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Why EDID?
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) are foundational principles, and applied specifically within academic and research settings, guide us toward more just and representative environments. Together, these principles enrich scholarship, research relevance and innovation, as well as genuine and co-creative community engagement.
What do the terms Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization and Indigenization mean?
For expanded definitions, see Schulich Office of EDID: Understanding EDID.
Equity is a principle rooted in human rights, tied to human dignity and integral to the principle of justice and the ethical practice of fairness. It requires we acknowledge we do not all start from the same place. Equitable approaches are specifically tailored and designed to address inequities, reducing and removing systemic barriers which prevent specific people and groups in accessing opportunities and resources.
Equity is the process and equality is the goal.
Diversity refers to the spectrum of differences in racial identity, place of origin, religious and spiritual affiliation, immigrant and newcomer status, ethnic origin, ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age and more. Diversity also consists of conditions, expressions, and experiences of different groups and a breadth of characters, ways of thinking, knowledge and worldviews. It includes both visible and invisible traits, like neurodiversity.
Diversity is sometimes seen as an effort to increase representation or numeracy, but fundamentally, it is the cultivation of an environment in which those who have been historically disadvantaged and are currently under-represented gain access to and flourish within the community. Diversity can only truly be integrated and embraced with active inclusion.
Inclusion refers to the active, intentional, equitable and continuous engagement of all individuals, resulting in respectful and welcoming environments. Inclusion encompasses norms, practices, and intentional actions to promote participation, engagement, empowerment and a sense of belonging. An inclusive research environment results in research excellence and contributes to more relevant research with higher societal impact.
Decolonization refers to deconstructing and de-centering colonial thinking, practices, policies, systems and places. Decolonizing research means centering concerns and world views of non-Western individuals and respectfully knowing and understanding theory and research from previously “Other(ed)” perspectives (Battiste, 2000; Datta, 2018; Smith, 2012).
Indigenization refers to the process of naturalizing Indigenous knowledges, knowledge systems and recognizing the validity of Indigenous worldviews, knowledge and perspectives. It does not mean replacing Euro-Western knowledge systems.
Accessibility involves removing barriers in society to enable the full and equal participation of people with disabilities. Disabilities may be permanent, temporary, or episodic, and may relate to physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, communication, learning, or sensory differences (Accessible Canada Act, 2019). Accessibility in research goes beyond compliance. It is about fostering an inclusive research culture where individuals of all abilities can fully participate, lead, and benefit.
In the research ecosystem, this means actively addressing systemic ableism and creating equitable access to research roles, spaces, data, and knowledge. People with disabilities represent the largest minority group in Canada and globally (Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 to 2022), yet they remain underrepresented across the research lifecycle as researchers, participants, collaborators, partners and knowledge users.
Promoting accessibility in research includes:
- Inclusive design of research processes, tools, and outputs - see, for example, CAST's UDL guidelines;
- Removing participation barriers in data collection, dissemination, and collaboration - for an example of accessible inclusion of research participants, see Accessibility in Questionnaire Research: Integrating Universal Design to Increase the Participation of Individuals with Learning Disabilities, see also pages 12, 15, and 17 on plain language proposals, budgeting for accessibility, and applying UDL to data collection in the Accessibility in Research Guide; and
- Equitable recognition and leadership opportunities for researchers with disabilities – for core principles of research design, see pages 8 and 10-12 in the Accessibility in Research Guide, and see also page 14 on building inclusive research teams in the guide.
Contact Us
For support related to EDID and Indigenous Research, please fill out this form with your information and the Inclusive Research Excellence and Impact team will assist with your request – or contact Mariam Hayward directly.