Equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility training for transformation

Hello everyone. Welcome to our idea social innovation lab webinar series. My name is Dan Samosh. I'm an assistant professor of employment relations studies at Queens University. And today we have two presenters with us. Uh our first is Teresa Lennox who is the IDEA national office operations and communications associate and Karen Harlo who is our idea lead on the EDIA activity area hub uh and is also a professor at the University of Winnipeg. So today our two speakers are going to join together and talk about EDIA training. Uh they're going to actually go through some training that has been created with IDEA. Uh you might be able to notice on your screen uh this is the equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility training for transformation is what's on this slide. Uh we'll be talking about some training that has been complete and then some training that is currently being designed and you can you know be a part of that feedback process which is kind of exciting uh within the audience. For the webinar we do have captions so please use those if you would like or need. Uh we have French interpretation as well and all of this will be recorded and posted on the idea website. Uh there are also slides to go along that will be on the website too should you should you want to access those. In terms of structure for the webinar we have about an hour together. Um so I'll stop talking soon so our presenters can go ahead and we'll save the last part of the session for Q&A. So throughout our presenters uh speaking portion feel free to go to the Q&A function in Zoom and type in your questions and then I'll moderate the discussion with our presenters. So from there I'll turn it to you uh Theres and Karen.

Okay thanks for the intro Dan and thank you to everyone who is joining us today. So we will be discussing, previewing and accepting some feedback on a series of three equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility training for transformation modules that we're developing in IDEA. So what I am screen sharing now is a version of the landing page for our module one training. Um I say version because there is a copy of the actual training module, but this what I'm showing you today has been adapted for our webinar. So, I'm going to scroll down the landing page right now so you can see our presentation outline. So, in this presentation, I'm going to orient you to um our training modules and the platform that we're using, which is Articulate 360. Then, I will pass things over to Karen. When Karen takes the reigns, she's going to be going over our um sample content from module one, looking at the core concepts of equity, diversity, and inclusion. along with a reflection on equity and diversity and a midm module knowledge check throughout. We are going to prompt you for feedback using Zoom polls and um so that's going to be after each lesson and at the end of our presentation we are really interested in your constructive feedback to help us improve our content, our structure, our visual layouts, whatever you can think of. Um, I'll then close our webinar by giving you a heads up on what's coming for modules 2 and three. So, these training modules that we'll be we're developing will be accessible from the idea website. From our website, you'll be directed to a course landing page such as the one I'm screen sharing right now. So on the landing page uh for the training there will be a brief module description that will be in place of our names here for the presentation um as well as the course outline. So within articulate these um parts of the course are called lessons. So that's how I'll be referring to them throughout the presentation. The lesson must be completed sequentially, meaning I can't jump straight to the end of the course and just take the knowledge test. Um, so to demonstrate, here's our equity lesson. I'm trying to click in. It's not working. If I do try to do so, says that the lessons must be completed in order. That said, as lessons are completing, you can jump back if you want to go back and preview or review any uh materials that you've already completed. So, let's go into this introduction lesson. Um, we'll be walking you through the lessons as if we are completing them together. So, you're welcome to read along with the text, but do know that all the visible text you're seeing will be read out loud. So, when you do click into a lesson, this is what you'll get. You have the navigation pane um along the left side of the page and then the content towards the right. Here in this first kind of introductory slide, we quickly define EDIA as the policies and practices related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. So embedding equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in research and work is a best practice that considers intersecting social identities such as disability, gender, and racial identity to better understand and innovate systems. IDEA develops evidence-informed policy, guidance, and tools to advance the capacity of employers and other workplace parties to recruit, hire, onboard, retain, mentor, and promote persons with disabilities. Idea is providing EDIA training as part of our commitment to the school and in keeping with our mission, vision, and values. So, now we do offer some learner choice here. You can flip the cards to learn about our mission, vision, and values and get a bit of a better understanding about why we're doing this course. So, I'm going to go straight to our values here, flip it over, and let you know that we do value inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in all areas of society, particularly in the labor market. We value strong and diverse labor markets where all persons have equal opportunities in careers, jobs, and work. So as you now know EDIA is part of our organizational values. As such idea members will be required uh to complete all three modules that we're developing. We want to make sure that everybody in IDEA has the same basic understanding of EDIA concepts and how they can be implemented in research and work. So as well as being part of what we want our idea members to be taking, these modules will be freely available to everyone.

So as I've mentioned, this training module, it's part one in a three-part series. Through the training, you will empower yourself to improve your personal and professional practices by learning how to recognize and seize the opportunities, decisions, and outcomes that are more equitable, diverse, inclusive, and accessible. So the three modules in this series will explore uh EDIA foundations once again what we're going through today. EDIA and research for evidence-based practice and EDIA in the workplace to advance disability inclusion. So what can you expect in training module one? So for the learning content, we will be exploring the foundational concepts of equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and intersectionality. The content will be delivered in multiple formats to best suit your learning needs. So the basic content is presented as text and graphics, but then there will also be audio recorded content um with accompanying transcripts to complement and expand on the text. uh it off it offers choice in how you engage with the learning materials, how deeply you want to engage with the learning materials. Further resources and real life real life stories will also be shared throughout. So I'm going to scroll to the back to the top to show you what I mean by the learning content will be delivered in multiple formats. So in this box defining EDIA, I've added an audio track and a transcript. And I'll just give a quick demo of how that works. EDIA refers to policies and practices related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. So, there's the audio. And if I want a transcript of that, there's a little button here. I just go ahead and press and a transcript of what I've said pops up. Oops.

So, this is the only example of the audio I've put in here. When we publish the course, the audio and transcripts will be embedded throughout. We'll also have reflections. So, these opportunities for reflections will be provided throughout the training. These optional exercises will lead to deeper learning through prompts for further thinking and or writing. So, journaling, just a little reflection for yourself during the course, something that you take later to think on. We'll also be pro having knowledge checks. So in the middle and at the end of this module, you'll be required to demonstrate your understanding of the content. So I'm going to pass the presentation over to Karen in a moment so that she can walk you through equity, diversity, and inclusion content. Um, so for Karen's presentation, I do want to note that a lot of what she expands on from the written content reflects what will be covered in the audio segments. Um, just to give you an idea of what I mean by the deeper learning that you can expect in those audio and transcript pieces.

Okay, over to you Karen. There we go. Okay, thank you. All right. Hi, everyone and welcome. And so, thank you, Trace, for that uh great introduction and overview. And we're going to jump right now into the content for module one, starting with the lesson on equity. Its definition and all the definitions in this EDIA foundations module are from the government of Canada's guide on equity, diversity, and inclusion terminology unless noted otherwise. The guide hotlink is provided on the accompanying PowerPoint slides and further down on the articulate platform. So equity is the principle of considering people's unique experiences and differing situations and ensuring they have access to the resources and opportunities that are necessary for them to attain just outcomes. According to the guide, equity aims to eliminate disparities and disproportions that are rooted in historical and contemporary injustices and oppression. And so a related term is the equitydeserving group which refers to a group of people who because of systemic discrimination face barriers that prevent them from having the same access to the resources and opportunities that are available to other members of society and that are necessary for them to attain just outcomes. It's important to recognize that equity is not the same as equality. Equality is the principle of treating everyone in the same manner by ensuring they have access to the same resources and opportunities. The guide on EDIA, EDI terminology notes that equality does not necessarily lead to fair outcomes because unlike equity, it does not consider people's unique experiences and differing situations. And so here's a graphic to illustrate. It uses a crosswalk to visualize the issue and it introduces different characteristics of individuals. In the equality image on the left, we see various people at a crosswalk with the sidewalk curb. A young able-bodied man who has entered the crosswalk already and a younger child who has just stepped down or jumped down from the curb to begin to cross the street. But there's also an older person with a cane and a person in a wheelchair uh waiting at the curb edge facing challenges entering the crosswalk. And so the image text describes equality in this scenario as everyone gets the same regardless if it's needed or right for them. Now, in contrast, in the image, the equity image on the right, we see a curb cut that provides a ramp so that each person enters the crossing easily. And there are large electronic signs showing the big red hand for do not cross and the lighted version showing when it's time to cross, uh supplemented by sounds for each sign. And so this image text describes equity as everyone gets what they need, understanding the barriers, needs, and conditions. So to close this distinction between equity and equality, a quotation from Paula Dressell of the Race Matters Institute is helpful. She says, "The route to achieving equity will not be achieved through treating everyone equally. It will be achieved by treating everyone justly." according to their circumstances. So that is the end of the equity lesson and the will now take us through getting your feedback.

Thanks Karen. So I am going to activate a poll where we ask for any feedback that you have so far on this equity lesson. So the responses to the poll are set to anonymous. Um, I'll leave the poll open for one minute for so it's just for quick impressions. If you think that you need more time to provide feedback, please do feel free to put it into the Q&A uh box, you can add your feedback anonymously there or um with your name attached. So, I'm going to go ahead and open the poll for one minute.

Okay, I'm going to go ahead and end the poll in a second here. So, if you have a response in pro progress, go ahead and and press submit or um cut and paste to add to the Q&A later.

And thank you for bearing with us through the silence. Um, we really do appreciate any feedback that you can provide and we'll be taking it in before we actually launch the course. So, I'm going to pass it back to Karen now. All right. Thanks, Trace. So, we'll move now to the diversity lesson. Diversity refers to the variety of variety of identities found within an organization, group, or society. It is expressed through factors such as culture, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, language, education, ability, family status, or socioeconomic status. I'm going to expand a bit here. Um, research on diversity in organizations shows that it is good for organizational functioning and the financial bottom line. By a diverse workforce means better decisions, has more innovation, better group and team functioning and it gives a marketing advantage by reading reaching a wider pool of potential customers. For nearly 40 years, organizational researchers and practitioners have identified increased diversity as a workplace challenge to address. And evidence often reported in mainstream media and organizational textbooks shows that work forces in North America are indeed becoming more diverse. um steadily if slowly. There are more people with disabilities, more women, more people from racialized communities, more LGBTQ plus persons, more generations at work than ever before. These and other groups, employee groups are recognized as historically marginalized or disadvantaged by their disability, gender, racial or sexual identity or age status, for example. And so Canada's guide on EDI terminology defines a marginalized group as a group of people that is excluded from full and meaningful participation in society typically through discrimination or other means of oppression. These members have reduced access to resources, opportunities, and services. Workplace trends show that the range and quantity of people from marginalized groups is increasing. We can call this intake. But what about their uptake into organizations, especially in realms of decision-m and power that reflect the quality of their employment? What do these employees experience compared to others? How well are they integrated into workplaces? More recent research shows that members of historically marginalized groups are often marginalized at work. For example, excuse me, they generally start at lower ranks despite being as qualified or more qualified than non-m marginalized new hires. When in the same or a similar job, they generally are paid less. They're not promoted at the same rates. They receive fewer discretionary perks and privileges. and they experience more social exclusion and other forms of mistreatment than non-m marginalized employees. Although diversity gains over the last 40 years are important and they are often acknowledged, we have paid less attention to systemic inequities or systemic discrimination that sustains the barriers to full and meaningful participation in organizations. And so this brings us to the notion of inclusion, recognizing that diversity on its own without inclusion does not promote or achieve equity at work. And so that's now the end of the diversity lesson. And before we move to the reflection on equity and diversity followed by a lesson on inclusion, the will gather your feedback on the diversity lesson.

Thanks, Karen. So, same deal as last time. I'm going to launch a poll and leave it open for a minute. Um, so quick responses in the poll and any longer feedback can be provided um in the Q&A.

Okay, and I'm going to close the poll. So, if you haven't already done so, please submit your answers. Thank you to everyone who is providing answers.

All right. Are we ready, Trace? We are ready. All right. Okay. We'll move now to the next lesson then, which is a reflection on equity and diversity.

Okay. So, meet Logan. Logan has held various volunteer and paid positions within the inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and anti-racism space. As someone with a background in social work who holds diverse identities, Logan identifies as a trans, biracial, autistic wheelchair user, he has enjoyed the work offered by these roles. Following is an excerpt from Logan's journey to inclusion. his story of finding and thriving in fulfilling work. We invite you to think about the early work experiences shared in this excerpt and reflect on how EDIA, so reminder, this is the workplace policies and practices related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, influenced Logan's sense of belonging in the workplace. You might want to think about what leadership did well and where did they fall short. What influence did Logan's peers have on his experience? what could have been done differently and by whom? So, let's dive in.

In one of his past roles, Logan worked for a consultancy focused on providing equity centered workplace culture audits. Logan thoroughly enjoyed the work and appreciated that his managers gave him the time and flexibility to work in the way he needed to, including supporting his requests for accommodation and working with him to develop a sustainable way to participate in his workplace. The leadership team and my manager were really wonderful supporting my accommodations and just giving me the time and flexibility I needed to work in the way that I needed to. Despite this, many of Logan's co-workers displayed harmful and discriminatory behavior toward his workplace accommodations, suggesting that he got special treatment from their superiors. This was his first time experiencing disability related workplace discrimination from co-workers. Previously, his peers had been a supportive force, helping him advocate for himself and advocating on his behalf. He said, "It opened my eyes to the fact that regardless of whether the person that is interviewing you for the position is like understanding and understands disability or disability workplace accommodations, it doesn't mean that everyone in the organization will." And I think that was my first time experiencing something negative in regard to co-workers because usually it's the opposite. Usually, it's the leadership team and the manager that don't understand my accommodations or what I need. Logan worked in this environment for a year and tried to change the mindset of his co-workers, but their abbleist attitude created a toxic environment. It led Logan to prematurely resign from this position. So, now here we add a little button. If you were to click the button, you'd be um directed to Logan's full journey to inclusion where you could explore uh what he wishes his managers had done differently and the practices that did allow him to thrive in other workplaces.

And now we have some personal reflections on equity and diversity. And again, these are questions uh for you to ponder, perhaps journal about. Um, what does equity mean to me? How can I support equity efforts at work or outside of work? What lessons can I learn in my profession or life by fostering equity? And for diversity, similarly, what does diversity mean to me? How can I support diversity efforts at work or outside of work? and what lessons can I learn in my profession or life by fostering diversity.

So that now is the end of the reflection on equity and diversity and the will gather your feedback. Thanks Karen. So same deal as last time. I'm going to activate the poll. I'll leave it open for 1 minute. Um, and we'd love to hear what you think about adding these reflections um into and this reflection in particular into our course.

So, I'm going to end the poll. If you have any final feedback that you'd like to add, press enter now.

All right, we'll turn now to the I in EDIA. Inclusion. Inclusion is defined as the practice of using proactive measures to create an environment where people feel welcomed, respected, and valued, and to foster a sense of belonging and engagement. According to the guide on ed on EDI EDI terminology, inclusion involves changing the environment by removing barriers so that each person has equal access to opportunities and resources and can achieve their full potential. And it's useful here then to define what we mean by an inclusive workplace. It means that in an organization, a work environment where the differences in I the identities, the abilities, backgrounds, cultures, skills, experiences, and perspectives of employees are recognized, valued, and leveraged by management and co-workers, which fosters a sense of belonging and involvement of all employees. Lastly, to foster inclusion at work, employees from marginalized groups must be well integrated into positions for decision-m power and authority.

And that is the end of the inclusion lesson. And so over to the now for your feedback.

Thanks Karen. Um so I will once again activate the um inclusion poll feedback poll. You have a minute.

and we are continuing to get some answers. So, thank you everyone for your responses to these polls. Um, I'm going to go ahead and close this poll. If you have something waiting that you've typed up, please do press enter now.

So this takes us to our um mid module check. So this uh knowledge check. So this is where we would um present uh an opportunity for you to test what you've learned uh in the previous lesson so far. So this is just an example. We haven't even added any qu real questions. We just want to show you how it's going to work um without giving away the answers to our our tests. So, there's a question here and I have two choices. So, I I do know which one is correct, but I'm going to go for the wrong one just so you see what happens. I submit that and get that immediate feedback that I got the answer wrong. I'm going to move forward. Luckily, it was only a one question test, but unfortunately that means I got 0% and I did not pass cuz the passing grade is 80% on this test. So, I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to take it again. So, I get to start from the beginning. Now, I know I I I chose wrong before, so I'm going to go for the right answer this time. And you get that feedback right away that I am correct.

Oh, and look at that. I got 100% which is my favorite score to receive. Um, and since 80% is the passing grade, uh, I do not need to take it again. So, I can move on to the next module. However, we are done with the preview for today. So, Karen's actually just going to talk about what else to expect in module one once we actually do publish it. That's great. Thanks, Trace. So, that is the end of the content uh lessons for module one. And I want to now give you a heads up on what to expect, what else is going to be coming in module one. There will be a lesson on accessibility which will cover disability, abbleism and anti-abbleism, models of disability including the social model of disability and key disability legislation in Canada. And as an aside here, um, idea research assistant Jackie Pew and I completed a scan of free, uh, EDIA employment training resources in the public domain. We found that the accessibility the A part is often not explicit and is certainly less explicit than EDI trainings. So the EDIA training for transformation modules that we are developing here address this gap by having accessibility and disability inclusion at the forefront. And uh by the way the did a masterful job of shaping these scan results into a microlearning that is available on the idea website in the tools and resources section. It's a curated list of training resources tailored for industry use to support organizations in adopting inclusive practices that benefit everyone not just persons with disabilities. So coming back now to module one after accessibility there will be a lesson on intersectionality um followed by a reflection on accessibility and intersectionality. Then there will be a summary of module one and uh a final module knowledge check. And lastly, we'll provide some further resources should learners wish to deepen their knowledge of module one content.

Great. So, I'm going to um close things out here by letting you know what's going to come in modules two and three. So, these are working titles at the moment, but module two is going to be about EDIA in research for evidence-based practices. So, this is going to be where we move beyond the foundational concepts and start to get a little bit more practical with our content. So, we're going to be looking at the core concepts of idea. So, code design, nothing about us without us, lived experience, system thinking, and ideas, five-step signature methodology. This is particularly important for our idea contingent. So, our our students, our researchers, our staff, our partners to understand how we do the work we do so that everyone's on the same page when we're doing that work. Uh we'll also be looking at applied research and how that turns into evidence-based practice, incorporating EDIA into research design, reinforcing EDIA in research team composition, team building, and mentorship practices, ethical considerations such as fair compensation, participant voice, and psychological safety, and personal reflections for the resources and knowledge checks such as we've demonstrated. did uh today.

So then for module three um the working title for this one is EDIA in the workplace to advance disability inclusion. So this will be our biggest module and it's going to have the most linkages to ideas work. So this this uh module will be about more than just the employment journey. Uh it's going to be about the workplace more broadly, including culture and core organizational systems. This module will include information on the Canadian context and the need for disability inclusion in the workplace. It will look at workplace stigma and disability including barriers and dis inclination to disclosure and unconscious bias. It will look at building disability awareness and disability confidence, accessible recruitment and onboarding strategies, simplified accommodation processes, retention and career advancement and evidence-based recommendations to foster disability inclusion. Uh like all our courses, it will also reflect have uh personal reflections for their resources and knowledge checks.

So we are going to be uh one final note we are going to be releasing these modules in a staged manner. So um module one will be released very soon. I don't have an exact date on it but but soon and then um that will be followed by module 2 and then module 3 which are in development.

So thanks everyone for joining us today. Um we appreciate all the feedback that you've provided thus far for thus far. I am going to start one final poll. Um please uh feel free to provide some final feedback on this whole module one and our whole training concept at this point. Um you can also start answering uh entering questions into the Q&A or provide the feedback um into the Q&A.

Okay, I'm going to go ahead and end the poll. Um, so then we'll turn things over to Q&A maybe. Um, I'm going to also stop screen sharing so that I can pop our emails into the chat and um start perusing some of the feedback as well so that we can maybe bring it back to the group for for consideration during this Q&A time. So, going to go ahead and end the poll.

Yeah. Thank you so much to our two speakers to Theres and Karen. Um I think it's it's a huge undertaking to to create something of like such broad scope and scale and we can see that in the first module. Uh it's also really nice to be able to see your work not as the full finished product but partway through and then get to engage with that. I don't think we often like have that experience and so thank you too for for allowing us to do that with you. Uh it's a really neat process to be a part of. for the audience. You can use the Q&A function if you have any questions for our speakers. Uh I'll make sure to moderate between you and them. Um one question just to start with is the three modules. How did you decide on organizing this as three modules and like why why this structure?

Uh, I'll take a stab and then the you can follow up with that. Well, we did um, thank you for the question. We we thought about it a lot and looked at what else is being done in the space in terms of EDIA training. Um, certainly recognize that we we have to break it up. we we can't just do kind of a mega, you know, six-h hour uh electronic uh kind of approach and that because we aren't going to be doing in person, we want this to be uh available across a wide geographic spread and provide opportunities for learners to learn in their own way. So, we we broke we knew that we wanted to break it up and we felt logically that we needed to start with foundations and make sure we're all clear on what these core concepts mean and um how they uh how they may relate to the workplace. Um then it was really a matter within the idea team of kind of focus and order. We we knew that because we're our own work is focused on research and applied research that we wanted to have a researchoriented focus one module and we know too because of our deep connections with industry and the uh mandate for us to provide uh evidence-based knowledge that's useful for organizations there had to be an industry one as well. So yeah, that's kind of a it was an organic kind of dynamic process. Trace, do you want do you have anything to add with that? Um, the only thing I'd add, I guess, is that for especially for me, from my position with an idea, it's been exciting to be able to link this back to also the work that our idea folks are doing. So it becomes an opportunity to share some of these journeys inclusion that we're we're gathering and and make them part of the educational experience. Yeah. But also and especially when we get to module three and it's a great opportunity to link back to the work that folks are doing. So when we start talking about um you know these these practical things that work workplaces can be doing we might start linking back to our disability champions resource and say oh hey here's some information about what a disability champion is and how you can employ them in your workplace um as some of the people who are driving um the the workplace culture pieces. So, so I think that is also something unique and interesting about these courses uh or or these these modules um that um work for IDEA across the board. Yeah, that's really nice to see that integration of everything that's been going on because IDEA has so many different hubs and so many activity areas and a lot of work going on. So, it's nice to see something like this that's kind of bringing everything together. Um, we have a Q&A question uh about the use of the tool and the uh the question asker has asked are the screens formatted for keyboard only navigation uh for instance hotkeys, alt choices or audio indicated inputs.

Yeah. So articulate the reason we use this program is because it is accessible by design. So it does limit to some extent how you can lay out materials but it it's it does make it very responsive. It works with different browsers. It works uh with different like on computers or on um um on tablets on phones and in all of these different places it will be accessible. Um so we are planning also to pilot test before we actually launch to the world uh with uh some diverse users to see that it actually does what it says it does. Um but yes the short answer yes it is uh meant to be um accessible and be um formatted for different types of navigation through the course. Awesome. Thank you. And our next question uh is about after three modules are complete. So the the asker is wondering are you considering a kind of subsequent part of this training where you can apply the concepts from the previous three modules into you know cases or something like this.

Um, so if I'm understanding the question correctly, the the the questioner is asking kind of really what's next after the three modules and will there be I guess sort of a postf followup to say here's what we've been doing with it. Is that is that kind of the question? Yeah, I I frankly haven't considered that. I think that's uh a really interesting idea and um you know it would be sort of towards building a community of practice to hear how people are using it and uh uh I know when I've done various um applied research projects with organizations it's also nice to hear in in such exchanges what's working for people and what's not working for people. So it might be then useful in in such a follow-up for EDIA training and how people are using it to also have the opportunity to share what are some of the tension points or what are some of the the challenges as well as the successes and the um sort of ground user best practices that have worked for people. So neat neat idea. Thank you. Mhm. And I I will just expand a little bit to say that I think to some extent that's what we're hoping the reflections will accomplish too. Um like and and I'm I'm trying to kind of multitask here looking at some of the the reflection responses to see if I can bring them in here. But um yeah, so like the feedback on the the lived experience story from Logan, it's saying people were saying it's important to take the time to apply and reflect. Um so it's great to have these examples. It's uh to practice to think in this way. Um appreciating the reflection questions. So so obviously yeah the time to think and and and is really important and in these foundational concepts maybe that's the type of reflection that you saw but maybe once we get to part two and part three it will be more like a case kind of example that you can reflect back on. So, um, maybe that's food for thought on how we can craft those reflections. So, thanks for that comment. And if you have anything follow up on there and like what types of cases you'd like to see, we're definitely open open to hearing it. Please let us know. Um, what are the challenges you're facing in your workplace? Like, email us, put it in the Q&A now. We want to hear so that we can can best u meet the needs of our audiences. Yeah, I really I agree with that bit of feedback, too. I think the case that you shared in the tool, it's a nice way of making sure that it's not just concepts, but we're really talking about people and understanding what's happening in in real life, because that's the the important thing, of course. Uh, and maybe uh with that, Theres, you mentioned you're you're looking at some of the feedback kind of in real time. um if you want because it might be an opportunity for our audience to to learn about some of the feedback that was given and then for audience members too as this feedback is being shared you know maybe if there's more nuance you want to add or you agree with that point or there's something you know you want to build from it um please feel free to share in the Q&A but yeah go ahead

so for this is the

poll two diversity. Okay, so for the diversity image, um would prefer a different image for diversity could be more exper impactful with some lived experience content. I'm just trying to remember what the image is. Oh yeah, yeah, I can see that. Um we could we could definitely work on the image. Um but that's a great question then. like how much do people like images throughout the course? Like is it lacking? We've kept it pretty plain, but do you want to see more images? Um I'd love to hear that.

Let's see.

Yeah, a visual. Another another comment about visuals. So, would you consider using a visual to highlight the different aspects of identities, abilities, background, etc. just some other layout than full text. So, obviously for different learners, people prefer different things. Um, we also like we didn't get to intersectionality, but I will say has a great image in there of just like the the different intersecting identities. So, yeah, we do have something kind of looking at that the different aspects of identities, but maybe throughout the lessons I'm hearing that it might be appreciated. Yeah. Yeah. No, I really take that point and thank you because that was one of my concerns is that you know all the way through how can we kind of embed that multimodal way of seeing and understanding the content and that in that really terrific uh intersectionality graphic doesn't come until the very very end. So thank you for that suggestion to bring something like that um earlier on as well. Yeah. And then um I mean I think in general we're getting some pretty positive feedback in terms of like liking the whole concept of the website, easy to navigate, easy to understand content and demonstrations. Um for inclusion, it looks like maybe adding a more examples of inclusion could be beneficial was the feedback there. Um so we could consider that as well. Um, and again, one thing to note, this is just the foundations course, right? So, it's supposed to be short and it's supposed to be kind of just getting on that same baseline before we start talking about the more practical pieces and the um further lessons on actually implementing in research design actually in the workplace. So, but I appreciate this feedback as well.

Yeah, ensuring navigation is functional by all user inputs. So, we are going to do some piloting before we actually launch. Um,

other than the quiz at the end, are there other opportunities for engagement with participants within the module? For example, matching etc. Um, so for that one actually the quiz does have matching options. So, I think there will be some matching in in the quiz itself. Um, but good question. I'm wondering if that's something people want, like more engagement, interactive pieces in the design. What do you think, Karen? Like in the in the lessons themselves? Yeah, it would be great if that questioner could just clarify for us. Are you are you thinking about assessment like kind of knowledge acquisition interactions or are you just really wanting to see illustrations and and kind of how can we um provide other ways for people to engage just to make sure they've they themselves have a clear understanding without necessarily checking the knowledge. Um, again, I think that's one of the benefits of this program, this articulate program that Trace is an expert on, is all the different ways you can kind of branch out to to find um alternate ways of representing content and um presenting that content that is controlled by the learner as to you know, yes, I'm ready to go here. No, I want to back up. I want to go there again. So, um, that that would be great just to get that clarification about what the questioner is wanting there. And with that, let me also go ahead and add our emails into a chat box because I understand that maybe it's more difficult to provide feedback now in the moment. But we are genuinely interested in receiving your feedback throughout uh beyond this webinar. If you have any please do share

and maybe while um while you're typing that in uh a question for both of you uh is around so the future modules right information on social model of disability accessibility and intersectionality applied research um I thought really neat too that you talked about um like the policy like legislation landscape in Canada um we only have about five minutes remaining so I'm wondering uh if you can share about you know a bit about maybe the content of those sections or the structure of them. Uh is it similar to the earlier sections or like do you have any ideas or thoughts around how how those are going to play out? Sure. I'll I'll jump in and trace you follow up with what needs to be uh what needs to be added. So the additional kind of what's coming what to expect for module one will be accessibility is mentioned and um it it will be presented and uh described in a very similar format to how equity and diversity and inclusion work. So kind of a short sweet definition uh adapted from Canada's EDI uh terminology guide and um then within that looking at abbleism looking at disability itself pardon me and then looking at uh abbleism and anti-abbleism u followed by the the disability legislation. So each of these is um pretty concise again in keeping with the fact that this is a foundations course and it's really just meant to kind of be a broad brush big scope look uh at concepts and look at issues. So we we we don't go into a lot of depth and I I will say as a it's a challenge for me perhaps as an academic and a and a content writer because you there's so much more you want to say and you feel I should say but you have these constraints because you also have to make it uh usable and accessible and relevant for the for the learner. So um yeah that's that's what's to come for module one.

Yeah, and just to reiterate what you're say saying um Karen there, we're not really looking to change um like introduce a new design with each new lesson um because it just gets pretty distracting. Like there are different functionalities and and based on like you know continued feedback that we receive um we'll explore which ones actually are um best received by our audiences. But we don't want to add maybe all of them in each training module because it gets busy and you have to start thinking about how to do it rather than engaging with the content. So the content is the star. You know I I seeing the comment here about sometimes gamification can boost engagement and motivation to learn and that's totally valid. Um, so I think we need to just find that right balance between making it easy for people to do and making it interesting for people to do. Thank you. Yeah, I really appreciate those answers and especially that tension. Yeah. Between wanting to share every piece of information and then realizing that this needs to have like a contained element to it too. Um, we are just about at time now. Um so I just want to end by thanking our speakers for sharing sharing about these resources about this kind of tool in development. Um it's really interesting the module that you shared and I'm excited for the modules to come and just yeah a lot of appreciation for uh sharing this as it's kind of part way so that the audience can engage. Uh and I know like we had a couple comments come in that we don't have a chance to really get into deeply. So if you have further questions or comments or feedback for uh Karen and Theres, please send an email. Um they're very keen, I think, to you know, make this the best tool possible for its purpose. Um and yeah, so just thank you to our speakers, thank you to our audience, and to everyone who makes these webinars possible. And I hope you all get to join us next month, too, for our upcoming webinar. So have a have a nice Friday afternoon. Are they?