Disability, DEI, A Conversation Continued…

As per usual in any political season, various hot-buttoned issues persist to take a front-row seat. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has certainly been seen as one of those divisive issues that have been amplified during this time. From Congressional Hearings to the State of Alabama passing sweeping legislation that prohibits diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in both their public schools and state-run universities. We are seeing a very politicized version of what the intention of DEI was meant for in the first place. Fearmongering and alienation have taken root as a competing narrative that creates a level of uneasiness and panic giving way to new tensions that are coopting what the true value of DEI can offer to society.

 While lowering the temperature during any political cycle may be wish fulfillment, it is critical to take a moment to try and break through the chatter and recognize not only the meaning and value of DEI but also its importance in creating a mindset of success for all.  To do this in any meaningful way, I contend that seeing DEI through a disability lens should be a critical starting point.  DEI at its essence has been fostered to embrace difference, create parity, and provide a pathway to full participation for all no matter where you come from. This is a humanist ideal and very much part of the composition that makes up the big tent that is the disability narrative.

 As previously stated, disability is the essence of diversity spanning across race, religion, gender, socioeconomics, sexuality, and beyond. But even more than that it is part of the human story whether one is born with a disability or joins the community at some point on their life’s journey. Regardless of whether one is a visitor, a permanent member, a caregiver, or an ally, there is a communal aspect to this narrative. It is this very idea that we should begin to harness, a recognition that we as a species are more in accord than apart.  As anthropologist Margaret Mead wrote, “If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.”  We are at a critical moment where we must broaden the aperture of DEI by recognizing a more robust understanding and progress beyond the political arena to a more benevolent conversation that values the intersectionality that is the human experience.

 The disability narrative offers room to have these tough conversations while allowing us to look beyond political divides and focus on what people truly need. Ultimately, we must get to a place where asking the questions of what matters, and what is meaningful are of paramount importance. When we are able to get to that place, and only then, can we begin to deal with the principal issues and find greater solutions that are causing this deep chasm throughout this conversation.