What the heck is DEI/DEIA?? If you live in the U.S. you've probably seen headlines about DEI/DEIA and the executive order that bans government agencies from enacting these "illegal and immoral" initiatives. Let's take a beat and talk about what this is all about and how it applies to us as web developers and designers.
First some context...
What The Heck Is DEIA?
DEIA is an acronym that stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility. The following descriptions are from CNN based on seven experts they interviewed:
Diversity: is embracing the differences everyone brings to the table, whether those are someone’s race, age, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability or other aspects of social identity.
Equity: is treating everyone fairly and providing equal opportunities.
Inclusion: is respecting everyone’s voice and creating a culture in which people from all backgrounds feel encouraged to express their ideas and perspectives.
The Accessibility in the acronym is a fairly recent addition. Here is an explanation from Forbes:
Accessibility means providing resources, support and potentially accommodations to help those with disabilities thrive in the workplace, just as we would the dominant group.
In the last several decades, many government agencies, companies, schools, and non-profits have created DEIA programs for their organizations.
Ok, So What Are DEIA Programs?
These programs and initiatives are generally put in place to educate employees, inform Human Resources & hiring practices, and communicate the values of the organization to the public.
The goals for DEIA programs usually involve:
- attracting and hiring talent from communities that are either traditionally overlooked or actively avoided. Some examples: HBCU's, veterans, people with disabilities, and poorer communities.
- creating safe and productive workplaces.
- bringing in different viewpoints to aid in innovation and general improvement.
So Why Ban These Programs?
There has been a growing outcry of high profile business leaders and politicians who claim that these programs are "illegal and immoral" and part of some "Woke" conspiracy.
The Thing Is, DEIA Is The Law
Here's the thing. These programs are merely ensuring U.S. law is being followed (especially in government agencies)! By banning these types of initiatives you are sending a message that it's ok NOT to hire people from under represented communities, NOT treat your employees fairly, or NOT develop accessible applications.
Let's take a look at the long standing laws that apply to DEIA:
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- Equal Pay Act
- Pregnancy Discrimination Act
- and on
- and on
- the list goes.
Just because you ban these programs doesn't mean you can break these laws.
How Does This Apply To Web Developers?
The most obvious one is Accessibility. All applications and websites by law need to be accessible and meet certain guidelines. Think I'm joking? According to accesiBe:
Originally enacted to pave the way for equal access in physical domains, the [Americans with Disabilities Act] ADA has since expanded toward the online domain.
- Web accessibility lawsuits under the ADA are on the rise, with 4,605 web accessibility lawsuits being filed in 2023, marking a 42% increase compared to 2022
- This trend continued during the first half of 2024, with thousands of lawsuits having been filed against owners of inaccessible websites
Take a look at UsableNet's online ADA lawsuit tracker:
And these numbers are just for U.S. legal cases. If your web app or website is usable in the E.U., God save you. The laws surrounding accessibility in the European Union are much stricter.
There is a moral obligation to make sure our web apps and websites are accessible, but there is also a legal obligation.
Beyond Accessibility
There is also the issue of diversity. It is my opinion (and I would argue fact) that innovation benefits from a diversity of viewpoints. As a profession and industry, software development NEEDS to open it's doors to more people. We need more women, people of color, veterans, people from underserved communities, LGBTQ, etc. in our boardrooms, our code reviews, and our standup meetings. We are missing out on a plethora of ideas and creativity if they are not.
Shameless Plug
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