Tag: DEI

  • Identity-first language

    Identity-first language

    Many websites advise people to use person-first language when referring to disabled people (e.g. “a person with a disability”). But many disabled people prefer identity-first language (e.g. “a disabled person”).

    Carnelian Web Services follows the social model of disability, which points out that disability is imposed by social attitudes and the built environment. We use identity-first language where appropriate (see our Accessibility Policy). But we will always be guided by how people describe themselves.

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  • International Women’s Day

    International Women’s Day

    Happy International Women’s Day to all women, both cisgender and transgender.

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  • Black Organizations in Canada

    Black Organizations in Canada

    History is a tapestry of many threads, some woven by individuals, some by groups. A lot of posts like this one focus on individuals, so I thought I would take a look at organizations. It turns out that there are a lot of them. Here are some that are nationwide in scope, supporting youth, developing Black businesses, or supporting Black queer people.

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  • Happy Chinese New Year

    Happy Chinese New Year

    恭喜发财

    Happy New Year

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  • History Months

    History Months

    In Canada and the USA, February is Black History Month. June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and October is LGBTQ+ History Month.

    In the UK, February is LGBTQ+ History Month and October is Black History Month.

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  • Lincoln Alexander Day

    Lincoln Alexander Day

    Today is Lincoln Alexander Day. He was a Canadian lawyer and politician who became the first Black Canadian to be a member of Parliament in the House of Commons, a federal Cabinet Minister, a Chair of the Worker’s Compensation Board of Ontario, and the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1985 to 1991.

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  • Celebrating Persons Day

    Celebrating Persons Day

    October 18 is Persons Day, commemorating the legal ruling in 1929 when Canada’s highest court of appeal ruled that the definition of persons included women. This meant that women could be appointed to public office, including the office of Senator. The ruling was an important step in paving the way towards gender equality.

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  • International Nonbinary People’s Day

    International Nonbinary People’s Day

    Today is International Nonbinary People’s Day. It is exactly halfway between International Women’s Day and International Men’s Day. However, that does not mean that nonbinary people are halfway between men and women. Gender is best thought of as less of a spectrum and more of a scatter-plot.

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  • Does Your Website Reflect Your Values?

    Does Your Website Reflect Your Values?

    Your values are how you show up in the world as a human, so it would be strange if your website did not reflect your values.

    Values are not the same as politics, although they do affect how you vote and what you campaign for.

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  • Disabled People in Business

    Disabled People in Business

    Continuing the theme of Disability Pride Month, here is a list of businesses owned by disabled and neurodiverse people in Ontario. There were 2485 businesses owned by disabled people in Ontario in 2021, according to BDO Canada, but it is very hard to find them via a search engine. Feel free to add yours in the comments.

    I use the term disabled people instead of “people with disabilities” because disabled people is derived from the social model of disability (developed by disabled people), which emphasizes that people are disabled by inaccessible environments, rather than the disability being inherent to them, which is implied by “people with disabilities”.

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  • 2SLGBTQIA Businesses in Ontario

    2SLGBTQIA Businesses in Ontario

    There are many queer-owned businesses in Ontario, which need your support all year round, not just during Pride Month. Here are some of the ones I have personally interacted with.

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  • Pride Month is Here!

    Pride Month is Here!

    In the current climate of anti-trans legislation, cutbacks on DEI efforts, and more, we need Pride more than ever. Not just splashing a rainbow on your company logo, but meaningful efforts to be inclusive and support 2SLGBTQIA employees, colleagues, customers, and suppliers.

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  • Land Acknowledgements

    Land Acknowledgements

    In many parts of the world, the majority of the population of a country or region is not indigenous to that area. This is true for Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand, for example. In these countries, it is customary to acknowledge that we are living and working on Indigenous lands.

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  • Personal Pronouns

    Personal Pronouns

    Many people are confused by the topic of pronouns. A pronoun is the particle of speech that you use to refer to someone instead of using their name. The fact that someone uses a pronoun does not tell you anything about them beyond their pronoun; they may be transgender, cisgender, or nonbinary.

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  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Here at Carnelian Web Services, we believe that a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is a good start, but it’s a series of steps on the road to justice. Before you can have a diverse cohort of employees, you need to remove the systemic barriers that are preventing them from even applying to your company, and the barriers preventing them from succeeding once you’ve employed them.

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