An acronym that describes individuals who identify as Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual/Agender. The “+” represents those who are part of the community but for whom the 2SLGBTQIA+ does not accurately capture or reflect their identity. The term queer is sometimes used within the community as an umbrella term to refer to all 2SLGBTQIA+ people. It may also be used as a political statement which advocates breaking binary thinking and seeing sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression as fluid.

The quality or state of having — or being perceived as having — the physical, mental, or legal means or skill or power to do something. Ability is not permanent, can fluctuate throughout one’s life, and is another aspect of diversity in our communities. Disabilities do not necessarily limit people unless society imposes assumptions that do not account for the variation in people’s abilities. 

Discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities based in the belief that people without current disabilities are superior, have a better quality of life, or have lives that are more valuable or worth living than people with an actual, perceived, or non-apparent disability resulting in othering, oppression, prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination. Ableism comes in all forms, from overt prejudice to more subtle microaggressions and includes social habits, practices, regulations, laws, and institutions that operate under the assumption that people with disabilities are inherently less capable overall, less valuable in society, and/or should have less personal autonomy than is ordinarily granted to people of the same age. Ableism is a concept similar to racism, sexism, and ageism in that it includes stereotypes, generalizations, and demeaning views and language to the point of diminishing individuals and their experiences and perpetuating violent oppression. See Disablism1.

• 1. A set of assumptions (conscious or unconscious) and practices that promote the differential or unequal treatment of people because of actual, perceived, or non-apparent disabilities

The ability, freedom, or permission to locate, get, or use information, resources, physical and virtual places, and people. See Accessibility2.

• 2. Being able to interact with products, devices, services, information, or environments in meaningful ways, with equal effectiveness and ease of use, regardless of ability.

Being able to interact with products, devices, services, information, or environments in meaningful ways, with equal effectiveness and ease of use, regardless of ability. See Access3.

Examples of Access versus Accessibility:

• Access: You can locate the building. Accessibility: There is a ramp to enter the building.

• Access: You can get to the website. Accessibility: The website is compatible with screen reader technology.

• Access: You can locate a person to connect with. Accessibility: You can communicate meaningfully with the person with assistance from an interpreter.

• 3. The ability, freedom, or permission to locate, get, or use information, resources, physical and virtual places, and people.

Process through which a person or group from one culture comes to adopt the practices and values of different cultures, while still retaining their own distinct culture.

Prejudice and discrimination against young people in favor of older people.

Describes those perceptual properties (i.e., auditory, visual, tactile, and so on) that we like and that we don’t like. 

Oppression, prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination based on a person’s actual or perceived age. The dominant culture assigns value based on a person’s actual or perceived age.

A person of one social identity group who advocates with and supports members of another group, typically, a member of the dominant identity advocating with and supporting a marginalized group. While people can identify as allies, allyship is an active practice, more than an identity

Term referring to people codified in federal law, with a unique status based on the trust responsibility that the United States has to protect and provide for Tribes and their people in exchange for millions of acres of ceded lands and resources. Tribal relationships with the federal government are outlined in treaties and presidential executive orders that are in full effect today. 

A certain perception of Jews which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions, and religious facilities.

A process of actively identifying and opposing racism … rooted in action … which advances policies and ideas that reduce racial inequities at the individual, institutional, and/or structural level.

The phenomenon that occurs when people belonging to the non-dominant group adjust or integrate their behaviors or attitudes in an attempt to be accepted into the dominant group’s cultural norms, either willingly or forcibly, for the sake of personal and/or professional survival (i.e., to gain/sustain access to the same opportunities and resources as the dominant group).

Any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities: • Low-tech: communication boards made of cardboard or fuzzy felt • High-tech: special-purpose computers • Hardware: prosthetics, mounting systems, and positioning devices • Computer hardware: special switches, keyboards, and pointing devices • Computer software: screen readers and communication programs • Inclusive or specialized learning materials and curriculum aids • Specialized curricular software • Electronic devices, smart phone applications, wheelchairs, walkers, braces, educational software, power lifts, pencil holders, eye-gaze and head trackers, and more Assistive technology helps people who have difficulty speaking, typing, writing, remembering, pointing, seeing, hearing, learning, walking, and many other actions. Different disabilities require different assistive technologies. 

The notion that one is superior based on one’s ability to hear or to behave in the manner of one who hears. This is a form of discrimination directed against the people who are deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing. 

Acting in alignment with your identity. Based on varied circumstances, it may be expressed or suppressed. Identity can change and evolve over time.

The sense of your well-being being considered and your ability to design and give meaning to society’s structures and institutions being realized. More than tolerating and respecting differences, belonging requires that all people are welcome with membership and agency in the society. Belonging is vital to have a thriving and engaged populace, which informs distributive and restorative decision-making. Belonging calls for something more than Inclusion and Equity, yet also includes them in meaningful ways. Belonging is both objective and subjective. It can be quantified and measured, but it is also a perception found in the eye of the beholder. In this respect, Belonging, unlike both Equity and Inclusion, contains a psychological component — an affective component, which shapes the way social groups regard whatever it is they are regarding: an institution, a city, or even society writ large. If members of a social group feel as if they belong, then belonging exists. But if they do not, despite being included and having few tangible resource inequities or other disparities between groups, then belonging is lacking. A core element of belonging: the expressive or communicative message that a group belongs. It can be expressed explicitly, through representation, or by signaling that members of a particular group are welcome in a particular space, institution, or community. It can also be expressed implicitly, as when accommodations are made, such as when special food or holidays are provided for. Belonging is perceptual and tangible; it is a feeling and a practice. Belonging requires more than accommodation; it also demands agency. Belonging is realized fully when included groups have more than a voice — they are actually able to reshape the institution together with existing stakeholders. See Othering4.

• 4. Othering encompasses the systematically expressed prejudice on the basis of group identities or membership or perceived group identities or membership. It is a common set of dynamics, processes, and structures that produces marginality and persistent inequality across any of the full range of human differences. It is a strategy of the dominant culture to prevent belonging. Dimensions of othering include, but are not limited to, religion, sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status (class), disability, sexual orientation, citizenship/immigration status, and skin tone

Judgment or preference toward or against one group over another.

• Implicit or Unconscious Bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control. Residing deep in the subconscious, these biases are different from known biases that individuals may choose to conceal for the purposes of social and/or political correctness.

• Explicit or Conscious Bias are biases we know we have and may use on purpose. 

Individuals who are unable to see due to visual impairment or complete lack of vision. A person with complete or almost complete loss of sight. • Limited Vision – A person who experiences partial, continual loss of sight who is not legally or completely blind. • Low Vision – A person who experiences loss of sight but is not legally or completely blind.

A term for fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, hatred, discomfort, or mistrust that one may have toward bisexual people. The term can also connote a fear, disgust, or dislike of being perceived as bisexual.

Oppression, prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination based on a person’s actual or perceived class to advantage and strengthen the dominant class.

Pigmentation, complexion, or skin shade or tone. Skin color can be, but is not necessarily, a characteristic of race.  See Colorism5.

• 5. The belief that a person’s skin color, tone, shade, pigmentation, or complexion is superior to another’s within a specific racial or ethnic group and includes discrimination based on the perceived lightness, darkness, or other color characteristic of a person.

Colorblind Ideology is the belief that discrimination can be eradicated by treating individuals as equals without focusing on race or ethnicity. Colorblind ideology assumes institutional racism and discrimination have been largely eradicated. This belief can lead to a dismissal of social and cultural factors still affecting many people of color, a dismissal of the cultural heritage and unique perspectives of individuals, a denial of negative racial experiences, as well as a rejection of policies that attempt to address existing inequities. Colorblindness is typified by the phrase, “I don’t see color,” with color referring to ethnicity, culture, and race.

The belief that a person’s skin color, tone, shade, pigmentation, or complexion is superior to another’s within a specific racial or ethnic group and includes discrimination based on the perceived lightness, darkness, or other color characteristic of a person. See Color6.

• 6. Pigmentation, complexion, or skin shade or tone. Skin color can be, but is not necessarily, a characteristic of race.

The summarization of the attitudes, values, and behaviors that define who we are as a people. Culture provides a template with which meaning is determined. It is the blueprint for living in a society. 

Theft, exploitation, or mimicry of cultural elements for one’s own personal use or profit — including symbols, dress, art, music, dance, language, land, customs, medicine, etc. — often without understanding, acknowledgment, or respect for its value in the original culture. In the United States, it results from the assumption of a white dominant culture’s right to take other cultural elements. See White-Dominant Culture7.

• 7. Culture defined by white people with social and positional power, enacted both broadly in society and within the context of social entities such as organizations.

An ability to interact effectively with people of all cultures and understand many cultural frameworks, values, and norms. Cultural competence comprises four components:
• Awareness of one’s own cultural worldview,
• Attitude towards cultural differences,
• Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and
• Cross-cultural skills.

A key component of cultural competence is respectfully engaging others with cultural dimensions and perceptions different from our own and recognizing that none is superior to another. Cultural competence is a developmental process that evolves over an extended period.

Approach to respectfully engaging others with cultural identities different from your own and recognizing that no cultural perspective is superior to another. Cultural humility may look different for different people or groups. For example, in a white-dominant culture, the practice of cultural humility for white people includes acknowledging systems of oppression and involves critical self-reflection, lifelong learning and growth, a commitment to recognizing and sharing power, and a desire to work toward institutional accountability. The practice of cultural humility for people of color includes accepting that the dominant culture does exist, that institutional racism is in place, to recognize one’s own response to the oppression within it, to work toward dismantling it through the balanced process of calling it out, and taking care of one’s self.

Comprises the cumulative effects of a racialized worldview, based on belief in essential racial differences that favor the dominant racial group over others. These effects are suffused throughout the culture via institutional structures, ideological beliefs, and personal everyday actions of people in the culture and are passed on from generation to generation.

A person who usually has no useful residual hearing, including profound or complete hearing loss. Often, the person will use sign language as their primary mode of communication. This group of people are culturally Deaf and use the capital “D” when writing the term. When referring to the audiological status of deaf, the use of a lowercase “d” is used. Similarly, people who are audiologically deaf (using the lowercase “d”) generally use their residual hearing with speechreading, amplification, hearing aids and/or cochlear implants, and other hearing assistive technology.  See Hard of Hearing8.

• 8. Having reduced or deficient hearing ability, which can manifest as mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss.

Rare condition in which an individual experiences combined hearing and vision loss, significantly limiting their access to both auditory and visual information.

D/deaf person who has an additional disability, such as cerebral palsy, autism, ADHD, blindness, etc.

A group of conditions that arise due to a brain or spinal impairment in the physical, learning, language, or behavior areas, which begins during the developmental period of life (before age 22), may impact day-to-day functioning, and usually lasts throughout a person’s lifetime. Examples include autism spectrum disorder, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disabilities, and can include a long-term physical or cognitive/intellectual disability or both. 

Having a physical or mental condition differing from that of the society norm (including cognitive, intellectual, and neurodevelopmental), having a history of such a condition, or being perceived as having such a condition that may limit one or more major life activities. Disabilities do not necessarily limit people unless society imposes assumptions that do not account for the variation in people’s abilities.
• Medical Model of Disability – Under a medical model of disability, this is often called an “impairment” that disables a person from interacting with and/or experiencing the able-bodied world without interruption or need for additional resources, tools, and/or aids. This model has spurred advances in rehabilitation where management of the disability is aimed at a cure, though the model is also paternalistic. Note that much of the United States’ legal language in relation to disability utilize the medical model term “impairment” (e.g., Americans with Disabilities Act, Family Medical and Leave Act, laws related to Reasonable Accommodations, etc.). Despite their usage of “impairment,” this term is generally considered insensitive and inaccurate by many in disability communities and their allies. It is therefore recommended that it not be used unless the disabled individual referred to self-identifies a preference to be addressed using that term.
• Moral Model of Disability – The moral model of disability refers to the attitude that people are morally responsible for their own disability as a reflection of the person’s or their family’s character, deeds, thoughts, and karma, either as a mark of wrong-doing or evil or, alternatively, as a reflection of their higher power’s will or choosing of them. Language associated with this model is largely emotional (e.g., “afflicted,” “suffers from,” “burdensome,” etc.). Societal reflections of disability heavily influenced by the media reinforce depiction of disabled characters as pitiable, pathetic, sinister, evil, criminal, maladjusted, burdensome to family and society, unable to live a successful life, and/or better off dead or, alternatively, depict a disabled person who goes beyond usual human levels and is therefore heroic (e.g., a wheelchair user who climbs a particularly high mountain). This model can spur renewed faith and is also known to bring shame.
• Social Model of Disability – In the social model of disability, the environmental barriers that hinder people with disabilities from full participation are considered disabling (not the individual experiencing a disability). This model fosters community and social action, with the collective responsibility of society to remove societal barriers for the equitable participation by all community members, though this model also highlights systemic ableism.
• People with Disabilities – People with functional challenges that affect one or more major life activities.

Inclusion of people with disabilities in everyday activities through ensuring equal opportunities for participation in all aspects of life. Inclusion means providing opportunities in an equitable, similar way to peers who do not have a disability, empowering those with disabilities to engage with everyday activities to the best of their abilities and desires. Disability Inclusion also involves encouraging and supporting people with disabilities to have roles similar to their peers who do not have a disability. 

Disability Justice is a framework based on the understanding that all bodies are unique and essential and have strengths and needs that must be met. It holds a vision born out of collective struggle, confronting and subverting colonial powers in the struggle for life and justice, resisting all forms of oppression, and working to achieve a world where all can flourish. It values and celebrates disabled individuals in all their myriad beauty. The framework has 10 principles: Intersectionality, Leadership of Those Most Impacted, Anti-Capitalist Politic and Commitment to Cross-Movement Organizing, Recognizing Wholeness, Sustainability, Commitment to Cross-Disability Solidarity, Interdependence, Collective Access, and Collective Liberation. Disability Justice was coined by Patty Berne of Sins Invalid (and Mia Mingus and Stacy Milbern, three women of color, who eventually united with Leroy Moore, Eli Clare, and Sebastian Margaret) to challenge radical and progressive movements to more fully address ableism. This movement was founded predominantly by people of color to address issues such as police brutality of disabled people of color, particularly Black disabled people, that were excluded or dismissed by the mainstream Disability Rights Movement. “This movement sought to address folks experiencing intersectional oppression, such as disabled people of color, immigrants with disabilities, queers with disabilities, trans and gender non-conforming people with disabilities, people with disabilities who are houseless, people with disabilities who are incarcerated, people with disabilities who have had their ancestral lands stolen, amongst others.” 

A set of assumptions (conscious or unconscious) and practices that promote the differential or unequal treatment of people because of actual, perceived, or non-apparent disabilities. See Ableism9.

• 9. The quality or state of having — or being perceived as having — the physical, mental, or legal means or skill or power to do something. Ability is not permanent, can fluctuate throughout one’s life, and is another aspect of diversity in our communities. Disabilities do not necessarily limit people unless society imposes assumptions that do not account for the variation in people’s abilities

Consists of the negative behavior toward a person based on negative attitudes one holds toward the group to which that person belongs, or positive behavior toward a person based on positive attributes one holds toward the group to which that person belongs.

Describes the presence of differences within a given setting, collective, or group. An individual is not diverse — a person is unique. Diversity is about a collective or a group and exists in relationship to others. A team, an organization, a family, a neighborhood, and a community can be diverse. A person can bring diversity of thought, experience, and trait (seen and unseen) to a team — and the person is still an individual. See Workforce Diversity10.

• 10. Workforce Diversity means a collection of individual attributes that together help agencies pursue organizational objectives efficiently and effectively. These include, but are not limited to, characteristics such as national origin, language, race, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, veteran status, political beliefs, communication styles, and family structures. The concept also encompasses differences among people about where they are from, where they have lived, and their differences of thought and life experiences.

The most institutionally normalized power that is widespread and influential across societal structures and entities in which multiple cultures are present. See Culture11 and White-Dominant Culture12.

• 11. The summarization of the attitudes, values, and behaviors that define who we are as a people. Culture provides a template with which meaning is determined. It is the blueprint for living in a society.
• 12. Culture defined by white people with social and positional power, enacted both broadly in society and within the context of social entities such as organizations.

The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. It recognizes that there are communities that are under- resourced, marginalized, and oppressed across Washington that are disproportionately affected. Justice will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, access to the decision-making process, and benefits of a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.

The act of developing, strengthening, and supporting procedural and outcome fairness in systems, procedures, and resource distribution mechanisms to create equitable (not equal) opportunity for all people. Equity is distinct from equality which refers to everyone having the same treatment without accounting for differing needs or circumstances. Equity has a focus on eliminating barriers that have prevented the full participation of historically and currently oppressed groups.

The belief that one’s own ethnic group or culture is superior to other ethnic groups and cultures.

A social construct that divides people into smaller social groups based on characteristics such as values, behavioral patterns, language, political and economic interests, history, and ancestral geographical base. 

Framework that characterizes people as either fit or unfit. It assumes that to be unfit is to be genetically inferior, and genetic inferiority should be eliminated to strengthen humanity. Eugenics was used to justify killing millions of people through the Holocaust, and prominent Western countries have used eugenicist logic to justify practices such as forced sterilization, involuntary institutionalization, human testing, and the withholding of medical care. See Ableism13. Though eugenics is no longer embraced as a wholesale theory, it still influences and shapes public discourse and policy in many ways: • Forced sterilization and coercive birth-control practices happening in the U.S. and globally. • Immigration policies preventing certain people from entering or residing in countries based on eugenicist logic. • People receiving public benefits are disincentivized from having more children. • Trans people across parts of Europe facing mandatory sterilization to legally change their gender. • Legal conservatorship, allowing a court-appointed guardian full control of an individual’s financial and personal affairs, once deemed “incapacitated.”

• 13. Discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities based in the belief that people without current disabilities are superior, have a better quality of life, or have lives that are more valuable or worth living than people with an actual, perceived, or non-apparent disability resulting in othering, oppression, prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination. Ableism comes in all forms, from overt prejudice to more subtle microaggressions and includes social habits, practices, regulations, laws, and institutions that operate under the assumption that people with disabilities are inherently less capable overall, less valuable in society, and/or should have less personal autonomy than is ordinarily granted to people of the same age. Ableism is a concept similar to racism, sexism, and ageism in that it includes stereotypes, generalizations, and demeaning views and language to the point of diminishing individuals and their experiences and perpetuating violent oppression.

The legal obligation of the United States to protect Tribal sovereignty, lands, assets, and resources, as well as a duty to carry out treaty obligations. This includes providing services necessary for the welfare and advancement of Tribal nations and their people. “The trust responsibility consists of the highest moral obligations that the United States must meet to ensure the protection of tribal and individual Indian lands, assets, resources, and treaty and similarly recognized rights.” 

American Indian and Alaska Native tribal entities that are officially acknowledged by the United States federal government to maintain a government-to-government relationship. This recognition confers certain rights, protections, and responsibilities under United States law.

Having qualities or an appearance stereotypically associated with one of the binary genders (woman/man) or conventionally regarded as feminine/masculine.

The belief that women (and those perceived as women/feminine-presenting) should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men (and those perceived as men/masculine-presenting) in society and be treated in an equitable way. It is also the set of activities intended to achieve this state. 

A person’s deeply held core sense of self in relation to gender – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. A person’s gender identity can be the same or different from their biological sex. Gender identity is a separate concept from sexuality and gender expression.
• Agender – Refers to a person who does not identify with or experience any gender. Agender is different from nonbinary because many nonbinary people do experience gender.
• Cisgender – Describes a person whose gender identity and gender expression matches the gender typically associated with their biological sex. Often abbreviated to “Cis.”
• Non-Binary – A term of self-identification for people who do not identify within the limited and binary terms that have described gender identity: male or man, female or woman.
• Genderfluid – Describes a person who does not consistently identify with a single fixed gender and who may move among genders, or a person having or expressing a fluid or unfixed gender identity. A gender fluid person may at any time identify as male, female, agender, any other non-binary identity, or some combination of identities.
• Genderqueer – Describes individuals who blur preconceived boundaries of gender in relation to the gender binary and can also reject commonly held ideas of static gender identities. It is also used as an umbrella term for many gender non-conforming or non-binary identities (i.e., agender, bi-gender, genderfluid).
• Transgender – An umbrella term used to describe a person whose gender identity and sex assigned at birth do not correspond. The term is also used to describe groups of people who transcend conventional expectations of gender identity or expression. Often abbreviated to “Trans,” which is considered more inclusive than transgender because it includes the various ways a person can identify within the associated umbrella terminology (e.g., transgender, transmasc, transfem(me), etc.). Being trans does not imply any specific sexual orientation.

An umbrella term used for individuals that broaden their own culture’s commonly held definitions of gender, including expectations for its expression, identities, roles, and/or other perceived gender norms. People of any gender identity can be gender expansive. See Gender Identity14 and Gender Expression15.

• 14. A person’s deeply held core sense of self in relation to gender – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. A person’s gender identity can be the same or different from their biological sex. Gender identity is a separate concept from sexuality and gender expression.
• 15. External appearance of one's gender, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut or intonation, and which may or may not conform to societal expectations of a person’s sex assigned at birth or their gender identity.

External appearance of one's gender, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut or intonation, and which may or may not conform to societal expectations of a person’s sex assigned at birth or their gender identity.
• Gender Non-Conforming – An umbrella term for those who do not follow gender stereotypes, or who expand ideas of gender expression or gender identity. It is not used as a personal identifier.

Genetic information includes information about an individual’s genetic tests and the genetic tests of an individual’s family members, as well as information about the manifestation of a disease or disorder in an individual’s family members. 

Relationships that are formal, recognized interactions between sovereign tribal nations and federal, state, or local governments.

Having reduced or deficient hearing ability, which can manifest as mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss. 

Partial or total inability to hear.

Discrimination or prejudice against LGBTQ+ people on the assumption that heterosexuality is the cultural norm and the prejudiced belief that heterosexuals are socially and culturally superior.
• Compulsory Heterosexuality – Compulsory Heterosexuality (Comphet): A theory that heterosexuality is assumed and enforced upon people by a patriarchal and heteronormative society. In this theory, heterosexual relationships are seen as universally desired with the pinnacle often being a cis man and woman getting married. The phrase originally referred to the assumption by a male-dominated society that the only normal sexual relationship is between a man and a woman.
The phrase carries the implication that heterosexuality is neither inborn nor chosen by the individual, but rather is a product of culture and is thus forced. Behind the theory of compulsory heterosexuality is the idea that biological sex is determined, that gender is how one behaves, and that sexuality is a preference.

A term for fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, hatred, discomfort, or mistrust that one may have toward LGBTQ+ people or individuals perceived as LGBTQ+. Can also connote a fear, disgust, or dislike of being perceived as LGBTQ+. The animosity, hatred, or dislike often manifests itself in the form of prejudice and bias. See Biphobia16 and Transphobia17.

• 16. A term for fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, hatred, discomfort, or mistrust that one may have toward bisexual people. The term can also connote a fear, disgust, or dislike of being perceived as bisexual
• 17. A term for fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, hatred, discomfort, or mistrust that one may have toward people who are transgender or gender non-conforming. The term can also connote a fear, disgust, or dislike of being perceived as transgender or gender non-conforming

A person’s innermost concept of self. How an individual perceives themselves and what they call themselves. The fact of being who or what they are.

Wording about a person that leads with a description of them in the context of a disability, acknowledging that the person holds the condition as an important piece of their identity. Some within the disability community oppose person-first language. They believe that if language is needed to separate them from a trait of theirs, it suggests that the trait is negative. They may prefer to use identity-first language because they feel the trait is a core component of their identity. Communities that prefer identity-first language tend to be those centered on different ways of perceiving or interacting with the world. For example, the Deaf community or the Autistic community. These communities have often developed a culture and sense of pride around their disability identity and don’t view it as an impairment. Ask an individual’s preference when writing about one person. Examples: an Autistic man, Deaf children, Blind people, wheelchair users, she is Neurodivergent

Intentionally designed, active, and ongoing engagement with people that ensures opportunities and pathways for participation in all aspects of group, organization, or community, including decision-making processes. Inclusion is not a natural consequence of diversity. There must be intentional and consistent efforts to create and sustain a participative environment. Inclusion refers to how groups show that people are valued as respected members of the group, team, organization, or community. Inclusion is often created through progressive, consistent actions to expand, include, and share.

A design process that aims to create products, services, or environments that are usable for as many people as possible, particularly groups who are traditionally excluded from being able to use an interface or navigate an environment. The world around us is full of design – meaning things, places, and experiences that were created with intention. Think about the choices that were made in designing the building you live in, or the technology you use. Have you ever boarded a plane? Attended a wedding? Sat too long at a traffic light? Someone designed each of these experiences. Mismatches between people and objects or situations, physical or digital, happen when the object or situation wasn’t designed to fit the person’s needs. Sometimes designed objects reject their users: a computer mouse that doesn't work for left-handed people, for example, or a touchscreen payment system that only works for people who read English phrases, have 20/20 vision, and use a credit card. Something as simple as color choices can render a product unusable for millions. People often must adapt themselves to make an object or situation work. Inclusive Design involves planning, testing, and creating objects and experiences for—and alongside—people with a wide variety of backgrounds, needs, abilities, and lived experiences. This approach ensures that a greater number of people will be able to access and benefit from the object or experience.

Sovereignty which is distinguishable from Tribal Sovereignty in that it is not a nation-state recognition of inherent sovereignty under nation-state dominion. Rather, it arises from Indigenous Traditional Knowledge, belonging to each Indigenous nation, tribe, first nation, community, etc.  “Indigenous” refers to peoples and communities who are the original inhabitants of a region, having predated the arrival of settler populations and maintained a continuous connection to their traditional territories. This term is globally recognized and used to describe groups that have historical ties to their land that stretch back centuries, often before these areas were colonized or incorporated into modern nation-states.

Intersectionality is a framework for understanding the interaction of cultures and identities held by an individual. Intersectionality explains how an individual with multiple identities that may have been marginalized can experience compounded oppression (such as racism, sexism, and classism) or how an individual can experience privilege in some areas and disadvantage in other areas. It takes into account people’s overlapping identities to understand the complexity of their life outcomes and experiences. 

Irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against Islam or people who are Muslim or are perceived to be Muslim. 

Those who grew up with hearing and lost all or most of their hearing as adults. A person who experiences hearing loss that occurs after childhood. 

Firsthand involvement or direct experiences and choices of a person, as opposed to secondhand or mediated knowledge. Personal knowledge is gained from direct involvement, personal perspective, personal identities, and history – beyond their professional or educational experience – giving the person knowledge and understanding that others who have only learned about such experiences do not have. It is also a depiction of a person’s experiences, decisions, and knowledge gained from those firsthand experiences or involvement. 

The social process of relegating a particular person, groups, or groups of people to an unimportant or powerless position. This use of power prevents a particular person, group, or groups of people from participating fully in decisions affecting their lived experiences, rendering them insignificant or peripheral. Some individuals identify with multiple groups that have been marginalized. People may experience further marginalization because of their intersecting identities.

A belief that suggests advancement is determined by internal factors, which scholars have defined as hard work, ability, and individual responsibility, as opposed to privilege and other social relationships. 

The everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional acts that any person can commit, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to targeted persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership. 

A person’s connection to the military in the categories listed below:
• Disabled Veterans – A veteran who is entitled to compensation under laws administered by the Department of Veteran Affairs or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability. This includes veterans who would be entitled to disability compensation if they were not receiving military retirement pay instead. Reference: Title 38 U.S.C. Section 4211 (3)
• Military Spouse – Washington state recognizes a military spouse as any person currently or previously married to a military service member during the service member’s time of active, reserve, or National Guard duty. Reference: Executive Order 19-01
• National Guard & Reserve Service – The Armed Forces reserve component includes the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Army National Guard of the United States, and the Air National Guard of the United States. The individuals are currently serving in a reserve component capacity contributing to the national security and military readiness. Reference: Title 38 U.S.C. Section 101 (27)
• Special Disabled Veterans – A veteran who is entitled to compensation under laws administered by the Department of Veteran Affairs with a disability rated at 30 percent or more; or a disability rated at 10 or 20 percent in the case of a veteran who has been determined under 38 U.S.C. 3106 to have a serious employment handicap; or a discharge or release from active duty because of a service-connected disability. Reference: Title 38 U.S.C. Section 4211 (1)
• Veteran – Includes every person who has received a discharge or was released from active military service under conditions other than dishonorable or is in receipt of a United States Department of Defense discharge document that characterizes their military service as other than dishonorable. (RCW 41.04.007 & Title 38 U.S.C.).

The dislike of, contempt for, or engraved prejudice against women/females (both cis and trans women), feminine-presenting individuals, and individuals perceived as female regardless of actual gender.

A manually operated or power-driven device designed for use by an individual with a mobility disability for the purpose of locomotion. The equipment is often considered part of the user’s personal space, as an extension of their body, in a similar manner as someone’s limbs. The most common types include: canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, rollators (walkers with four wheels and a seat for when the person is at rest – not for transport), mobility scooters, etc. Note that a disabled individual does not have to experience complete loss of limb use to require a mobility aid. Using someone’s mobility device for one’s own personal pleasure, convenience, enjoyment, or in jest is frequently considered as invasive as the non-disabled individual grabbing the other’s limb and forcing use of it against their permission or will. See Wheelchair User18.

• 18. A person with a disability who uses the mobility equipment of a wheelchair as part of their personal space to assist them in navigating the world in an equitable manner as those who are able-bodied. The equipment is often considered an extension of their bodies, in a similar manner as someone’s limbs. A wheelchair user does not need to be paralyzed or partially paralyzed to require use of a wheelchair.

This term refers to people and communities who experience multiple forms of oppression simultaneously, such as queer, disabled, people of color. Related to intersectionality, this term highlights that people who hold multiple marginalized identities can experience unique circumstances that may not be captured by a non-intersectional lens. For example, Kimberle Crenshaw conducted workplace discrimination investigations that revealed intersectionality impacted Black women in ways that were unaddressed by investigating race or gender alone. 

A specific legal relationship between a person and a state, whether by birth or naturalization in the case of an immigrant.

Broad reference used to include all Native people of the U.S. and its trust territories as well as persons from Canadian First Nations and Indigenous communities in Mexico and Central and South America who are U.S. residents. 

Nonmedical term describing people whose brains develop or work differently than the majority population. Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one "right" way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits. Individuals who are neurodivergent have different strengths and struggles compared to people whose brains develop or work typical to the majority population. The word neurodiversity refers to the diversity of all people, but it is often used in the context of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as other neurological or developmental conditions such as ADHD or learning disabilities.

• Neurodivergent or Neuroatypical generally references people with brains that operate differently from the majority of society, and can include those with a large range of disabilities, such as people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); those with severe anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other similar mental health conditions; people with learning disabilities, including dyslexia; and people with other intellectual and developmental disabilities within the wide range of conditions that can shape thinking, learning, and perceiving the world.

• Autism/Autistic is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, including deficits in social reciprocity, nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, and skills in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships. The presence of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities is required for the diagnosis. Most individuals holding an ASD diagnosis or suspected to have an ASD diagnosis prefer identity-first language (“autistic person”) over person-first language (“person with ASD”), though individuals should always ask the preference of the person with the disability.

• Neurotypical is a term used to describe individuals whose brains function in a way that is considered typical or standard. Neurotypical people tend to learn and develop at a similar pace to their peers, and they have a good understanding of social norms and expectations. Their language, communication, social skills, sensory processing, and executive functioning skills are all within the range of the common majority. Neurotypical describes individuals who do not function outside of the common majority range (e.g., individuals who don’t have autism, ADHD, severe anxiety, OCD, PTSD, dyslexia, etc.). Many people who support the use of terms such as neurotypical, neurodiverse, and neurodivergent believe that autism doesn’t need a cure and is not a disability. They believe the differences it presents in people should be respected and celebrated. 

System of classification based on the nation from which a person originates regardless of the nation they currently live. National origin is not something an individual can change, though origin can change through the generations of family.

Oppression is the systemic devaluing, undermining, marginalizing, and disadvantaging of certain social identities in contrast to the privileged norm; when some people are denied something of value, while others have ready access. This can occur, intentionally and unintentionally, on individual, institutional, and cultural levels:
• Individual – attitudes and actions that reflect prejudice against a social group.
• Institutional – policies, laws, rules, norms, and customs enacted by organizations and social institutions that disadvantage some social groups and advantage other social groups.
• Societal/Cultural – social norms, roles, rituals, language, music, and art that reflect and reinforce the belief that one social group is superior to another.

Anti-oppression is the act of shifting power to people who have been marginalized by recognizing, mitigating, and eliminating the oppressive effects of the individual, institutional, and societal elements of the dominant culture.

Othering encompasses the systematically expressed prejudice on the basis of group identities or membership or perceived group identities or membership. It is a common set of dynamics, processes, and structures that produces marginality and persistent inequality across any of the full range of human differences. It is a strategy of the dominant culture to prevent belonging. Dimensions of othering include, but are not limited to, religion, sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status (class), disability, sexual orientation, citizenship/immigration status, and skin tone.See Belonging19.

• 19. The sense of your well-being being considered and your ability to design and give meaning to society’s structures and institutions being realized. More than tolerating and respecting differences, belonging requires that all people are welcome with membership and agency in the society. Belonging is vital to have a thriving and engaged populace, which informs distributive and restorative decision-making.

Any form of action, policy, system, or practice on the part of a person or people in positions of authority that limits or restricts another individual’s liberty, free-will, autonomy, and responsibilities of those subordinate to those in authority in the subordinate’s supposed best interest. The intent is to supply needs or regulate conduct of subordinates in matters affecting the subordinates as individuals, as well as in their relations to authority and to each other. It is often done without the subordinate’s consent or input. The term originates from the 19th century legal structure of a father as head of household and final authority on all family matters. 

A system of society or government in which men hold the power; control a disproportionately large share of social, economic, political, and religious power; typically pass down this power by inheritance through the male line; and women or those perceived as feminine are largely excluded from it. Such societies and governments are male-dominated, male-identified, male-centered, organized around an obsession with control and involve as one of their key aspects the oppression of women. In these societies or governments, men hold most positions of leadership and control resources in both public and private spheres, while women play a secondary role and are considered weaker and better suited to domestic labor. Additionally, in these societies or governments, these perpetuated beliefs favoring men over women are held by the majority of people in that society, whatever their gender. 

Acronym for Pro-Equity Anti-Racism.

Collective term for referring to non-white racial groups.

People of the Global Majority (PoGM) is a collective term for people of Indigenous, African, Asian, Latin American descent, who constitute approximately 85% of the global population. Some may prefer the terms “People of Global Majority” (PoGM or “Black, Indigenous, People of Color” [BIPOC] as it can help decenter whiteness as the default.

Approach to communicating with a goal of avoiding language that dehumanizes or stigmatizes people. This developed from the disability rights movement of the 1970s, though language and societal values are always evolving. Person-first language is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Though not preferred in all cases, person-first language is still best practice when writing about people who have defined diseases or mental health disorders. Ask an individual’s preference when writing about one person. See Identity-First Language20. Examples: People with AIDS, a child who has an intellectual disability, people who use wheelchairs, a woman with a physical disability, children with epilepsy, men with diabetes, people with chronic illnesses, those with substance use disorder Terms to avoid: Wheelchair-bound, victim of [condition], cancer patient, addict, handicapped, handi-capable, differently abled, diff-abled

• 20. Wording about a person that leads with a description of them in the context of a disability, acknowledging that the person holds the condition as an important piece of their identity.

The ability to decide who will have access to opportunity and resources; the capacity to direct or influence the behavior of others, oneself, and/or the course of events.

The ability to impact others without respect or their permission. Exercising control over another person or people through the use of force, authority, or position, and the dissemination of punishment and reward.

Using or exercising one’s power to work with others equitably for common good, showing respect, leveraging strengths, and providing guidance.

A negative attitude toward another person or group formed in advance of any experience with that person or group. Prejudices can 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. Prejudicial attitudes tend to be resistant to change because they distort our perception of information about the target group. Prejudice based on racial grouping is racism; prejudice based on perceived sexual orientation is homophobia and biphobia; prejudice based on sex or gender (including transphobia) is sexism; prejudice based on chronological age is ageism; and prejudice based on disability is ableism. See Stereotype21.

• 21. Characteristics attributed to an individual or group based on generalization, oversimplification, or exaggeration that may result in stigmatization and discrimination.

Privilege is any unearned benefit, position, power, right, or advantage one receives in society because of their identity. In the United States, privilege is prevalent in the following areas:
• Ability privilege
• Age privilege
• Christian privilege
• Cis privilege
• Class or economic privilege
• Hetero privilege
• Male privilege
• National origin
• White privilege

Privilege is often invisible or imperceptible to those who have it. Having a privilege does not mean the person did not work hard or that their life was not difficult, merely that it was not difficult in the way it was for those without that privilege.

The proactive way of doing equity work with the knowledge that we live in a society permeated by racism and bigotry, combat, or control in every action.

A pronoun that a person chooses to refer to themselves. These include, but aren’t limited to: she, her, hers, herself; he, him, his, himself; they, them, theirs, themselves; and ze, hir or zir, hirs or zirs, hirself or zirself. For those who use pronouns, they are not preferred — they are essential.
• Neopronouns – A pronoun created to be specifically gender neutral. These include, but are not limited to: xe, xem, xyrs; ze, zir, zirs; fae, faer, faers; and ey, em, eirs.

A term to describe a person who is exploring their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression

A social construct that divides people into smaller social groups based on characteristics, most typically skin color. Racial categories were socially constructed, with artificially created whiteness as one of the elements of the dominant culture. Race was created to concentrate power and advantage people who are defined as white and justify dominance over non-white people. The idea of race has become embedded in our identities, institutions, and culture, and influences life opportunities, outcomes, and experiences. Racial categories change based on the political convenience of the dominant society at a given period of time. See Nationality22, National Origin23, Color24, Colorism25, and Ethnicity26.

• 22. A specific legal relationship between a person and a state, whether by birth or naturalization in the case of an immigrant.
• 23. System of classification based on the nation from which a person originates regardless of the nation they currently live. National origin is not something an individual can change, though origin can change through the generations of family.
• 24. Pigmentation, complexion, or skin shade or tone. Skin color can be, but is not necessarily, a characteristic of race.
• 25. The belief that a person’s skin color, tone, shade, pigmentation, or complexion is superior to another’s within a specific racial or ethnic group and includes discrimination based on the perceived lightness, darkness, or other color characteristic of a person
• 26. A social construct that divides people into smaller social groups based on characteristics such as values, behavioral patterns, language, political and economic interests, history, and ancestral geographical base.

The vision or existence of a community, society, or world in which race or color does not predict the amount and quality of opportunities, services, and benefits. The condition where one’s race identity has no influence on how one fares in society. 

A form of prejudice that assumes that the members of racial categories have distinctive characteristics and that these differences result in some racial groups being inferior to others. Racism generally includes negative emotional reactions to members of the group, acceptance of negative stereotypes, and racial discrimination against individuals; in some cases, it leads to violence.

• Cultural Racism – Comprises the cumulative effects of a racialized worldview, based on belief in essential racial differences that favor the dominant racial group over others. These effects are suffused throughout the culture via institutional structures, ideological beliefs, and personal everyday actions of people in the culture, and these effects are passed on from generation to generation.

• Institutional Racism – Those established laws, customs, and practices which systemically reflect and produce racial inequities in American society. If racist consequences accrue to institutional laws, customs, or practices, the institution is racist whether or not the individuals maintaining those practices have racist intentions. Institutional racism can be either overt or covert and either intentional or unintentional.

• Individual Racism – One who considers that black people as a group (or other human groups defined by essential racial characteristics) are inferior to whites because of physical (i.e., genotypical and phenotypical) traits. They further believe that these physical traits are determinants of social behavior and of moral and intellectual qualities and ultimately presume that this inferiority is a legitimate basis for that group’s inferior social treatment. An important consideration is that all judgments of superiority are based on the corresponding traits of white people as norms of comparison.

• Dynamic Model of Structural Racism – A diagram of properties that illustrates how cultural, institutional, and individual racism are connected. Separated into three hierarchical relationships, the model expresses how institutions develop as a manifestation of cultural views, then institutions do the work of the culture to racially socialize individuals. The individuals then “teach” and “learn” from the institutions what the culture believes should be implicitly believed or revealed.

The act of giving a racial character to someone or something. The process of categorizing, marginalizing, or regarding according to race. 

A feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, valued, and should be treated in a dignified way. 

Right of Native American Tribes to manage their own affairs and make decisions that affect their people, lands, and resources without external interference. This principle is grounded in the recognition of Tribes as sovereign entities

The practical implementation of self-determination. It involves the actual administration and management of programs, services, and activities that are typically the responsibility of federal agencies but are carried out by tribes under self-governance agreements

Discrimination or prejudice against a particular sex or gender on the assumption that another sex or gender is the social and cultural norm. It typically has the most negative impact on women/females (both cis and trans women), feminine-presenting individuals, and individuals perceived as female regardless of actual gender.

A person’s physical, romantic, emotional, aesthetic, and/or other form of sexual attraction to others. Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same. For instance, transgender people can be straight, bisexual, lesbian, gay, asexual, pansexual, queer, etc., like anyone else.
• Aromantic – A person who experiences little to no emotional or romantic attraction to other people. Sometimes aromantic people abbreviate the term to Aro.
• Asexual – A person who experiences little to no physical attraction to other people. Sometimes asexual people abbreviate the term to Ace.
• Bisexual – A person who has an emotional and physical attraction to persons of the same and different genders.
• Gay – A person who is emotionally and physically attracted to someone of the same gender. It is more commonly associated with men.
• Heterosexual – A person who is emotionally and physically attracted to people of the opposite sex.
• Lesbian – A female or woman who has an emotional and physical attraction for other females or women.
• Omnisexual – A person who is emotionally, romantically, and/or physically attracted to people of all gender identities and expressions and who notice their partner’s gender as part of that attraction. This term differs from pansexual in that people who are pansexual are attracted to individuals regardless of gender (gender-neutral) and people who are omnisexual are attracted to individuals and how they identify their gender (gender-inclusive).
• Pansexual – A person who is emotionally and physically attracted to individuals of all gender identities and expressions.
• Queer – A person who expresses fluid identities and/or orientations in their emotional and physical attraction to others. The term is sometimes used as an umbrella term to refer to all LGBTQ+ people.

A social phenomenon or convention originating within and cultivated by society or a particular social group, as opposed to existing inherently or naturally.

A practice within a society based on principles of equality and solidarity that understands and values human rights and recognizes the dignity of every human being. Such a practice would strive to provide basic human needs and comforts to all members of the society regardless of class, race, religion, or any other characteristic.

An acronym, usually used in data collection, for addressing Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression, which captures all the ways people self-identify. SOGIE includes LGBTQ+ as well as heterosexual, cisgender, and non-questioning individuals.

A person having a communication disorder that affects their ability to create or form the speech sounds needed for effective communication. A person who has a condition in which the mouth, jaw, tongue, and/or vocal tract do not work together to produce recognizable words. Manifestations may include stuttering, articulation errors, an inability to move the tongue, etc. 

Characteristics attributed to an individual or group based on generalization, oversimplification, or exaggeration that may result in stigmatization and discrimination.

The practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing. Examples of tokenism include but aren’t limited to: Asking a person of color to be on a hiring panel for the appearance of diverse perspectives without them actually having a connection to the position or voice in the decisions related to the hiring process; Asking a community member to join a meeting to give input without using their input, while still talking about how that community was given representation.

A term for fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, hatred, discomfort, or mistrust that one may have toward people who are transgender or gender non-conforming. The term can also connote a fear, disgust, or dislike of being perceived as transgender or gender non-conforming.

Legally binding agreements that define the relationship, rights, and obligations between the parties. Many Tribal nations have signed treaties with the U.S. government. These treaties often involve land exchanges, peace agreements, and the provision of services, and they recognize Tribal sovereignty in various contexts. However, it is crucial to recognize that not all Tribes have signed treaties, not all Tribes are federally recognized, and treaties have not been fully honored by federal and state governments.

Regardless of the presence of a formal treaty, all Tribes hold inherent sovereignty and have unique relationships with the federal government. These relationships can also be shaped through agreements, executive orders, and other legal mechanisms that acknowledge Tribal sovereignty and outline cooperation in various areas, including land management, cultural preservation, and the provision of services. This deeper understanding respects the diverse histories and statuses of Tribal nations and underscores the importance of acknowledging each Tribe's inherent rights and sovereignty.

A foundational aspect of the government-to-government relationship requiring federal agencies to consult with Tribal governments on policies or actions that may affect them. This consultation is intended to be meaningful and requires timely, informed discussions that respect Tribal sovereignty and decision-making processes.

Concept recognizing that Tribal nations are sovereign entities with the inherent authority to govern themselves. This sovereignty predates the existence of the federal government and is acknowledged through treaties, federal laws, judicial decisions, and the U.S. Constitution.

A term sometimes used to describe Indigenous individuals who have a gender identity or gender expression that does not align with their sex assigned at birth or have a culturally distinct gender, apart from male or man and female or woman. See 2SLGBTQIA+27.

• 27. An acronym that describes individuals who identify as Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual/Agender. The “+” represents those who are part of the community but for whom the 2SLGBTQIA+ does not accurately capture or reflect their identity.

Planning, creating, and building products, places, and information with accessibility, equity, and inclusiveness at the forefront so all people can interact in a meaningful way to the greatest extent possible.

The tendency to believe that Western society values, standards, and norms are superior to those of other cultures.

A person with a disability who uses the mobility equipment of a wheelchair as part of their personal space to assist them in navigating the world in an equitable manner as those who are able-bodied. The equipment is often considered an extension of their bodies, in a similar manner as someone’s limbs. A wheelchair user does not need to be paralyzed or partially paralyzed to require use of a wheelchair. • Ambulatory Wheelchair User – A person with a disability who, under certain circumstances, can sometimes walk without support, but often needs a wheelchair to help them get around. Much stigma surrounds ambulatory wheelchair users largely due to misconceptions that wheelchair users must be paralyzed or partially paralyzed and entirely unable to walk. Multiple disabilities benefit from use of wheelchairs as ambulatory wheelchair users to navigate joint instability, muscle weakness, tremors, neurological conditions, severe chronic pain, heart conditions, and other similar medical issues, allowing them to get from point A to point B without harm or medical complications, and such use is valid and upheld under the Americans with Disabilities Act and related protections. 

Culture defined by white people with social and positional power, enacted both broadly in society and within the context of social entities such as organizations. See Dominant Culture28 and White Supremacy29.

• 28. The most institutionally normalized power that is widespread and influential across societal structures and entities in which multiple cultures are present. See Culture and White-Dominant Culture.
• 29. A political, economic, and cultural system in which white people are believed to be the normal, better, smarter, and holier race over all other races. This system entitles whites with overwhelming control, power, and material resources.

A political, economic, and cultural system in which white people are believed to be the normal, better, smarter, and holier race over all other races. This system entitles whites with overwhelming control, power, and material resources. Conscious and unconscious ideas of white superiority and entitlement are widespread. White dominance and non-white subordination are daily reenacted across a broad array of institutions and social settings. A white supremacy mindset is perpetuated when elements of this system are not named, agreed to, or actively undone.

A given culture’s notion of what is important and valuable as an expression of, and interpretation of human existence constitute its worldview or ideology . World cultures show variations in how people interpret, evaluate, and conceptualize what it means to be human. 

Workforce Diversity means a collection of individual attributes that together help agencies pursue organizational objectives efficiently and effectively. These include, but are not limited to, characteristics such as national origin, language, race, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, veteran status, political beliefs, communication styles, and family structures. The concept also encompasses differences among people about where they are from, where they have lived, and their differences of thought and life experiences. See Diversity30.

• 30. Describes the presence of differences within a given setting, collective, or group. An individual is not diverse — a person is unique. Diversity is about a collective or a group and exists in relationship to others. A team, an organization, a family, a neighborhood, and a community can be diverse. A person can bring diversity of thought, experience, and trait (seen and unseen) to a team — and the person is still an individual.

A term for fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, hatred, discomfort, or mistrust that one may have toward people from other countries. The term can also connote a fear, disgust, or dislike of being perceived a person is from other countries.

Empathy-centered collaboration between government and people groups who have been excluded and marginalized by government decisions and actions... to undo harm and advance pro-equity anti-racism (PEAR) outcomes.

Derives from Shared Power Principle and locates power withing the lowest appropriate entities both across and within organizations and creates the environment for this shared power to be used to develop effective and legitimate solutions. The four patterns that characterize the Shared Power Principle are: 

1. Who gets to make decisions? Subsidiarity as a guide
2. How do we relate to one another? Relationships first
3. Who is accountable to whom? New forms of governance and leadership
4. How does improvement happen? Building a culture of continuous learning

This term refers to populations, of employees, for example, that are dispropotionately lower in number relative to their number in the national/state population. 

An approach that combines universal goals with targeted processes to achieve those goals. It aims to improve outcomes for marginalized communities while recognizing that we are all part of the same social fabric