What is Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)?
Marginalized communities are groups of people who, because of discrimination, experience income inequality and lack of access to quality education and healthcare. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion efforts strive to reduce the effects of discrimination, racism, homophobia, classism, etc. To improve EDI, IPS program staff consider the following questions:
Equity
Equity
Does everyone have access to IPS regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual identity, sexual orientation, etc. Who is served by the mental health/substance abuse center who is not receiving IPS services?
Diversity
Diversity
Does the IPS team reflect the population of people in the community and the people served by the mental health/substance abuse center? How can the team hire a more diverse workforce?
Inclusion
Inclusion
Are IPS clients helped to advance in their careers regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual identity, class, etc.? Who has jobs that are skilled or professional? Who is helped with education and vocational training?
The International IPS Learning Community
EDI Committee
The International IPS Learning Community’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee’s goal is to promote ongoing learning and sharing that increases equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout the IPS Learning Community and all IPS partners. Members include country/state leaders for IPS, as well as IPS program staff. The EDI IPS Learning Community invites you to join quarterly interactive sessions. Please click here to view the session dates.
The EDI Committee’s areas of focus are:
- The EDI committee is working to uncover EDI data variables that point to a needed increase in IPS services for underserved populations and improvements in equitable access.
- The EDI committee seeks to create tools that will emphasize EDI in the program forms such as the Career Profile. That group has also added EDI content to IPS Practice Principles training, the IPS Center’s online training courses, and they developed an EDI Tool Kit/Curriculum that can be used by everyone.
- The EDI committee announces EDI related resources, events, and information. The committee assists with representing on International Learning Community calls and the International IPS Learning Community Annual Meeting. They work to enhance EDI in communication and practice with IPS collaborators.
For more information, or to join the committee, please contact Ruth Brock, ruth.brock@nyspi.columbia.edu, IPS Trainer, The IPS Employment Center, Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc., Tennessee
