EDI glossary

Accessibility: The quality of being easy to reach, use, or understand, particularly for individuals with disabilities

Accountability: The obligation to accept responsibility for one's actions and their impact

Advocacy: Active support for a cause or policy

Affirmative Action: Measures aimed at increasing opportunities for historically marginalized groups

Ageism: Discrimination and stereotypes based on a person's age

Allyship: The practice of supporting and advocating for the rights of marginalized communities

Anti-colonialism: Resistance to the control or exploitation of one country by another.

Anti-racism: Active efforts to combat racism in all its forms

Belonging: The sense of being accepted and valued in a group

Bias: A preference or prejudice for or against a person, group, or idea

BIPOC: An acronym for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

Cisgender: A term for individuals whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth

Classism: Discrimination based on social class

Code-switching: The practice of alternating between languages or social norms based on context

Cultural Appropriation: The adoption of elements from one culture by members of another, often without permission or respect

Cultural Awareness: Recognition and understanding of cultural differences

Cultural Competence: The ability to interact effectively with people from diverse cultural backgrounds

Cultural Humility: A lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and respect for other cultures

Cultural Responsiveness: The ability to learn from and relate respectfully with people of your own culture as well as other cultures.

Decolonization: The process of undoing colonialism and its lingering effects

Emotional Labor: The management of emotions as part of one’s professional responsibilities

Equity: Fair treatment that accounts for individual needs and circumstances

Gender: Social and cultural roles, behaviors, and attributes associated with being male, female, or non-binary

Gender Affirming Care: Health care that supports a person’s gender identity

Gender Bias: Prejudice or discrimination based on gender

Gender Expression: The outward presentation of one’s gender identity

Gender Identity: One’s personal sense of their gender

Harassment: Persistent and unwanted behavior that demeans or intimidates

Health Disparities: Differences in health outcomes across populations

Health Equity: Ensuring fair access to healthcare resources

Heteronormativity: The assumption that heterosexuality is the default sexual orientation

Homophobia: Fear or dislike of individuals who identify as homosexual

Implicit Association: Unconscious connections or links in the brain between concepts

Implicit Bias: Subconscious prejudices that affect decisions and actions

Inclusion: The practice of ensuring equal access and opportunities for all

Institutional Racism: Discriminatory policies embedded within organizations

Intersectionality: The interconnected nature of social categorizations as they apply to an individual or group

LGBTQ+: An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and others

Marginalization: The process of pushing certain groups to the edges of society

Microaggressions: Subtle, often unintentional acts of discrimination

Micro-affirmations: Subtle acts of inclusion that boost morale and make people feel welcome

Neurodiversity: The concept that neurological differences are natural variations of the human brain

Neurotypical: Having a pattern of thought, behavior, or learning that is considered typical

Non-binary: Not exclusively male or female

Prejudice: Preconceived opinions not based on reason or experience

Privilege: A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people

Queer: An umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender

Racialization: The process by which a society gives racial meanings to groups of people

Representation: The action of speaking or acting on behalf of someone or the state of being so represented

Restorative Justice: A system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large

Safe Space: A place or environment in which a person or category of people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment, or any other emotional or physical harm

Sexism: Prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex

Social Justice: Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society

Solidarity: Unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group

Stereotype: A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing

Systemic Barriers: Obstacles rooted in the way systems or institutions operate that create inequitable outcomes for certain groups

Systemic Inequality: Inequality that is embedded within the structures and systems of society

Systemic Racism: Racism embedded as normal practice within an institution or system

Tokenism: The practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to be inclusive to members of minority groups.

Trauma-Informed Practice: An approach that recognizes the effects of trauma on individuals

Transgender: An individual whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth

Unconscious Bias: Biases held at a subconscious level

Xenophobia: Fear or dislike of people from other countries