What is EDI?
Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is about creating an even playing field for everyone. Some may think of it as a zero-sum game, meaning that there are not enough resources to go around. In reality, EDI is about examining the challenges faced by specific groups and designing environments, products and services that work better for everyone. Take the example of The Curb-Cut Effect in which people in the disability-rights movement, specifically those who use wheelchairs, advocated for cities to build curb cuts into sidewalk infrastructure. Today, curb cuts are common and benefit many groups - people using strollers, delivering goods, riding bicycles, pulling luggage, and more. This is an example of a solution that initially worked better for one group, but in reality, serves everyone better.
EDI at OIT
All OIT employees play an important role in making sure EDI practices are part of how we work together, whether they are an analyst, developer, project manager or work in any other area. This ultimately impacts how we serve all Coloradans. When it comes to technology, EDI isn’t just a nice thing to do, it’s strategic. It helps us understand how to best serve all Coloradans equitably and how to provide the most engaging experiences for our workforce.
EDI work is not a one-time decision or act. Like planting a garden, you don’t just plant seeds in hopes that they will bear fruit. It requires preparation and care for the soil. You have to water, weed, check on things over time, and this is the approach OIT takes with our EDI initiatives.
Tip of the Month
Everyone has an accent
It can be tempting to comment on the way someone speaks when it’s different from the way you do. However, to many people, this is a microaggression (an indirect, subtle or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group). Remarks about someone’s accent can be seen as othering—making a person feel as though they aren’t normal or don’t belong. Consider the dedication and intelligence it takes to learn more than one language. How do your origins impact the way you speak? How might your own accent or vocabulary show up when speaking a language other than your first?
As stated in the 2018 New York Times editorial Everyone Has an Accent, “The standard accent is not necessarily the same as the highest-status accent. It is simply the dominant accent, the one you are most likely to hear in the media, the one that is considered neutral.” Difficulty with understanding different accents can indicate a lack of exposure to other cultures.
A linguist's trick to perfectly understanding people with different accents
What we’re doing
We’re on a learning journey at OIT and know that we have a long way to go. Here are some of the exciting things we’re working on now:
- An annual EDI plan that centers on reducing burnout and increasing accountability, psychological safety and belonging for all employees.
- A Wildly Important Goal (WIG) focused on employee engagement that features EDI as a core component.
- We’re scaling up the training and coaching offered to all OIT employees and managers. We’re also setting up employee resource groups to create a sense of belonging for our employees living with marginalized social identities.
- Group coaching is offered to managers every quarter so they can meaningfully contribute to achieving our employee engagement WIG and follow through on performance goals related to inclusive leadership.
- We use data to objectively monitor progress, such as through EDI organizational assessments and demographic analysis of employee engagement data.
EDI Action Alliance
We have a robust group of employees who are passionate about taking steps to institutionalize EDI work at OIT. The group includes subcommittees focused on internal workplace culture and training. Among many projects, they are responsible for analyzing employee engagement data by demographics to understand how employee experiences differ, and hosting quarterly webinars on a variety of EDI topics. Check out the team charter.
Accessibility & EDI: Two sides of the same coin
Accessibility and EDI work go hand in hand. Accessibility is a commitment to providing equitable access to services and is the responsibility of each state employee and not a single person, team or agency. In 2021, legislation (HB21-1110) was passed that strengthens protections against discrimination on the basis of disability. Among other things, it requires state agencies and local governmental entities to meet web accessibility standards and establishes OIT as the authoritative body to help agencies put those in place. Check out OIT's Guide to Accessible Web Services and Accessibility Law for Colorado State and Local Government to learn more.
What’s next?
- We’re building employee resource groups based on social identities so that employees with marginalized backgrounds have a safe place to meet others with similar lived experiences and know that they belong at OIT.
- While still in the early stages, we’re crafting EDI guidelines that affect the technology solutions we build at OIT and make decisions about how our technology impacts those we are serving.
Contact the EDI Team
Join us in this important work!
Interested in working with us to make Colorado a better place for all?
Explore a career at OIT!