Key Terms and Definitions

Research shows that organizations and communities that embrace diversity and practice inclusion are stronger, more innovative, and better equipped to meet the challenges of an evolving world.

According to the American Council on Education (ACE), diversity enriches the educational experience, promotes personal growth and a healthy society, strengthens communities and the workplace, and enhances America's economic competitiveness. (ACE Board of Directors, June 2012) Additional benefits of diverse campuses and workplaces include:

• Innovation & Creativity – Diverse perspectives foster new ideas, driving progress and problem-solving.
• Stronger Communities – Inclusive spaces create meaningful connections and a sense of belonging for all.
• Enhanced Learning – Exposure to different viewpoints broadens understanding and prepares students for a global society.
• Equitable Opportunities – A commitment to equity ensures everyone has access to the resources and support they need to succeed.

At the University of Richmond, we promote success and belonging for all students, staff and faculty. Our commitments to community, student success, and well-being call us to recognize the inherent dignity and worth of every individual and value the diversity of human experiences. We know that embracing the diversity that exists on our campus and engaging in inclusive practices results in a similar sense of belonging for all. That’s why we are committed to fostering an environment where every individual feels valued, heard, and empowered to thrive.

Terminology

(edited from NADOHE Communication Guide & APA Inclusive Language Guide)

Access is having the unfettered ability to take full advantage of the resources and opportunities available. (NADOHE). It includes the elimination of discrimination and other barriers that contribute to inequitable opportunities to join and be a part of a work group, organization, community, or services (APA, 2021c).

Accessibility - “A process shaped by what one needs to do, one’s interactions with the environment, and one’s preferences. Accessibility is achieved when people with disabilities can ‘acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services’ as people who do not have disabilities” in “an equally effective and equally integrated manner with substantially equivalent ease of use” (APA, 2021c, Edited)

Belonging is the extent to which people know and feel that they are valued, respected, included, and celebrated for their individual and unique contributions and identities. (NADOHE)

Bias - Partiality, or an inclination or predisposition for or against something, including people and cultures. Motivational and cognitive biases are two main categories studied in decision-making analysis. Motivational biases are conclusions drawn due to self-interest, social pressures, or organization-based needs, whereas cognitive biases are judgments that are contrary to evidence, and some of these are attributed to implicit reasoning (APA, 2021c).

Cultural humility - A lifelong commitment to learning, self-reflection, and challenging your own biases about diverse cultures that are different from yours (Tervalon & Murray-García, 1998).

Cultural competence - The ability to collaborate effectively with individuals from different cultures; such competence improves experiences and outcomes in a variety of disciplines and settings (Nair & Adetayo, 2019). 

Culture – The customs, rituals, choices, and expressions of knowledge that are manifested in the ways that people live. This includes decision-making and values.

Diversity is broadly defined and includes the various backgrounds, lived experiences, values, and worldviews that stem from differences in culture and circumstance.

Equity is the active process of preventing discrimination by identifying and eliminating or reducing the structural barriers that limit access or prevent full participation in our university. Equity works to ensure justice, access, opportunity, and advancement for all individuals within the policies, practices, procedures, processes, and distribution of resources by institutions or systems. It requires understanding the root cause(s) of disparities, identifying the barriers, and removing or mitigating the barriers for all members of our community. (NADOHE, edited)

Inclusion is the intentional act of including difference and creating environments where any individual or group is welcomed, respected, supported, valued, and given the opportunity to participate fully within the university. Inclusion fosters a sense of belonging through centering, valuing, and amplifying the voices and perspectives of all individuals and includes eliminating practices and behaviors that marginalize groups of people or individuals. (NADOHE, edited)

Inclusive Excellence - a strategic framework that enhances outcomes by integrating inclusion, access, diversity, and equity, into the core mission and operational strategies of organizations. Inclusive excellence aims to ensure ensures all community members are actively engaged and supported.

Microaggressions - Commonly occurring brief, verbal or nonverbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities that communicate derogatory attitudes or notions toward a different “other” (Sue et al., 2007). Microaggressions may be intentional or unintentional (APA, 2017b). 

Neurodiversity - refers to the diversity of all people, it is often used in the context of neurological and developmental conditions including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder/condition (ADHD/ADHC), and learning disabilities (Baumer & Frueh, 2021). It is the nonpathological “variation in the human brain regarding movement, sociability, learning, attention, mood, and other mental functions at a group level” (Elsherif et al., 2022, p. 9; see also Singer, 2017). Neurodiversity is broad in its definition because it is not limited to disabilities or neurodivergence only; it includes neurotypicality.

Neurotypical - Being “within parameters of neurocognitive style that have not been either medically defined as ‘disorders’ or culturally defined as ‘neurodivergent’” (Boston University, n.d., Neurotypical Definition 1). (APA Inclusive Language Guide)

Prejudice - A negative attitude toward another person or group formed in advance of any experience with that person or group. Prejudices may include an affective component (e.g., nervousness, anger, contempt, pity, hatred) and a cognitive component (assumptions and beliefs about groups, including stereotypes). Prejudice is typically manifested behaviorally through discriminatory behavior and may be conscious or unconscious. (APA Inclusive Language Guide).

Spirituality can have many definitions, including a religious process, a personal search, or a connection to a higher power (Austin, W. 2021). These might include: a quest for answers to ultimate questions about life, meaning, and relationship to the sacred (Sena, et al 2021), a search for meaning in life, a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves (Delagran, L. & Tiwari, 2023).

Stereotype - A set of cognitive generalizations (e.g., beliefs, expectations) about the qualities and characteristics of the members of a group or social category. (APA Inclusive Language Guide)