Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Part of the mission of the Oﬃce of Intercultural Aﬀairs is to build a campus climate dedicated to inclusive excellence.

Here, you will find articles, tips, and other sources that contribute to our knowledge and understanding of diverse issues and support the framework of our university's mission. This page also contains a pair of videos showing aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in different environments - academic and corporate - and a list of definitions for key DEI terminology.

LMU also has several faculty and student departments and groups that serve to promote diversity, inclusion, and technology at LMU.

While not comprehensive, the list below provides community members with a variety of tools and resources that promote DEI.

For further information, please contact OIA@lmu.edu.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Resources at LMU

Additional Resources for the promotion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Perspectives on DEI

What does DEI look like in Information Technology Services? Here is a list of some key terms and concepts to help frame the discussion.

Accessible Technologies - (typically web) technologies designed for people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. This is often used interchangeably with assistive technologies, but it is not the same.
Accessibility - The degree to which a service, device, environment, or product is available to and usable by people from a variety of backgrounds, abilities and learning styles.
Accommodation - a reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way a job is performed that enables a person with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities. Under the ADA, employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship. The section of ADA called Title III applies to schools, including private institutions.
ADA - American with Disabilities Act. Civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life." Signed into law July 26, 1990. The section called Title III applies to schools, including private institutions.
Assistive Technology - "any item, piece of equipment or system, whether acquired commercially, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve functional capacities of individuals with disabilities." For example, screen readers for the visually impaired.
Cultural Humility - the “ability to maintain an interpersonal stance that is other-oriented (or open to the other) in relation to aspects of cultural identity that are most important to the [person]” (Hook, Davis, Owen, Worthington & Utsey, 2013)
D&I - Diversity & Inclusion
DE&I or DEI - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Disability - defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.
Diversity - community members with variations of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, culture, religion, mental and physical ability, class, and immigration status.
DSS - Loyola Marymount University's Disability Support Services Oﬃce, where students with a documented disability must register and be approved for accommodation.
Equality - when things are the same (equal). This is often confused with equity.
Equity - is a measure of achievement, fairness, and opportunity in education. The chance to obtain the same outcomes. This is often confused with equality.
First-to-go/First year student - a student who is the first in their family to go to college or university.
Gender pronouns (use of) - Using a person's preferred pronouns, which may include the non- binary “they, them, and theirs.”
Inclusive Excellence - "Inclusive Excellence is institutional excellence which fully integrates values of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into all aspects of its work and functioning.”
Inclusive Pedagogy - "Inclusive pedagogy is a student-centered approach to teaching that pays attention to the varied background, learning styles, and abilities of all the learners in class.”
Interculturalism - "the support for cross-cultural dialogue and challenging self-segregation tendencies by sharing and learning across cultures with the aim of promoting understanding, equity, harmony, and justice in a diverse society.”
Microaggression - “everyday encounters of subtle discrimination that people of various marginalized identities experience throughout their lives.” (Sue, 2014)
Non-binary - "is a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine—identities that are outside the gender binary.”
Proactive Design - is a process of making content accessible from the beginning for all users.
Reactive Design - is a process of making accommodations on an as-needed basis.
Trans / Transgender - "Transgender people have a gender identity or gender expression that diﬀers from their sex assigned at birth.”
Section 508 - The Rehabilitation Act Amendments (Section 508) require Federal agencies to give employees with disabilities and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others. Short version: electronic technology needs to be accessible to people with disabilities.
UDL - "Universal design for learning (UDL) is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn."
W3C - World Wide Web Consortium. This is the group that sets standards for the internet, which are widely adopted. This includes the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
WCAG - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. These coding guidelines make the internet more accessible for users. These guidelines are not just for persons, they include guidelines so websites will work for multiple technologies and sizes such as laptops, mobile phones, and mobile devices. The current version is WCAG 2.1What does DEI look like in Information Technology Services? Here is a list of some key terms and concepts to help frame the discussion.