Strategies for Teaching Based on Autism Research
DEI Initiatives
Mission Statement DEI Initiatives Our Approach to ABA
- Organizational Alignment to DEI Values
- Company values incorporate DEI values and initiatives
- DEI initiatives are reinforced and updates are provided during regular staff meetings
- Diversity Manager supports each department and project team by providing guidance, feedback, and input to team managers and serves as point of contact for DEI-related ideas and issues
- Use of the Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Benchmarks (GDEIB) to assess our organization, create annual goals, and monitor progress on DEI initiatives
- Ongoing Learning and Professional Development
- Engagement in ongoing professional development from DEI practitioners to increase our knowledge of systemic racism, intersectionality of disability and race, and ableism to challenge our personal biases
- All employees participate in customized coursework to develop leadership skills including self-awareness, resilience, giving and receiving feedback, building trust, and creating a culture of inclusion
- Established a DEI Book Club for continued learning from authors of socially and culturally diverse backgrounds
- Internal sharing of DEI resources and learning opportunities
- Regular discussions about inclusive practices, cultural responsiveness, advocacy, social justice, and representation
- Learning from the autistic community and caregivers of individuals with autism to better understand how we can advocate for the populations we serve
- Hiring, Recruitment, and Retention
- Establishment of an inclusive hiring process with the goal of building a diverse team, including a structured, objective interview process to combat implicit bias, as well as updated job descriptions to reflect inclusivity and DEI values
- Onboarding process for new employees includes a review and discussion of company DEI values and initiatives
- Offering employees competitive benefits, paid time off, and flexible work arrangements
- Establishing communication across departments and dedicating time for personal connection to foster inclusion and belonging in the workplace
- Evaluating Curriculum and Materials
- Continuously evaluating and updating curriculum and training materials (including training videos, content, graphics, and illustrations) to be inclusive, culturally responsive, and accessible
- Dedicated time for our illustration team to increase diversity and representation in characters and themes used in visual supports and graphics
- Established guidelines for use throughout the content creation/development process to ensure diversity and inclusive representation
- Analyzing our marketing materials to ensure inclusive representation of diverse populations, including videos and social media
- Hosting regular focus groups to gather feedback from customers and community stakeholders, including individuals with autism, about the inclusivity and usability of our curriculum and materials
- Created a feedback form on our website for requests related to increasing diversity and representation in our materials (e.g., visual supports)
- Increasing Equitable Access to Our Services and Materials
- Established a section of our website dedicated to providing free resources to families and educators; resources are continuously added
- Improving accessibility of our content, such as adding captions to all videos and analyzing visual accessibility of presentation materials
- Created a dedicated team for Spanish translation
- Increasing access for non-English speaking providers, students, and families
- Creating visual supports and resources in multiple languages
- Providing translated materials and/or interpretation during training
- Expanding curriculum materials to be multi-culturally relevant
- Building Relationships with Our Community
- Providing free webinars for educators, caregivers, and members of the autism community on a variety of topics
- Expanding our work with families and caregivers to encourage collaboration, shared goals, and consistency between home and school
- Advocating for the autistic community and students with disabilities by promoting acceptance and meaningful inclusion
- Evaluating our sponsorships, partners, and suppliers through a DEI lens
- Brainstorming creative sustainability practices such us providing digital teaching tools in lieu of printed materials to minimize waste, and providing environmentally conscious toolkits to traveling team members