Thread by @lisa_iannattone

If your institution is hosting an event on equity, diversity and inclusion without having given a single thought to covid safety, effectively rendering your EDI event inaccessible to the disabled and medically vulnerable, I have some bad news for you…

How the absurdity of this scenario doesn’t seem to dawn on people spontaneously is astounding. Truly.

Someone suggested that I need to spell this one out clearly so here I go:

‘Equity, diversity, and inclusion’ initiatives are meant to make the institution more accessible to protected and underrepresented classes of people, to make the institution more equitable and diverse.

People with disabilities are a constitutionally protected class that remains underrepresented in many institutions because of structural barriers, inequity and a lack of accessibility and accommodations. They’re also a class that remains at high risk of poor covid outcomes.

So organizing an EDI event without covid safety measures is explicitly *excluding* an underrepresented, constitutionally protected class of individuals. It’s completely incompatible with a stated commitment to EDI. It’s so absurd that it discredits the entire initiative.

Honestly, don’t preach about equity, diversity and inclusion unless you actually plan to walk the walk and *be* equitable and inclusive. Otherwise this is just performance art from faux allies that want a gold star on their resumes for doing EDI work bc it’s trendy these days.

Masking is not a hardship. If you’re not comfortable having a mask mandate at your EDI conference, but you ~are~ comfortable making your event inaccessible to the disabled & medically vulnerable, consider having an honest chat with yourself about whether EDI is actually for you.

If you’re only an ally when you don’t have to do anything that goes against our social norms, you’re not an ally. Fighting to improve equity, diversity and inclusion *should* feel uncomfortable. It *should* challenge inequitable social norms and policies that result in exclusion.

If you’re not challenging the status quo and making people uncomfortable by forcing them reflect on how our systems harm certain classes of individuals and render spaces that they should be in inaccessible to them, then why even bother? With EDI, progress ~requires~ discomfort.

Anyone planning an ‘equity, diversity and inclusion’ event in 2023 that’s actually serious about EDI, would have put substantial thought into covid safety so as not to exclude the disabled/high risk. That means masks, air quality/ventilation, rapid testing and a virtual option.

Don’t just *say* you want to be inclusive. Actually ~be~ inclusive. Don’t just state your values. ~Live your values~. Lead by example. Make this world a kinder and more inclusive place. And make others want to follow your lead, make them want to ~care~ with you.

/rant over.