Lifting Up vs. Levelling Out

Earlier this month was a time of deep learning and reflection for me. After numerous webinars and self-guided learning from my home office to stay current in my field, I had the chance to attend two major conferences happening in my community: The Elevate Festival and the Catalyst Honours Conference. Over three intensive days, and learning alongside over 1500 people, I was exposed to new and exciting ideas that transformed how I thought about diversity, equity and inclusion. Considering the purpose of the Elevate Festival in particular is tech innovation, I found myself absolutely buzzing with enthusiasm about all the exciting work being done to include those who are typically unseen and overlooked. Like two pieces of a puzzle, what I saw at Elevate mirrored an ideology that the brilliant Kenji Yoshino referred to as a shift from “lifting up to levelling” during his panel at the Catalyst conference.

OK, so what does a marriage between diversity, equity and inclusion, and the tech world look like?

Let’s start with the idea of lifting to levelling. For a long time, many DEI efforts have focused primarily on representation, with an emphasis on recruitment -- and, more recently, on advancement. In this case, Yoshino and his team at the Meltzer Centre for Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging would describe this as "lifting," hiring one or perhaps two people to fill a gap or meet a target identified by the organization. Usually, a small number of people benefit from DEI efforts, and typically, not enough to transform the institution. On the other hand, organizations can shift their attention to “levelling” -- the equity work that I find most sustainable -- where, rather than solely looking at representation, organizations are now creating a more level playing field that removes barriers to accessing opportunities, and creates more welcoming spaces where everyone is set up to thrive.

Take the 30% Club, for instance, which aims to promote growth through diversity by increasing gender balance at the board level. If a board reaches a 30% threshold for women's representation, the idea is that representation can be sustained long-term. With women leaders reaching a critical mass necessary to advocate for and implement key changes to make the boardroom more welcoming to women, while broadening networks and reach.

If the approach were simply to hire women to fill seats in the boardroom, we would be talking about lifting. However, the fact that the 30% Club is banking on making the institutional systems and cultural changes needed to address disparities makes it a great example of levelling up.

So where does tech fit? For companies that ask, "What is the problem we're trying to solve?" and answer, "inequity," technology can be a powerful tool for levelling. To illustrate, I'm sharing 2 Bold Ideas from the Elevate Festival that demonstrate how levelling can foster equity.

• Kids Help Phone: This non-profit organization offers 24/7 free and confidential mental health support to young people in Canada through phone, text, and online chat. It offers a safe, non-judgmental space to talk about issues such as bullying, anxiety, depression, and family problems, and connects young people with professional counsellors and trained crisis responders. In addition to crisis support, it provides online resources like mental health tips, articles, and support forums.
  

  Kids Help Phone recognized that young people -- and the general public -- have increasingly been using AI for mental health support. As a result, they created an AI tool based on youth-specific language to provide young people with immediate crisis services. Consequently, it helps ensure that young people receive meaningful support and more effective mental healthcare overall. Although youth were the focus, this culturally specific approach can likely be replicated for other target populations to achieve broader impact and for young people who experience intersectionality.
  

• Access Now: The AccessNow app is a crowdsourced mobile application that provides accessibility information for public places worldwide, helping people with disabilities and others with specific needs plan trips and find accessible locations. Users can search for venues, rate them based on accessibility features, and contribute new information to a global database that issues AI reports to users. It was founded by Maayan Ziv, who has muscular dystrophy, to address the lack of accessibility information. 

  Although the app's purpose is to assist people with disabilities in navigating public spaces, it can also be helpful to people without disabilities. Detailed information, such as the availability of ramps and elevators, can be beneficial for giving people options. For someone who wants to get their steps in but prefers not to take the stairs, knowing there are easily accessible ramps throughout a building allows them to pursue their wellness goals in a way that works best for them. Having options can make people feel included -- seen and considered.

The important thing to remember is that, although levelling up can be a powerful way to foster a sustainable approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the tech world reminds us that it starts with solving a problem. To do this, language is critical, and naming is key. Without the ability to address the issue of inaccessibility, AccessNow would not exist, providing a tool that creates equity for people living with disabilities while fostering belonging for people overall. Indeed, to name sexism, ageism, ableism, racism, homophobia, and other forms of bias and exclusion allows us to centre the needs of people with lived experiences to meet their needs, and in doing so, level out the playing field so everyone can participate.