Module 0: EDI + A principles in research

Over the next several modules, we will be giving you a crash-course in making equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility-focused surveys that will support data collection for everyone!

This introductory module is meant to introduce you to the importance of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility practices in producing high-quality, highly effective research.

As students and researchers, you have probably heard of the term  “EDIA” , which stands for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility. In fact, there are lots of resources available that teach about the importance of EDIA in research practices, and in communities. But just as a refresher, let’s break down the definitions as they appear according to the American Psychological Association:

“Equity involves providing resources according to need, to help diverse populations achieve their highest state of health and other functioning.

Diversity refers to the representation or composition of various social identity groups in a work group, organization, or community.

Inclusion strives for an environment that offers affirmation, celebration, and appreciation of different approaches, styles, perspectives, and experiences…”

(American Psychological Association, 2021)

While these are very well-rounded descriptions of EDI, the description provided by the here is missing the “A” part of our EDIA principles. Often, EDIA is shortened into EDI, for the sake of conciseness, and assumes that accessibility is intrinsic in equity, diversity, and inclusion. While this works for general frameworks, we believe it is important that as a part of researcher training, we emphasize the importance of accessibility as a principle which guides research.

We can use the United Nations’ definition of accessibility, which is the intentional “design of products, devices, services or environments so as to be usable by persons with or without disabilities, and includes information and communications…” (United Nations, 2021). Incorporating accessibility in design indicates forethought– designing things with access in mind, rather than adding it afterwards.

Research involving humans requires that we consider equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility is important for a number of reasons… let’s go through and discuss each tenant of EDIA and the “why?” behind them in the context of human-based research.

Equity

In the context of research, we look for equity from a variety of lenses; the lens of the participant, the community, the partner organizations, and the research staff. As researchers, working with human participants, we need to consider what we can do to facilitate equitable research. This means that we remove or provide ways to overcome barriers to research practice, collaboration, and participation, caused by systemic and structural inequities.

Diversity

Promoting diversity in research is vital to support creation of knowledge that benefits all people, and also is important to making communities feel seen in research. This may help improve the success of recruitment and engagement in research activities.

Inclusion

🧐 Consider This!
What are other barriers to inclusion that you can think of? What are common characteristics of environments which facilitate inclusion?

Inclusion in research is important to ensuring that all communities are able to participate in and benefit from research. Researchers are encouraged to consider things that may be barriers to inclusion in research, whether they be opportunity-based, logistic, physical, or even trust-based. Inclusion is different from integration; integration suggests that we focus on placing individuals with disabilities in mainstream settings, while inclusion emphasizes creating environments that facilitate inclusion.

Consider the difference between bringing a child with disabilities into a standard classroom without any changes made to facilitate their inclusion, versus bringing the same child into a classroom with accessible and diverse books and toys, and a flexible curriculum that can be molded to each student’s individual needs. One forces conformity to a rigid standard, while the other changes the “standard” to create an environment that prioritizes the wellbeing, safety, engagement and belonging of every child.

Accessibility

Ensuring that all elements of research are accessible to all communities is important. This requires that researchers understand how to incorporate access in  all facets of co-design recruitment, information, participation, and knowledge dissemination.

🧐 Consider This!
What is another situation in your research that might create different levels of risk for different participants?

Research involving humans requires that we consider equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility is important for many reasons. For one, EDIA principles help us to make sure that we are safely and ethically approaching research design and production for people of every racial, gender, sexual-orientation, disability, and intersectional identities.

When you conduct research, consider the EDIA practices you need to undertake based on the population you hope to affect. Ensuring that participants of all relevant groups are able to engage in research that is equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible, is a core responsibility of researchers.

Module 0 Activity 1