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Macdonald DeWitt Library at SUNY Ulster

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice: Glossary

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Glossary

accessibility: the goal of making education accessible to all, and providing effective support to students, faculty, and staff with disabilities

civility: the practice of working through disagreements while maintaining respect for others’ points of view

collective identity: refers to how groups form around a common cause or belief

cultural competency: the ability to recognize and adapt to cultural differences and similarities

deep-level diversity: differences that are less visible, like personality, attitude, beliefs, and values

digital civility: the practice of leading with empathy, kindness, and mutual respect in all online interactions

diversity: the great variety of human characteristics, especially those that may significantly affect some people’s perceptions of others

equity: the name for policies that level the playing field so that everyone’s needs are anticipated and everyone has an equal starting point

implicit bias: internalized assumptions that influence one’s judgments and perceptions of others

inclusion: the idea that there should be a multiplicity of voices, skills, and interests represented in any given situation

intersectionality: the idea that identities, for example “Black” and “woman,” combine in specific and inseparable ways

microagressions: acts of insensitivity that reveal our inherent biases, cultural incompetency, and hostility toward someone outside of our community

personal identity: what distinguishes one person from another based on life experiences

privilege: a right or exemption from liability or duty granted as a special benefit or advantage

role identity:  how we interact in certain situations

social identity shapes our public lives by our awareness of how we relate to certain groups

social roles: those identities we assume in relationship to others

surface-level diversity: differences you can generally observe in others, like ethnicity, race, gender, age, culture, language, disability, etc.

Click here for a more comprehensive glossary of terms relating to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility

Licenses and Attributions

LicenseCC BY: Attribution

Baldwin, A. (2020). College Success. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/college-success/pages/9-2-categories-of-diversity