Intellectual Disability demanded withdrawal of an <a href="https://cid.org.au/our-campaigns/peat-island/">application for tourist re-zoning</a> of Peat Island (the site of a disability institution for 99 years) and for memorialisation and truth-telling. </p>
<p>There have been recent calls for <a href="https://www.livedexperiencejustice.au/">apology and truth-telling</a> in the mental health system and reparations for <a href="https://wwda.org.au/2023/04/disability-royal-commission-wwdas-submission-on-sexual-and-reproductive-rights/">sterilisation</a>.</p>
<p>Our research explored what people with intellectual disability want the public to know about large residential settings. </p>
<p>We <a href="https://cid.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/UTS-ER-Remembering-Disability-Institutions-digital-accessible.pdf">found</a> people with intellectual disability support the wider community learning more of what was experienced in these places. Sharing this history is an important step towards repairing past wrongs, ending institutionalisation, segregation and exclusion, and realising equality and inclusion. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CxEZlRzymHM","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-shove-us-off-like-were-rubbish-what-people-with-intellectual-disability-told-us-about-their-local-community-179479">'Don't shove us off like we're rubbish': what people with intellectual disability told us about their local community</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A way forward</h2>
<p>People with disability, <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-shove-us-off-like-were-rubbish-what-people-with-intellectual-disability-told-us-about-their-local-community-179479">including</a> those with intellectual disability, must lead reparation design and development. </p>
<p>The disability royal commission has highlighted systemic violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation in today’s Australia. These criminal practices reinforce a century-long history of injustice from institutionalisation. </p>
<p>Now is the time to act to ensure this does not continue. Reparations are one way to do this.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214479/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jack Kelly has contributed to projects that have been funded by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Linda Steele has received funding from Women with Disabilities Australia, Council for Intellectual Disability, Dementia Australia Research Foundation, Australian Association of Gerontology, and Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation. She is on the board of management of Intellectual Disability Rights Service. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Phillippa Carnemolla has received funding for previous projects from the National Disability Insurance Agency, National Disability Services and The Achieve Foundation. She is a Director for the Centre for Universal Design Australia.</span></em></p>The disability royal commission recommended providers offer redress to people who experience harm while in their care. But reparations for past harms were not addressed.Jack Francis Kelly, Honorary Research Fellow, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology SydneyLinda Steele, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Technology SydneyPhillippa Carnemolla, Associate Professor, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2132532023-09-27T20:05:09Z2023-09-27T20:05:09ZThe disability royal commission delivers its findings today. We must all listen to end violence, abuse and neglect<p><em>The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability has shared its final report. In this <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/disability-rc-2023-146083">series</a>, we unpack what the commission’s 222 recommendations could mean for a more inclusive Australia.</em> </p>
<hr>
<p>The <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/">Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability</a> will hand its final report and recommendations to the Australian governor general today. </p>
<p>Many people are waiting keenly to hear how the recommendations can make a difference to the lives of people with disability. Others are unsure how the royal commission could improve people’s safety and wellbeing. </p>
<p>Since it was established in mid-2019, the <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/">disability royal commission</a> has held 32 public hearings with evidence from 837 witnesses and received 7,944 submissions – 55% from people with disability and 29% from family members.</p>
<p>While we wait for the report to be made public, we can learn from how government action from the previous <a href="https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/">child abuse royal commission</a> helped improve people’s lives. </p>
<h2>What was involved</h2>
<p>The disability royal commission was a big and long investigation. Over four and half years, it held hearings, heard stories from witnesses, received submissions and conducted research. All the evidence shared by people about their experiences and the poor quality of our current policies means many now have high expectations that the commission must generate change. </p>
<p><a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2023-05/Research%20Report%20-%20Rapid%20Evidence%20Review%20-%20Violence%2C%20abuse%2C%20neglect%20and%20exploitation%20of%20people%20with%20disability.pdf">High rates</a> of violence and harm against people with disability have not improved very much over many decades. The impact of this ongoing history of violence was evident in the <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2020-10/Research%20Report%20-%20Something%20Stronger_Truth-telling%20on%20hurt%20and%20loss%2C%20strength%20%20and%20healing%2C%20from%20First%20Nations%20people%20%20with%20disability.pdf">grief and trauma</a> expressed by the thousands of people at the commission’s public and private hearings. </p>
<p>Research about violence, harm prevention and personal safety shows change needs be in <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2023-05/Research%20Report%20-%20Changing%20community%20attitudes%20to%20improve%20inclusion%20of%20people%20with%20disability.pdf">two parts</a>. </p>
<p>Making changes to specialist systems such as the <a href="https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/">National Disability Insurance Scheme</a> (NDIS) – currently under review – will help those involved. Bigger change is also needed to address the social problems and criminal acts that compromise the safety and wellbeing of people with disability. This fundamental change is urgently needed. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/inclusion-means-everyone-5-disability-attitude-shifts-to-end-violence-abuse-and-neglect-199003">Inclusion means everyone: 5 disability attitude shifts to end violence, abuse and neglect</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Ableism and ‘othering’</h2>
<p>Violence can <a href="https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2020-10/Research%20Report%20-%20Hierarchies%20of%20power_Disability%20theories%20and%20models%20and%20their%20implications%20for%20violence%20against%2C%20and%20abuse%2C%20neglect%2C%20and%20exploitation%20of%2C%20people%20with%20disability.pdf">happen</a> when people with disability are seen as less valuable, or even less than human – a perspective called “othering”.</p>
<p>People with disability are often treated in ways that are not acceptable for any member of society. When people without disability are prioritised, it is called “<a href="https://theconversation.com/ableism-and-disablism-how-to-spot-them-and-how-we-can-all-do-better-204541">ableism</a>”. When people with disability are viewed or treated as inferior, it is called “disablism”. </p>
<p>An example of these types of discrimination is when a waiter asks a carer what a person with disability wants, instead of asking the person themselves. Or when a person with disability is <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-with-disabilities-in-group-homes-are-suffering-shocking-abuse-new-housing-models-could-prevent-harm-197989">expected to live</a> with <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/research/sprc/our-projects/supported-accommodation-evaluation-framework-saef">strangers who hit them</a>, because that is the only housing available. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ableism-and-disablism-how-to-spot-them-and-how-we-can-all-do-better-204541">Ableism and disablism – how to spot them and how we can all do better</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>You might think excluding people in these ways does not happen anymore or does not matter. But our current social structures make it depressingly common. </p>
<p>Children with disability report high rates of <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(21)00371-0/fulltext">loneliness and bullying</a> at school. People using disability services are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2022.2029357">grouped together</a> and called “clients” or “participants” instead of by their names. People cannot reliably find a <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/most-public-toilets-inaccessible-to-people-with-disabilities/adsx7cnr8">usable, accessible toilet</a> when they are out and this can stop them from leaving their home at all. </p>
<p>These daily problems <a href="https://www.researchdci.flinders.edu.au/projects/confronting-everyday-harms%3A-preventing-abuse-of-people-with-disability">set a norm</a> where violence is usual and less likely to be checked or punished. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-want-to-get-bogged-at-a-beach-in-my-wheelchair-and-know-people-will-help-micheline-lee-on-the-way-forward-for-the-ndis-213348">'I want to get bogged at a beach in my wheelchair and know people will help'. Micheline Lee on the way forward for the NDIS</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What we hope the commission will recommend</h2>
<p>The disability royal commission listened to people with disability, family members and organisations about what they want to happen. A consistent <a href="https://www.inclusionaustralia.org.au/joint-media-statement-disability-rights-organisations-call-for-an-end-to-the-violence/">view</a> is that it is not enough to focus on stopping violent acts where they are happening now. We need strong government responses that address the root causes of segregation, discrimination and exclusion. </p>
<p>Law and policy must prioritise people with disability and their allies in the way solutions are found and implemented.</p>
<p>We know from the government responses to the previous child abuse commission that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14443058.2018.1467725">four factors</a> made an immediate difference to the safety and wellbeing of children:</p>
<ul>
<li>bringing child sexual abuse into public discussion</li>
<li>prioritising the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajs4.134?casa_token=0aMFz18YDQwAAAAA%3ASel-vHYdZg-lhNinOyRR8W05746DWIo8JZhheqDXHvAKJyYhhgf-ZwVSzPGeu97I8gj8SevD8_KGMNY">voices</a> of children and survivors in policy and practice about them</li>
<li>compulsory compliance for any organisation in contact with children to meet <a href="https://childsafe.humanrights.gov.au/national-principles/about-national-principles">safety standards</a></li>
<li>requiring any organisation with a history of child abuse to participate in a <a href="https://www.nationalredress.gov.au/?gclid=CjwKCAjw38SoBhB6EiwA8EQVLqe5aL4x6zXcHsSrruc_81lKMe2KTenvmW1kiuPDPZCzJ9Q_jcqinRoCPV4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds">redress scheme</a>, with sanctions if they refuse or delay.</li>
</ul>
<p>The disability royal commission recommendations and government responses should follow the example set by the child abuse commission. The need for a voice, compliance and quality standards remains relevant to people affected by disability policy. </p>
<p>And the responsibility for real change stretches beyond government. Change happens when the responsibility to listen and act is <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/research/sprc/our-projects/changing-community-attitudes-to-improve-inclusion-for-people-wit">taken up</a> by all organisations, communities and members of the public. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1702486054618681375"}"></div></p>
<h2>What happens next</h2>
<p>The disability royal commission recommendations to the government will be important not only for preventing and responding to violence, but also for how people with disability are treated fairly by every person, every day.</p>
<p>Equally, how the government responds to the recommendations is vital. Immediate action, as we saw in the child abuse commission, will demonstrate priority for the rights of people with disability.</p>
<p>Everyone’s contribution to changing attitudes, building belonging and recognising people’s shared humanity is needed to defeat exclusion and prevent violence. </p>
<p>Poet <a href="https://amongtheregulars.com/">Andy Jackson</a> recited his work <a href="https://comms.external.royalcommission.gov.au/v/89073/1613401/email.html?k=ws1yfek5f9DM_7EWZaiUh6PwHn4hJeVWMleBIksMslk&ref=bluntshovels.au#listen">Listen</a> at the disability royal commission’s ceremonial closing sitting two weeks ago. His words were a powerful call to action, including the lines: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Here in this awkward, sacred stillness open your mouth, ears, hands </p>
<p>The air is full of seeds </p>
<p>This time let your discomfort mean something </p>
<p>This cannot be the end of listening but its beginning[.]</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213253/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sally Robinson receives research funding from the Australian Research Council and Australian Federal and State governments. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen R Fisher receives funding from Australian Research Council, state and federal governments and nongovernment organisations. </span></em></p>The disability royal commission has heard from thousands of people with disability and their families. But the response must involve everyone.Sally Robinson, Professor, Disability and Community Inclusion, Flinders UniversityKaren R Fisher, Professor, Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2043302023-09-20T23:22:12Z2023-09-20T23:22:12ZHow Canada can make its startup ecosystem more inclusive<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547896/original/file-20230912-17-kmo8yr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=57%2C45%2C6300%2C4265&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Increasing inclusivity in entrepreneurship will foster more equitable economic participation across the board.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-canada-can-make-its-startup-ecosystem-more-inclusive" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The global pandemic caused devastating economic impacts, including <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-how-the-coronavirus-is-affecting-canadas-labour-market-137749">high levels of unemployment</a>. As with the 2008 recession, self-employment has been encouraged as a pathway towards economic participation and <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-001-x/2010103/article/11138-eng.htm">boosting the labour market</a>.</p>
<p>Yet marginalized groups, including women and Indigenous people, continue to <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/may-2023/immigrant-entrepreneurs-need-targeted-support/">face barriers to starting and growing a business</a>. In <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-621-m/11-621-m2022005-eng.htm">2022</a>, only 18 per cent of small and midsize businesses in Canada were majority women-owned, only 16 per cent were owned by visible minorities and only two per cent were Indigenous-owned.</p>
<p>According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/71b7a9bb-en/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/71b7a9bb-en">helping marginalized groups start their own businesses</a> will result in significant economic and social benefits. </p>
<p>Women-led small and micro businesses, for example, <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/investing-women-small-micro-business-owners-smbs-economy-recovery-great-reset-gender-gap/">contribute to communities around the globe</a>. They use their resources to reinvest in the health, education and well-being of their families and neighbours. </p>
<p>For this reason, an emerging body of research is recognizing the importance of <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2021.15368symposium">startups that are born out of necessity, not profit</a>. Despite this, most entrepreneurial resources and support still primarily focus on high-growth entrepreneurship. </p>
<h2>Barriers to inclusivity</h2>
<p>The Kauffman Foundation, a private organization that supports and studies entrepreneurship, follows a “<a href="https://www.kauffman.org/entrepreneurship/reports/access-to-capital-for-entrepreneurs-removing-barriers/">zero barriers” mantra</a>. It asserts that when some groups face obstacles to entrepreneurship, the entire system is held back. This isn’t just an empty slogan — it’s one <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114540">supported by research</a>.</p>
<p>There are <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/employment/the-missing-entrepreneurs-2021_71b7a9bb-en">three primary barriers to inclusivity in entrepreneurship</a>. The first is that many have a narrow view of entrepreneurship that focuses on tech, venture capital, profit and individual achievement. This approach often leads to support systems that exclude marginalized communities.</p>
<p>The second barrier is that there is unequal access to information about existing supports and resources for entrepreneurs. Lastly, there is insufficient support for marginalized communities, and a lack of trust and confidence in those providing assistance.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two women, one wearing a hijab, speak to a man at a table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547897/original/file-20230912-23-nolzo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547897/original/file-20230912-23-nolzo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547897/original/file-20230912-23-nolzo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547897/original/file-20230912-23-nolzo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547897/original/file-20230912-23-nolzo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547897/original/file-20230912-23-nolzo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547897/original/file-20230912-23-nolzo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When some groups face obstacles to entrepreneurship, the entire system is held back.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Effectively addressing obstacles</h2>
<p>Despite a widespread understanding of the broader barriers to inclusive entrepreneurship, there is a lack of understanding about the specific ones, which is needed to effectively address these obstacles.</p>
<p>For instance, how can information about entrepreneurial support be more accessible? How should these support systems be customized to meet the needs of marginalized people? How can we establish trust and credibility in the support being offered? What is a more inclusive way of supporting entrepreneurship?</p>
<p>These questions can only be effectively addressed at the systemic level. Studies show that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-018-0526-3">entrepreneurship increases when there are strong systems</a> — like incubators, accelerators, funding opportunities, networks, policy frameworks and market access — in place.</p>
<p>In other words, increasing entrepreneurship among marginalized people calls for the development of more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems.</p>
<h2>Transforming the system</h2>
<p>Creating a more inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem involves transforming the existing one. Such a transformation calls for the involvement and collaboration of individuals and groups that support inclusive entrepreneurship. </p>
<p>Working on a larger scale will assist Canadian policymakers and organizations in helping people from diverse communities make the most of their economic and social potential through entrepreneurship.</p>
<p>Several key characteristics <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66603-3_6">define an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem</a>. First, it involves seeking input from entrepreneurs belonging to marginalized communities. These insights should shape policy decisions and public initiatives.</p>
<p>Another essential aspect is educating government officials and the media about a more inclusive definition of entrepreneurship that goes beyond typical high-growth ventures. By broadening their understanding, policymakers can develop more inclusive policies and allocate funding more equitably.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A diverse group of people having a conversation around a table in an office" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547891/original/file-20230912-23-ngjxwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547891/original/file-20230912-23-ngjxwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547891/original/file-20230912-23-ngjxwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547891/original/file-20230912-23-ngjxwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547891/original/file-20230912-23-ngjxwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547891/original/file-20230912-23-ngjxwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547891/original/file-20230912-23-ngjxwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Inclusive entrepreneurship involves seeking input from entrepreneurs belonging to marginalized communities to understand their specific needs and preferences.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Additionally, fostering grassroots initiatives that support entrepreneurs from marginalized communities is vital. These initiatives should be led by entrepreneurs from those communities, which will likely mean diverting resources from existing power players.</p>
<p>Ensuring everyone has access to affordable, culturally specific education that nurtures entrepreneurial skills is also fundamental. Understanding how trauma impacts startup aspiration and success, and taking a trauma-informed approach to supporting inclusive entrepreneurship, is equally important.</p>
<h2>Ecosystem builders</h2>
<p>Supporting <a href="https://www.kauffman.org/ecosystem-playbook-draft-3/scale/">entrepreneur ecosystem builders</a> is a pivotal way to create a more inclusive startup environment. Ecosystem builders are organizations that work to remove existing barriers in the startup system.</p>
<p>At <a href="https://www.macewan.ca/academics/centres-institutes/social-innovation-institute">MacEwan University’s Social Innovation Institute</a>, we are striving to be an ecosystem builder by holding roundtables with key groups. These groups include innovation authority Edmonton Unlimited, non-profits that support marginalized entrepreneurs, the government and financial institutions.</p>
<p>Participants are working to create a shared vision of inclusive entrepreneurship by identifying community strengths and barriers, and figuring out the steps needed to transform Edmonton’s startup ecosystem. A key aspect of this transformation involves joint efforts to influence and shape policy decisions.</p>
<p>Edmonton’s efforts to create an inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem will not only benefit the local community, but also hopefully guide other cities in transforming their entrepreneurial ecosystems as well. By making these changes, we will foster more equitable economic participation across the board.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204330/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leanne Hedberg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Increasing entrepreneurship among women and racialized people calls for the development of more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems.Leanne Hedberg, Director of Social Innovation Institute, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, MacEwan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2119882023-09-13T19:27:17Z2023-09-13T19:27:17ZHow Canada can make better progress on disability inclusion<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546014/original/file-20230901-29-2y8pxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C40%2C6699%2C4426&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canada has an extensive policy architecture in place to provide support for people with disabilities, yet progress on disability inclusion remains elusive.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-canada-can-make-better-progress-on-disability-inclusion" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>According to the World Health Organization, around 16 per cent of the world’s population, <a href="https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases/sensory-functions-disability-and-rehabilitation/global-report-on-health-equity-for-persons-with-disabilities">just over one billion people</a>, are living with a disability. In Canada, <a href="https://angusreid.org/disability-poverty-benefit/">research shows</a> that up to 30 per cent of Canadians are living with a disability. That includes people with mental health conditions, mobility issues or visual and hearing loss. It also includes people who may not fall under traditional definitions of disability, such as those with auto-immune or other chronic conditions. </p>
<p>The reality is that most, if not all of us, will experience a disability at some point in our lives — whether individually or through providing support and care to a loved one. </p>
<p>Canada has set an <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/accessible-canada.html">ambitious goal</a> to become a “<a href="https://accessible.canada.ca/roadmap-to-2040">barrier-free society by 2040</a>.” But Canada’s governments have yet to implement a coherent strategy to achieve an inclusive society. </p>
<p>In a recent survey of 1,108 Canadians conducted for <a href="https://www.csagroup.org/article/public-policy/a-path-forward-advancing-disability-inclusion-in-canada/">the CSA Group’s Public Policy Centre</a>, 35 per cent of respondents self-identified as having a disability. </p>
<p>The survey used the more expansive definition of disability outlined in the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/a-0.6/">Accessible Canada Act (ACA)</a> which came into force in 2019. This definition includes “any physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment” which can be “permanent, temporary or episodic in nature.”</p>
<h2>Systemic challenges</h2>
<p>Canada has policies in place to ensure <a href="https://www.disabilitypolicyalliance.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/A-Review-of-Disability-Policy-in-Canada-3rd-edition-Final-1-1.pdf">equity, access and support</a> for those living with a disability. This includes federal and provincial accessibility standards, income support programs and tax benefits, among others. </p>
<p>Yet, progress on inclusion remains elusive. Canadians with disabilities continue to have <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2021010/article/00003-eng.htm">lower educational attainment</a> and <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2018002-eng.htm">labour market participation</a> than Canadians without disabilities. They are also more likely to live <a href="https://maytree.com/wp-content/uploads/Welfare_in_Canada_2021.pdf">below the poverty line</a> and experience <a href="https://inclusioncanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Canada-Right-to-Housing-for-Persons-with-Disabilities-May-15-2017.pdf">homelessness</a>. They continue to confront frequent discrimination and <a href="https://2021.chrcreport.ca/by-the-numbers.html">human rights violations</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546011/original/file-20230901-19-ld0jo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An eldery woman using a walker crossing a street." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546011/original/file-20230901-19-ld0jo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546011/original/file-20230901-19-ld0jo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546011/original/file-20230901-19-ld0jo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546011/original/file-20230901-19-ld0jo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546011/original/file-20230901-19-ld0jo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546011/original/file-20230901-19-ld0jo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546011/original/file-20230901-19-ld0jo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Providing better accommodations for people with disabilities often means better services and mobility for everyone.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Pervasive misconceptions about disabilities, flawed income support systems and inadequate enforcement of regulations are among the systemic challenges that contribute to this status quo. </p>
<h2>Greater inclusivity needed</h2>
<p>A fully inclusive society could generate an <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/EDI-07-2020-0186/full/html">economic benefit of $337 billion</a> — the equivalent of approximately 17 per cent of Canada’s GDP. Moreover, when systems are designed to accommodate those facing the most significant barriers, everyone benefits. Just think of a curb cut that makes streets accessible for wheelchair users. It also improves mobility for anyone using strollers, walkers, shopping carts or bikes.</p>
<p>For this future to become reality, the bar must be set much higher. Whether in the design of benefit programs or physical spaces, the level of support provided often falls far short of actual needs.</p>
<p>For example, social assistance programs for people with disabilities leave most recipients below the poverty line in every province. The <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2023/07/starting-the-engagement-process-to-design-the-canada-disability-benefit-regulations.html">forthcoming Canada Disability Benefit</a> presents a significant opportunity to rectify decades of inadequate support, but as people with disabilities <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9789453/disability-benefit-act-bill-c-22-royal-assent/">have warned</a>, only careful design will ensure that thousands of people are indeed lifted out of poverty. </p>
<p>People must be meaningfully involved in making decisions that directly impact their well-being. Encouragingly, the <a href="https://www.disabilitywithoutpoverty.ca/nothing-about-us-without-us/">“Nothing About Us Without Us”</a> principle is being embedded in the federal government’s disability consultations and decision-making processes. However, more should be done to ensure policies are responsive to communities that are often overlooked, such as historically marginalized groups, including Indigenous Peoples. </p>
<h2>A holistic approach</h2>
<p>A new approach to disability must better reflect its multidimensional and evolving nature. Currently, assistance programs <a href="https://maytree.com/wp-content/uploads/Disability-policy-from-remedies-to-rights.pdf">can be too difficult to access for those experiencing episodic or invisible disabilities</a>. </p>
<p>In fact, <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2019002-eng.htm">61 per cent of Canadians with disabilities</a> experience conditions which worsen, improve or fluctuate over time. While there is no perfect definition of disability, the ACA’s more inclusive definition should be adopted more widely within federal and provincial disability policy and programs.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546013/original/file-20230901-15-otby28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An elderly man holding his knee with a pained look on his face." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546013/original/file-20230901-15-otby28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546013/original/file-20230901-15-otby28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546013/original/file-20230901-15-otby28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546013/original/file-20230901-15-otby28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546013/original/file-20230901-15-otby28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546013/original/file-20230901-15-otby28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546013/original/file-20230901-15-otby28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Definitions of disability must also include people living with invisible or episodic disabilities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, policymakers must become more attuned to how their decisions can either promote — or diminish — the potential of people with disabilities. </p>
<p>A more holistic approach could shift responsibility for disability inclusion into more central ministries. Nova Scotia, for example, placed its <a href="https://novascotia.ca/accessibility/access-by-design/access-by-design-2030.pdf">Accessibility Directorate</a> in its Justice Department. This can help co-ordinate policymaking and also signal that disability inclusion is a key government priority. </p>
<p>The federal government and five provinces (Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador) are in various stages of developing and implementing legislation around accessibility in employment, education and transportation. Some local variance will always be needed, however, governments should work closely to share best practices and encourage faster implementation. </p>
<p>Becoming a barrier-free society by 2040 will require tremendous efforts by our governments and partners in the private and non-profit sectors. A new approach is needed to maximize our chances of getting there: One that centres people and their rights and reflects the different ways people experience disabilities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211988/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sunil Johal is the Vice-President, Public Policy with the CSA Group.
He is also currently a member of the Expert Panel on Portable Benefits providing advice to the Ontario government on the design and implementation of a portable benefits program.</span></em></p>Many people with disabilities in Canada still face systemic barriers. Governments must take action to reduce inequities.Sunil Johal, Professor in Public Policy and Society, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2107772023-09-12T22:24:31Z2023-09-12T22:24:31ZPeople with dyslexia can bring unique strengths and advantages to the workplace<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546741/original/file-20230906-32499-rq5er9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=50%2C25%2C5523%2C3685&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Employers miss out on untapped potential when they overlook or discount abilities in the workplace.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/people-with-dyslexia-can-bring-unique-strengths-and-advantages-to-the-workplace" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Dyslexia is the <a href="https://dyslexia.yale.edu/dyslexia/dyslexia-faq/">most common learning disability</a> in the world, and up to <a href="https://dyslexiaida.org/frequently-asked-questions-2/">15 to 20 per cent of the population</a> has a language-based learning disability. If you don’t have dyslexia yourself, you likely know someone who does.</p>
<p>Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with reading, writing and spelling. Like other learning disabilities, people with dyslexia <a href="https://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-disabilities/">process information and learn differently</a>. </p>
<p>Though learning disabilities are often characterized as a childhood issue, they are lifelong conditions that follow people into the workplace. People with dyslexia <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.1728">find it harder to find jobs</a> and they often experience challenges once they are hired because of their learning disability. </p>
<p>Dyslexia can result in challenges with <a href="https://healthmanagement.co.uk/our-insights/articles/dyslexia-awareness/">organization, time management</a>, reading and writing, <a href="https://my.vanderbilt.edu/speds2430/2020-topics/dyslexia/">effective communication</a> and comprehending complicated instructions. These challenges can be compounded if companies don’t have accommodations in place for people with disabilities.</p>
<p>But people with dyslexia often <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/05/neurodiversity-as-a-competitive-advantage">bring unique strengths to the workplace as well</a>. Employers miss out on untapped potential when they overlook or discount their abilities in the workplace.</p>
<h2>Misconceptions and stigma</h2>
<p>Under the <a href="https://ridm.net/glossary-disability-management-terms/is-dyslexia-considered-a-disability-in-canada/">Canadian Human Rights Act</a>, individuals are protected from discrimination based on disabilities, including learning disabilities such as dyslexia. However, misconceptions and stigma can often make it difficult for people to disclose that they have dyslexia.</p>
<p>While there can be <a href="https://canadianequality.ca/invisible-disabilities-in-the-workplace/">positive impacts from self-disclosure</a>, such as receiving accommodations like text-to-speech software or <a href="https://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/sites/default/files/good_fonts_for_dyslexia_study.pdf">dyslexia-friendly fonts</a> at work, there can also be negative impacts.</p>
<p>Self-disclosure can result in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-017-0242-y">workers feeling isolated</a>, discriminated against and receiving lowered expectations from managers and co-workers.</p>
<p>Some of this can be attributed to the stigma surrounding dyslexia. Even though dyslexia is the most common type of learning disability, it is widely misunderstood. There is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0004-0894.2004.00227.x">more discussion about mental disorders and physical disabilities</a> than learning disabilities, so <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-5826.00069">people tend to know less about them</a>.</p>
<p>One of the most common misconceptions about learning disabilities is that <a href="https://nildcanada.org/learning-disabilities/">having one makes you less intelligent</a>. But this isn’t true; many people with learning disabilities have <a href="https://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-disabilities/">average or above-average</a> intelligence.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A sad-looking woman sits in front of a desktop computer screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546740/original/file-20230906-29-3tuk1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546740/original/file-20230906-29-3tuk1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546740/original/file-20230906-29-3tuk1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546740/original/file-20230906-29-3tuk1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546740/original/file-20230906-29-3tuk1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546740/original/file-20230906-29-3tuk1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546740/original/file-20230906-29-3tuk1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Self-disclosure can result in workers feeling isolated and discriminated against.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This harmful stigma can lead to <a href="https://opus.govst.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1126&context=capstones">lower self-esteem, stress</a>, shame or isolation. It can also result in people with dyslexia <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-5826.00069">being seen as liabilities at work</a>.</p>
<p>Because of this, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-013-9227-9">many people with dyslexia choose not to disclose their condition</a>. This can discourage people from seeking accommodations or help in the workplace, and prevent them from reaching their full potential.</p>
<p>Those that don’t self-disclose must instead find ways to manage their learning disability without the company’s help. For most people with dyslexia, knowing their learning style can help them <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/30035532">adapt and compensate for their learning disability</a>.</p>
<p>It’s crucial for people without dyslexia to learn more about it so they can better understand and support individuals who have it. This knowledge can empower people to advocate for those with dyslexia, reduce the stigma associated with it and create better, more inclusive workplaces.</p>
<h2>Advantages of dyslexic workers</h2>
<p>Because people with dyslexia process information and think differently than others, they can bring distinctive advantages to the workplace. </p>
<p>People with dyslexia tend to be visual thinkers and can often see the <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-advantages-of-dyslexia/">big picture</a>. This can help them visualize complicated scenarios and come up with <a href="https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v30i3/4.1268">new, original solutions to problems</a>. </p>
<p>People with dyslexia also have above-average <a href="https://www.dyslexiasupportsouth.org.nz/parent-toolkit/emotional-impact/strengths-of-dyslexia/">problem-solving skills</a>, and are skilled at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2016.1190309">thinking creatively</a> and coming up with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2009.05.034">abstract and unique ideas</a> — all of which results in a more innovative work environment.</p>
<p>In addition, people with dyslexia are often <a href="https://dyslexiaida.org/dyslexia-and-resilience-in-adults-a-psychologists-perspective/">resilient and persevering</a> because of their experience overcoming challenges and barriers. This can lead to a strong work ethic, determination and motivation towards accomplishing their goals.</p>
<h2>Building inclusive workplaces</h2>
<p>Canadian employers have a duty to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with learning disabilities to ensure they have the supports needed to perform their jobs well. </p>
<p><a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2019001-eng.htm">Workplaces can be more accommodating</a> by providing employees with assistive technologies like spellchecking tools, allowing flexible work schedules, modifying job tasks and training methods, and providing instructional materials in a variety of formats.</p>
<p>Support is an ongoing commitment, not a one-time effort. Employers should be ready to provide continuous assistance to their employees and be understanding and supportive towards their needs and preferences.</p>
<p>People with dyslexia can bring a great deal to the workplace. Establishing an inclusive and accommodating work environment for people with learning disabilities like dyslexia can foster a diverse workforce and improve productivity, innovation and performance. Doing this ultimately creates a more supportive and productive work environment for all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210777/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Rahimi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Establishing an inclusive and accommodating work environment for people with dyslexia can foster a diverse workforce and improve productivity, innovation and performance.Sarah Rahimi, PhD Candidate in Business Administration and Management, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2089052023-09-12T12:28:25Z2023-09-12T12:28:25Z5 ways that college campuses benefit from diversity, equity and inclusion programs<p>For more than half a century, colleges and universities have relied on dedicated programs to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.10.002">attract students of color</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1999.tb02439.x">support</a> them. Today, those programs – known as diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs – are <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2023/06/15/texas-gov-greg-abbott-signs-ban-on-dei-offices-in-public-universities/70327387007/">under attack</a>. </p>
<p>Republican lawmakers assail the programs as being driven by liberal Democrats’ <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/republicans-anti-diversity-bills_n_64383d3ce4b05765f3812d60#:%7E:text=diversityhigher%20education-,Republicans%20Across%20The%20U.S.%20Are%20On%20A%20Crusade%20To%20Eliminate,programs%20at%20colleges%20and%20universities.">“woke agenda”</a> to value and prioritize racial identity over merit. However, rigorous social science research shows that these programs <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/108648220000500505">result in universities with better student learning</a>.</p>
<p>As a researcher who is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/13/opinions/desantis-bans-dei-florida-colleges-muhammad-licht/index.html">concerned with racial equity on campus</a>, I contend these are five ways DEI programs have made a difference at colleges and universities throughout the U.S.:</p>
<h2>1. Students perform better academically</h2>
<p>Students from marginalized identity groups – including Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Asian students, as well as first-generation students – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/108648220000500505">perform better academically</a> at schools with diversity programs, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.2190/25T7-3BBF-6HYB-NHAY">graduate at a higher rate</a>.</p>
<p>As a result of DEI programs, students also report <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/advancing-diversity-inclusion.pdf">feeling more included on campus</a> through dedicated resources and spaces for students of color.</p>
<p>This sense of belonging also increases when, as a part of DEI programs, <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/advancing-diversity-inclusion.pdf">more faculty of color are hired</a>.</p>
<p>When students feel like they belong, they <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1340558">stay in school and graduate after four years</a> at a higher rate than those who do not.</p>
<h2>2. Students are less biased</h2>
<p>Diversity programs have been shown to <a href="https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/64961">create more racially diverse learning environments</a>. </p>
<p>These more diverse environments have proved to <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w20940">reduce bias and promote peer acceptance</a>. Increased contact between students from different racial groups results in increased understanding of different perspectives and development of trust.</p>
<p>Students of color also report <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2013.00029.x">less racial stress</a> and fewer feelings of <a href="https://doi.org/10.7709/jnegroeducation.84.2.0175">imposter syndrome</a> on campus.</p>
<h2>3. More satisfied faculty</h2>
<p>Faculty at schools with DEI programs including mentorship <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED447752">stay at their jobs longer and are more satisfied at their places of work</a>. This <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831219888624">increased job satisfaction</a> is because of how DEI programs restructure university policies on hiring, promotion and advancement. This restructuring includes redesigning job descriptions, including more voices in the interview process and requiring implicit bias training for search committees.</p>
<p>Additionally, these changes result in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000099">increasing the number of junior faculty of color</a> on campus.</p>
<h2>4. More engaging curriculum and classrooms</h2>
<p>DEI programs produce <a href="https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=ia">more engaged scholarship</a>, which results in higher quality of curriculum and classroom learning as reported by students themselves.</p>
<p>Faculty on campuses with greater curricular innovation <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED535182.pdf">publish higher quality work</a> on issues that affect the communities in which their students will live and work.</p>
<p>Engaged academic work connects classroom learning to issues that students experience directly themselves, such as racism and discrimination based on class, gender and sexuality.</p>
<h2>5. Students are more prepared to be local leaders</h2>
<p>As a result of DEI programs, students are <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654310383047">more engaged in their communities after they graduate</a>.</p>
<p>Additionally, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02680930210127577">students are more likely to participate in local government and politics</a>, including turning out to vote and running for office after graduation.</p>
<p>Graduating students at schools with DEI programs are also <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/1811/64961">more likely to have interracial friendships and are more prepared for multiracial professional settings</a> because they gain a better understanding of race and ethnicity.</p>
<p>DEI programs have been time-tested as changing campuses for the better and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.10.002">attracting more Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Asian students</a>. With <a href="https://time.com/6291182/affirmative-action-supreme-court-decision-overturns/">race-based admissions having been outlawed</a>, going forward DEI efforts can play an even greater role in attracting more students of color and creating the conditions for them to thrive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208905/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erica Jacqueline Licht does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Diversity programs benefit schools and students in multiple ways, research shows.Erica Jacqueline Licht, Research Project Director, Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project (IARA), Harvard Kennedy SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2087272023-08-30T12:15:21Z2023-08-30T12:15:21ZWorkers like it when their employers talk about diversity and inclusion<p><a href="https://www.raconteur.net/responsible-business/george-floyd-death-racial-equality/">Many companies have made commitments toward</a> diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in recent years, particularly since the murder of <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/george-floyd-87675">George Floyd sparked</a> weeks of racial justice riots in 2020. </p>
<p>But some of those efforts, such as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/diversity-roles-disappear-three-years-george-floyd-protests-inspired-rcna72026">hiring diversity leaders</a> and <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/esg/host-of-companies-sued-alleging-unmet-diversity-equity-pledges">creating policies to address racial inequality</a>, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/corporate-america-slashing-dei-workers-amid-backlash-diversity/story?id=100477952">have stalled or reversed</a> at the same time as a growing <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/07/21/texas-am-president-resigns-after-conservative-pushback-against-journalism-professor-and-dei/">conservative backlash</a> is threatening to further undermine such initiatives. </p>
<p>Most recently, a June 2023 Supreme Court ruling tossing out affirmative action policies at several universities <a href="https://hbr.org/2023/07/what-scotuss-affirmative-action-decision-means-for-corporate-dei">has prompted businesses and advocates to worry</a> that similar corporate efforts to improve the diversity of their workforces may be next. </p>
<p>That would be bad news for companies, because research has shown that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives improve <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1177/0146167210367786">creativity</a>, <a href="https://hbr.org/2013/12/how-diversity-can-drive-innovation">innovation</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(14)00178-6">productivity</a> and <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270813">organizational performance</a>.</p>
<p>What’s more, a majority of workers <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/05/17/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-workplace/">say they want their employers</a> to do DEI. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=697eQncAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">My own research</a> in corporate communications suggests how employees communicate their efforts is just as important as having them.</p>
<h2>DEI and the workplace</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-diversity-equity-and-inclusion">Diversity, equity and inclusion</a> are three related values that companies and other organizations use to guide their efforts to create workplaces that are welcoming to people from all walks of life. These values emphasize the respect of individual differences and fair treatment of all people, regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation or other factors.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/12-ways-companies-are-boosting-their-dei.aspx">implementation of DEI measures</a> varies across organizations, with strategies ranging from policies that ensure the fair treatment of workers of color to training and the establishment of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/effective-employee-resource-groups-are-key-to-inclusion-at-work-heres-how-to-get-them-right">employee resource groups</a>, which are internal communities built around workers’ shared identities or interests. Examples include networks for women, people of color or veterans. </p>
<p>While strategies may vary, DEI is in wide use across corporate America. <a href="https://www.hrdive.com/news/2022-fortune-companies-dei/627651/#:%7E:text=As%20of%20at%20least%20July,to%20diversity%2C%20equity%20and%20inclusion">Every Fortune 100 company</a> listed some kind of DEI initiative on its website as of July 2022, and a <a href="https://www.hrpolicy.org/insight-and-research/resources/2021/hrpa/12/press-release/">2021 survey</a> found that 82% of chief human resource officers said DEI was their foremost concern. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="a woman holding a sign protests outside of the Supreme Court building amid several other affirmative action-related signs" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545112/original/file-20230828-26-uerino.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545112/original/file-20230828-26-uerino.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545112/original/file-20230828-26-uerino.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545112/original/file-20230828-26-uerino.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545112/original/file-20230828-26-uerino.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545112/original/file-20230828-26-uerino.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545112/original/file-20230828-26-uerino.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some believe corporate diversity programs will be targeted next after the Supreme Court in June 2023 ended affirmative action in college admissions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/SupremeCourtAffirmativeAction/30fcf455c5844ff5be44c519266cd4d2/photo?Query=affirmative%20action%20supreme%20court&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=31&currentItemNo=1&vs=true">AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Broad benefits of DEI</h2>
<p>Numerous studies on diversity, equity and inclusion policies have found them to have many positive impacts on corporate performance. </p>
<p>Consulting company McKinsey in May 2020 reviewed data on over 1,000 companies in 15 countries and found that the “<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/%7E/media/McKinsey/Featured%20Insights/Diversity%20and%20Inclusion/Diversity%20wins%20How%20inclusion%20matters/Diversity-wins-How-inclusion-matters-vF.pdf">business case for inclusion and diversity is stronger than ever</a>.” </p>
<p>Its analysis showed that in 2019 companies in the top quartile in terms of ethnic and cultural diversity were 36% more likely to report above-average profits than those at the bottom, slightly better than in 2014. And companies with the most gender diversity among executives were 25% more likely to outperform the market, up from 15% in 2014. </p>
<p>A 2019 study that analyzed workforce diversity in the U.S. federal government found that racial diversity <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1177/0091026019848458">is significantly and positively related</a> to organizational performance.</p>
<p>One of the reasons DEI initiatives have a positive impact is because workers appreciate them. For example, a survey conducted in early 2023 found that most employees – 56% – <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/05/17/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-workplace/">think it’s a good thing</a> if their company is focused on DEI.</p>
<h2>Talking up DEI</h2>
<p>But my own work suggests that getting many of these benefits from DEI initiatives may depend on how well employers are communicating their efforts to workers. In 2021, colleagues Sunny Qin, Renee Mitson, Patrick Thelen and I <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1080/1062726X.2023.2222859">conducted an online survey</a> with 657 full-time employees across 27 industries in the U.S. We published the findings in June 2023. </p>
<p>We asked respondents how well they thought their employers communicated around the topic of diversity, including efforts to promote a diverse workforce. We also assessed participants’ engagement in their companies as well as the employees’ <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-8784.2007.00082.x">cultural intelligence</a>, or the ability to interact and adapt across cultures. We then used a statistical technique called <a href="https://www.statisticssolutions.com/free-resources/directory-of-statistical-analyses/structural-equation-modeling/">structural equation modeling analysis</a> to spot relationships between all their answers. </p>
<p>We found that the employees who worked for companies that talked more about their commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment were also more engaged in their work. This was also correlated with higher levels of cultural intelligence, and together they contributed to a more inclusive work environment. </p>
<p>Importantly, we found that this effect was strongest for racial minorities, whose level of engagement was more highly correlated with how well their employer created an inclusive climate than for white people in our survey. </p>
<h2>Valued and included</h2>
<p>Overall, our study supports the notion that employees still value and appreciate their companies’ focus on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. </p>
<p>And as we found, a more diverse and inclusive work environment leads to a more engaged workforce when companies continually communicate about their stance, values and commitment to DEI. Such communications signal to employees that their employers hear their voices and stand with them. </p>
<p>Having a diverse and inclusive workplace isn’t just about checking off boxes. It’s about making sure everyone feels valued and included.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208727/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rita Men does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Policies that foster diversity, equity and inclusion have been shown to have many positive operational impacts − including leading to more worker engagement.Rita Men, Professor of Public Relations and Director of Internal Communication Research, University of FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2084242023-08-18T20:22:39Z2023-08-18T20:22:39ZYellowknife fires: Evacuees will need culturally specific support services<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/yellowknife-fires-evacuees-will-need-culturally-specific-support-services" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>On the evening of Aug. 16, due to rapidly moving wildfires, an evacuation order was issued for the entire city of Yellowknife. Thousands of residents <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-wildfire-evacuation-journeys-1.6939446">faced a long, stressful drive on the only road out of the city</a>. The goal was for as many people as possible to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66526554">flee one of the largest cities in Canada’s North before the deadline for safe exit</a> of Aug. 18 at noon Mountain Daylight Time.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eEznXF5B23Y?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Reuters reports on the evacuation order issued in Yellowknife, N.W.T.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As a researcher in disaster and emergency management, I have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-018-3488-4">studied the implications of what happened in Fort McMurray, Alta., in 2016</a>, a similar situation where a large city in Canada’s North faced full evacuation due to fire. I am also a member of a research team at York University that looks at “<a href="https://emforall.com/">emergency management for all</a>” — analyzing how the needs of the whole community are met, or not, during mass emergencies.</p>
<p>We studied Fort McMurray’s Muslim community to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1504/IJEM.2019.099374">explore how they experienced mass evacuation</a>. Our research found that the needs of a segment of the population were overlooked during mass evacuation. Perhaps, seven years later, this will not happen again. </p>
<h2>Similarities to Fort McMurray</h2>
<p>In May 2016, a large fast-moving wildfire jumped from the surrounding rural areas and into the city of Fort McMurray, Alta., causing <a href="https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/weather/severe/this-day-in-weather-history-may-3-2016-fort-mcmurray-evacuations-begin">approximately 88,000 people to flee</a>. Canadians were shocked and saddened by the televised images of slow-moving lines of cars passing in close proximity to massive walls of flames.</p>
<p>In August 2023, Canadians are again seeing disturbing images of slow-moving traffic along smoky two-lane roads in Canada’s remote northern locales. While it is too soon to make detailed comparisons between the Fort McMurray evacuation in 2016 and the ongoing Yellowknife evacuation, there appear to be some things in common.</p>
<p>At both places, evacuations are made more difficult due to northern Canada’s geographic realities. Highway evacuations involve traversing hundreds of kilometres, and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-air-evacuation-begins-1.6939256">airlifts face capacity limits</a>, although an official said <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-fire-northwest-territories-canada-wildfire-aug-18-1.6940408">there is room for everyone who wants to fly out</a>. </p>
<p>During Fort McMurray’s evacuation, only one southbound road was available for evacuation. Similar to northern Alberta, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-wildfires-crews-battle-stop-blaze-yellowknife-evacuates-2023-08-17/">the Northwest Territories has limited infrastructure</a>, and most people evacuating Yellowknife can only use one road to drive to <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/northwest-territories-wildfire-evacuation">reception centres hundreds of kilometres south in Alberta</a>.</p>
<h2>Culturally appropriate services</h2>
<p>While it is hoped that fire conditions change, it is possible that the fire will <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2256232003514">reach the outskirts of Yellowknife</a>. If that happens, it could be weeks if not months before 20,000 residents can return. Other locales will have to absorb Yellowknife’s entire population for extended periods.</p>
<p>In the immediate short term, the needs of the evacuees will shift from temporary relief to requiring more permanent services. Evacuees will benefit if some semblance of “home away from home” can be provided. That hospitality includes culturally appropriate evacuee hosting. </p>
<p>At the time of the 2016 fire disaster at Fort McMurray, the largest visible minority group was the Muslim community. Today, there are still <a href="https://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/news/local-news/fort-mcmurray-muslims-invite-non-muslims-to-learn-about-islam-at-ramadan-feast">7,000 to 10,000 Muslims residing in Fort McMurray</a>. </p>
<p>Whether it was fully understood during the chaos of the 2016 fire evacuations or not, thousands of people had specific cultural needs that became evident in evacuation centres.</p>
<p>As days turned to weeks, challenges for Muslim evacuees emerged. The disaster occurred during the start of Ramadan, and scheduled mass feeding times in large shelters conflicted with traditional sunrise-to-sunset fasting during Ramadan. Evacuation centres hosting Fort McMurray’s evacuees were unprepared for <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-research-muslim-evacuation-1.5128104">meeting the needs of the sizeable Muslim population</a>.</p>
<h2>Anticipating diverse needs</h2>
<p>Like Fort McMurray, Yellowknife is a culturally diverse community. When Yellowknife’s diverse population arrives at reception centres in Alberta, it is an open question whether they will be met with culturally appropriate services. Initial analysis indicates at least three significant distinct cultural groups among the evacuees from Yellowknife.</p>
<p>Canada’s Northwest Territories is home to Indigenous Peoples, and Yellowknife is <a href="https://www.yellowknife.ca/en/living-here/indigenous-peoples.aspx">located on the traditional lands of the Dene First Nation</a>. <a href="https://calgaryherald.com/news/nwt-yellowknife-wildfires-alberta-friendship-centres">Friendship centres in Alberta</a>, such as in Grande Prairie and High Level, are offering support, food and other necessities to Indigenous evacuees from the Northwest Territories. </p>
<p>The largest visible minority group in Yellowknife is <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-filipino-community-balances-celebration-grief-this-filipino-heritage-month-1.6085351">the Filipino population</a>, with about 1,065 people. </p>
<p>Historically, Yellowknife has attracted a significant number of <a href="https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/english/pdf/immigration-matters/economicprofile-yellowknife-nwt-en-final.pdf">French-speaking people</a>, and there is a significant francophone community, making up nearly 17 per cent of the city’s population.</p>
<h2>There is no “one size fits all”</h2>
<p>As the mass evacuation of Yellowknife unfolds, the needs of minority, racialized and marginalized populations will emerge. Past experiences indicate emergency officials at centres hosting evacuees in Alberta may not be ready to meet the needs of a diverse population.</p>
<p>Again, there exists the potential for minority populations having their needs overlooked by emergency services during mass evacuations. We know from the Fort McMurray experience that social issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion are real-life concerns impacting the evacuation experiences for thousands of Canadians. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1692569935929655556"}"></div></p>
<p>The unfolding Yellowknife evacuation effort will not be a one-size-fits-all experience for <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/northwest-territories-official-name-1.4987395">Northwest Territorians</a>. At this early point in the mass evacuation, it can be anticipated that social and cultural needs of all Yellowknifers will need to be acknowledged and acted upon. </p>
<p>Adaptations to standard operating procedures will need to be made at evacuation centres in Alberta to meet the needs of thousands of people with varying and culturally specific needs arriving from Yellowknife.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208424/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jack L. Rozdilsky does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As the mass evacuation of Yellowknife unfolds, the needs of minority populations will emerge. Past experiences indicate emergency officials may not be ready to meet the needs of a diverse population.Jack L. Rozdilsky, Associate Professor of Disaster and Emergency Management, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.