{"id":150,"date":"2017-11-09T21:05:18","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T21:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hccfl.edu\/blueprint\/chapter\/46-diversity-and-accessibility\/"},"modified":"2024-03-31T22:47:07","modified_gmt":"2024-03-31T22:47:07","slug":"46-diversity-and-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.hccfl.edu\/blueprint\/chapter\/46-diversity-and-accessibility\/","title":{"raw":"Chapter 13: Diversity and Accessibility","rendered":"Chapter 13: Diversity and Accessibility"},"content":{"raw":"
\r\n
\r\n

\"Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.\"<\/em><\/p>\r\n

- Malcolm Forbes<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

What Is Diversity?<\/h3>\r\nThere are few words in the English language that have more varied interpretations than diversity<\/em>. What does diversity<\/em> mean? Better yet\u2014what does diversity mean to you<\/em>? And what does it mean to your best friend, your teacher, your parents, your religious leader, or the person standing behind you in a grocery store?\r\n\r\nFor each of us, diversity has unique meaning. Below\u00a0are a few of the many definitions offered by college students at a 2010 conference on the topic of diversity. Which of these definitions rings out to you as most accurate and thoughtful? Which definitions could use some embellishment or clarification, in your opinion?\r\n
Diversity is a group of people who are different in the same place.\r\n\r\nDiversity to me is the ability for differences to coexist together, with some type of mutual understanding or acceptance present. Acceptance of different viewpoints is key.\r\n\r\nTolerance of thought, ideas, people with differing viewpoints, backgrounds, and life experiences.\r\n\r\nAnything that sets one individual apart from another.\r\n\r\nPeople with different opinions, backgrounds (degrees and social experience), religious beliefs, political beliefs, sexual orientations, heritage, and life experience.\r\n\r\nDissimilar\r\n\r\nHaving a multitude of people from different backgrounds and cultures together in the same environment working for the same goals.\r\n\r\nDifference in students\u2019 background, especially race and gender.\r\n\r\nDifferences in characteristics of humans.\r\n\r\nDiversity is a satisfying mix of ideas, cultures, races, genders, economic statuses and other characteristics necessary for promoting growth and learning among a group.\r\n\r\nDiversity is the immersion and comprehensive integration of various cultures, experiences, and people.\r\n\r\nHeterogeneity brings about opportunities to share, learn and grow from the journeys of others. Without it, limitations arise and knowledge is gained in the absence of understanding.\r\n\r\nDiversity is not tolerance for difference but inclusion of those who are not the majority. It should not be measured as a count or a fraction\u2014that is somehow demeaning. Success at maintaining diversity would be when we no longer ask if we are diverse enough, because it has become the norm, not remarkable.[footnote]\u201cHow Would You Define Diversity?,\u201d Open Ended Student Survey on How to Define Diversity<\/a>, April 28, 2010, [\/footnote]<\/blockquote>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_149\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1024\"]\"A Cultural Diversity[\/caption]\r\n\r\nDiversity means different things to different people, and it can be understood differently in different environments.\u00a0In the context of your college experience, diversity generally refers to people around you\u00a0who differ by race, culture, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, abilities, opinions, political views, and in other ways. When it comes to diversity on the college campus, we also think about how groups interact with one another, given their differences (even if they\u2019re just perceived differences.) How do diverse populations experience and explore their relationships?\r\n\r\n\u201cMore and more organizations define diversity really broadly,\u201d says Eric Peterson, who works on diversity issues for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). \u201cReally, it\u2019s any way any group of people can differ significantly from another group of people\u2014appearance, sexual orientation, veteran status, your level in the organization. It has moved far beyond the legally protected categories that we\u2019ve always looked at.\u201d[footnote]Kevin Whitelaw, \u201cDefining Diversity: Beyond Race and Gender<\/a>,\u201d accessed April 27, 2018, [\/footnote]\r\n\r\nThe following videos explore aspects of diversity. They highlight the passion and excitement about diversity and the many ways in which diverse groups can support one\u00a0another.\r\n

Video: Color blind or color brave?<\/em> Mellody Hobson TED Talk<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/mellody_hobson_color_blind_or_color_brave\r\n

Video: When To Take a Stand and When To Let it Go, <\/em>Ash Beckham TED Talk<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/ash_beckham_when_to_take_a_stand_and_when_to_let_it_go\/transcript?language=en\r\n

Video: How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them, <\/em>Vern\u00e3 Myers TED Talk<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/verna_myers_how_to_overcome_our_biases_walk_boldly_toward_them\r\n\r\n \r\n

Video: 'Ask Me': What LGBTQ Students Want Their Professors to Know<\/a><\/h3>\r\n(View this video by clicking the subheading above or at Chronicle.com)\r\n

Surface Diversity and Deep Diversity<\/h2>\r\nSurface diversity and deep diversity are categories of personal attributes\u2014or differences in attributes\u2014that people perceive to exist between people or groups of people.\r\n

Surface-level diversity<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nRefers to differences you can generally observe in others, like ethnicity, race, gender, age, culture, language, disability, etc. You can quickly and easily observe these features in a person. And people often do just that, making subtle judgments at the same time, which can lead to bias or discrimination. For example, if a teacher believes that older students perform better than younger students, she may give slightly higher grades to the older students than the younger students. This bias is based on perception of the attribute of age, which is surface-level diversity.\r\n

Deep-level diversity<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nReflects differences that are less visible, like personality, attitude, beliefs, and values. These attributes are generally communicated verbally and nonverbally, so they are not easily noticeable or measurable. You may not detect deep-level diversity in a classmate, for example, until you get to know him or her, at which point you may find that you are either comfortable with these deeper character levels, or perhaps not. But once you gain this deeper level of awareness, you may focus less on surface diversity. For example: At the beginning of a term, a classmate belonging to a minority ethnic group, whose native language is not English (surface diversity), may be treated differently by fellow classmates in another ethnic group. But as the term gets under way, classmates begin discovering the person\u2019s values and beliefs (deep-level diversity), which they find they are comfortable with. The surface-level attributes of language and perhaps skin color become more \u201ctransparent\u201d (less noticeable) as comfort is gained with deep-level attributes.\r\n

Positive Effects\u00a0of Diversity in an Educational Setting<\/h3>\r\nWhy does diversity matter in college? It matters because when you are exposed to new ideas, viewpoints, customs, and perspectives\u2014which invariably happens when you come in contact with diverse groups of people\u2014you expand your frame of reference for understanding the world. Your thinking becomes more open and global. You become comfortable working and interacting with people of all nationalities. You gain a new knowledge base as you learn from people who are different from yourself. You think \u201charder\u201d and more creatively. You perceive in new ways, seeing issues and problems from new angles. You can absorb and consider a wider range of options, and your values may be enriched. In short, it contributes to your education.\r\n\r\nConsider the following\u00a0facts about diversity in the United States:\r\n