{"id":256,"date":"2016-02-05T15:41:45","date_gmt":"2016-02-05T15:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/lumencollegesuccess\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=256"},"modified":"2016-04-05T23:36:11","modified_gmt":"2016-04-05T23:36:11","slug":"diversity-and-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/nvrcte-sandbox-collegesuccess\/chapter\/diversity-and-accessibility\/","title":{"raw":"Diversity and Accessibility","rendered":"Diversity and Accessibility"},"content":{"raw":"<a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1110\/2016\/02\/02024958\/10314223086_6944ddb2cc_z.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-257\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-257\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1110\/2016\/02\/02024958\/10314223086_6944ddb2cc_z.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of three people from ethnically diverse backgrounds sitting in a row. The woman closest to the camera holds a microphone, a woman in a burka sits next to her, and a man in a suit is at the end.\" width=\"701\" height=\"496\" \/><\/a>\r\n<blockquote>Diversity: the art of thinking independently together. \u2014Malcolm Forbes,\u00a0entrepreneur, founder of <em>Forbes<\/em> magazine<\/blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\nBy the end of this section, you will be able to:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Define diversity and identify factors that define a diverse group<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Differentiate between surface diversity and deep diversity, and explain what relationships exist between the two<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explore the positive effects\u00a0of diversity in an educational setting<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Define accessibility, and identify implications of accessibility on campus and in communities<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>What Is Diversity?<\/h2>\r\nThere are few words in the English language that have more diverse interpretations than <em>diversity<\/em>. What does <em>diversity<\/em> mean? Better yet\u2014what does diversity mean to <em>you<\/em>? And what does it mean to your best friend, your teacher, your parents, your religious leader, or the person standing behind you in a grocery store?\r\n\r\nFor each of us, diversity has unique meaning. Below\u00a0are a few of the many definitions offered by college students at a 2010 conference on the topic of diversity. Which of these definitions rings out to you as most accurate and thoughtful? Which definitions could use some embellishment or clarification, in your opinion?\r\n<blockquote>Diversity is a group of people who are different in the same place.\r\n\r\nDiversity to me is the ability for differences to coexist together, with some type of mutual understanding or acceptance present. Acceptance of different viewpoints is key.\r\n\r\nTolerance of thought, ideas, people with differing viewpoints, backgrounds, and life experiences.\r\n\r\nAnything that sets one individual apart from another.\r\n\r\nPeople with different opinions, backgrounds (degrees and social experience), religious beliefs, political beliefs, sexual orientations, heritage, and life experience.\r\n\r\nDissimilar\r\n\r\nHaving a multitude of people from different backgrounds and cultures together in the same environment working for the same goals.\r\n\r\nDifference in students' background, especially race and gender.\r\n\r\nDifferences in characteristics of humans.\r\n\r\nDiversity is a satisfying mix of ideas, cultures, races, genders, economic statuses and other characteristics necessary for promoting growth and learning among a group.\r\n\r\nDiversity is the immersion and comprehensive integration of various cultures, experiences, and people.\r\n\r\nHeterogeneity brings about opportunities to share, learn and grow from the journeys of others. Without it, limitations arise and knowledge is gained in the absence of understanding.\r\n\r\nDiversity is not tolerance for difference but inclusion of those who are not the majority. It should not be measured as a count or a fraction\u2014that is somehow demeaning. Success at maintaining diversity would be when we no longer ask if we are diverse enough, because it has become the norm, not remarkable.[footnote]<a href=\"https:\/\/sph.unc.edu\/files\/2013\/07\/define_diversity.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/sph.unc.edu\/files\/2013\/07\/define_diversity.pdf<\/a>[\/footnote]<\/blockquote>\r\nDiversity means different things to different people, and it can be understood differently in different environments.\u00a0In the context of your college experience, diversity generally refers to people around you\u00a0who differ by race, culture, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, abilities, opinions, political views, and in other ways. When it comes to diversity on the college campus, we also think about how groups interact with one another, given their differences (even if they're just perceived differences.) How do diverse populations experience and explore their relationships?\r\n\r\n\"More and more organizations define diversity really broadly,\" says Eric Peterson, who works on diversity issues for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). \"Really, it's any way any group of people can differ significantly from another group of people\u2014appearance, sexual orientation, veteran status, your level in the organization. It has moved far beyond the legally protected categories that we've always looked at.\"[footnote]<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/story\/story.php?storyId=122327104\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/story\/story.php?storyId=122327104<\/a>[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nThe following video from Georgetown University explores\u00a0diversity on its\u00a0campus. It highlights the passion and excitement students can feel about diversity and the many ways in which diverse groups can support one\u00a0another.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/dLZJoHHpjWc\r\n<h2>Surface Diversity and Deep Diversity<\/h2>\r\nSurface diversity and deep diversity are categories of personal attributes\u2014or differences in attributes\u2014that people perceive to exist between people or groups of people.\r\n\r\n<strong>Surface-level diversity<\/strong> refers to differences you can generally observe in others, like ethnicity, race, gender, age, culture, language, disability, etc. You can quickly and easily observe\u00a0these features\u00a0in a person. And people often do just that, making subtle judgments at the same time, which can lead to bias or discrimination. For example, if a teacher believes that older students perform better than younger students, she\u00a0may give slightly higher grades to the older students than the younger students. This bias is based on perception of the attribute of age, which is surface-level diversity.\r\n\r\n<strong>Deep-level diversity<\/strong>, on the other hand, reflects differences that are less visible, like personality, attitude, beliefs, and values. These attributes are generally communicated verbally and nonverbally, so they are not easily noticeable or measurable. You may not detect deep-level diversity in a classmate, for example, until you get to know him or her, at which point you may find that you are either comfortable with these deeper character levels, or perhaps not. But once you gain this deeper level of awareness, you may focus less on surface diversity. For example: At the beginning of a term, a classmate belonging to a minority ethnic group, whose native language is not English (surface diversity), may be treated differently by fellow classmates in\u00a0another ethnic group. But as the term gets under way, classmates begin discovering\u00a0the person\u2019s values and beliefs (deep-level diversity), which they find they are comfortable with. The surface-level attributes of language and perhaps skin color become more \u201ctransparent\u201d (less noticeable) as comfort is gained with deep-level attributes.\r\n\r\nThe following video is a quick summary of the differences between surface-level and deep-level diversity.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/4QsF8_IwmXs\r\n<h2>Positive Effects\u00a0of Diversity in an Educational Setting<\/h2>\r\nWhy does diversity matter in college? It matters because when you are exposed to new ideas, viewpoints, customs, and perspectives\u2014which invariably happens when you come in contact with diverse groups of people\u2014you expand your frame of reference for understanding the world. Your thinking becomes more open and global. You become comfortable working and interacting with people of all nationalities. You gain a new knowledge base as you learn from people who are different from yourself. You think \"harder\u201d and more creatively. You perceive in new ways, seeing issues and problems from new angles. You can absorb and consider a wider range of options, and your values may be enriched. In short, it contributes to your education.\r\n\r\nConsider the following\u00a0facts about diversity in the United States:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than half of all U.S. babies today are people of color, and by 2050 the U.S. will have no clear racial or ethnic majority. As communities of color are tomorrow\u2019s leaders, college campuses play a major role in helping prepare these leaders.<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But in 2009, while 28 percent of Americans older than 25 years of age had a four-year college degree, only 17 percent of African Americans and 13 percent of Hispanics had a four-year degree. More must be done to adequately educate the population and help prepare students to enter the workforce.<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, people of color make up about 36 percent of the workforce (roughly one in three workers). But by 2050, half the workforce (one in two workers) will be a person of color. Again, college campuses can help navigate these changes.[footnote]\"10 Reasons Why We Need Diversity on College Campuses.\" <em>Center for American Progress<\/em>. 2016. Web. 2 Feb 2016.[\/footnote]<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAll in all, diversity brings richness to relationships on campus and off campus, and it further prepares college students to thrive and work in a multicultural world. Diversity is fast becoming America\u2019s middle name.\r\n<div class=\"textbox exercises\">\r\n<h3>Activity: Cultural Sensitivity and Inclusivity in Practice<\/h3>\r\n<h4>Objective<\/h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify ways in which you can make diversity more personal<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h4>Instructions<\/h4>\r\nThis activity will help you examine ways in which you can develop\u00a0your awareness of and commitment to diversity on campus. Answer the following questions to the best of your ability:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are my plans for expanding myself personally and intellectually in college?<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What kind of community will help me expand most fully, with diversity as a factor in my expansion?<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are my comfort zones, and how might I expand them to connect more diversely?<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do I want to be challenged by new viewpoints, or will I feel more comfortable connecting with people who are\u00a0like me?<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are my biggest questions about diversity?<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write several paragraphs reflecting on the questions above.<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Submit this assignment according to directions from your instructor.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nConsider the following strategies to help you answer the questions:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examine extracurricular activities. Can you get involved with clubs or organizations that promote and expand diversity?<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review your college\u2019s curriculum. In what ways does it reflect diversity? Does it have departments and courses on historically unrepresented peoples, e.g., cultural and ethnic studies, and gender and sexuality studies. Look for study-abroad programs, as well.<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read your college\u2019s mission statement. Read the mission statement of other colleges. How do they match up with your values and beliefs? How do they align\u00a0with the value of diversity?<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inquire with friends, faculty, colleagues, family. Be open about diversity. What does it mean to others? What positive effects has it had on them? Ask people about diversity.<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research can help. You might consult college literature, Web sites, resource centers and organizations on campus, etc.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>Accessibility and Diversity on Campus<\/h2>\r\nThe idea of \"accessibility\" is an important force of change on college campuses today. <em>Accessibility<\/em> is about making education accessible to all, and and it's particularly focused on providing educational support to a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff with disabilities. According to the American with Disabilities Act, you can be considered disabled if you meet one of the following criteria:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as seeing, hearing, walking, learning, and others.<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must have a history of such impairment.<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Others perceive that you have such impairment.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIf you meet one of these criteria, you have special legal rights to certain accommodations on your campus. These accommodations may include, but are not limited to, the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Academic accommodations, like alternate format for print materials, classroom captioning, arranging for priority registration, reducing a course load, substituting one course for another, providing note takers, recording devices, sign language interpreters, a TTY in your dorm room, and equipping school computers with screen-reading, voice recognition, or other adaptive software or hardware.<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exam accommodations, like extended time on exams<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Financial support and assistance<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Priority access to housing<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transportation and access, like Wheelchair-accessible community shuttles<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAssistive technologies and Web-accessibility accommodations are critical in today's technology-driven economy and society. The following are some examples of assistive technologies are the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software like Dragon Naturally Speaking, Kurzweil, Zoom Text, CCTV Magnifier, Inspiration Software<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Computer input devices, like keyboards, electronic pointing devices, sip-and-puff systems, wands and sticks, joysticks, trackballs, and touch screens<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other Web-accessibility aids, like screen readers, screen enlargers, and screen magnifiers, speech recognition or voice recognition programs, and Text-to-Speech (TTS) or speech synthesizers<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nStudents in the following video share some of their experiences with the Web accessibility.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/BEFgnYktC7U\r\n\r\nFor more information about Web accessibility, visit<a href=\"http:\/\/webaim.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"> http:\/\/webaim.org\/<\/a>.\r\n<h2>Why So Many Questions?<\/h2>\r\nThe following essay about experiences of diversity in college is by Fatima Rodriguez Johnson (State University of New York). Even though at first the writer felt like an ethnic outsider at college, she grew in understanding the importance of diversity of campus and of speaking openly and honestly about connecting with diverse cultures.\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n<h3>Why So Many Questions?<\/h3>\r\nI chose to attend a small liberal arts college. The campus was predominately white and was nestled in a wealthy suburb among beautiful trees and landscaped lawns. My stepfather and I pulled into the parking lot and followed the path to my residence hall. The looks we received from most of the families made me feel like everyone knew we didn\u2019t belong. But, he and I greeted all we encountered, smiling and saying, \u201cHello.\u201d Once I was unpacked and settled into my residence hall, he gave me a hug and said, \u201cGood luck.\u201d I wasn\u2019t sure if he meant good luck with classes or good luck with meeting new friends, but I heard a weight in his voice. He was worried. Had he and my mother prepared me for what was ahead?\r\n\r\nWith excitement, I greeted my roommate who I had already met through the summer Higher Educational Opportunity Program (HEOP). She and I were very happy to see each other. After decorating and organizing our room, we set out to meet new people. We went to every room introducing ourselves. We were pretty sure no one would forget us; it would be hard to miss the only Black and Latina girls whose room was next to the pay phone (yes, in my day each floor shared one pay phone).\r\n\r\nEveryone on our floor was nice and we often hung out in each other\u2019s rooms. And like some of you, we answered some of those annoying questions:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Why does your perm make your hair straight when ours makes our hair curly?<\/li>\r\n\t<li>How did your hair grow so long (whenever we had weave braids)?<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Why don\u2019t you wash your hair everyday (the most intriguing question of all)?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nWe were also asked questions that made us angry:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Did you grow up with your father?<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Aren\u2019t you scared to take public transportation?<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Have you ever seen anyone get shot (because we both lived in the inner city)?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIt was those questions that, depending on the day and what kind of mood we were in, made a fellow student either walk away with a better understanding of who we were as Black and Latina women or made a fellow student walk away red and confused. I guess that\u2019s why my stepfather said, \u201cGood luck.\u201d He knew that I was living in a community where I would stand out\u2014where I would have to explain who I was. Some days I was really good at answering those questions and some days I was not. I learned the questions were not the problem; it was not asking that was troubling.\r\n\r\nMy roommate and I put forth a lot of effort to fit in with the community\u2014we spent time hanging out with our peers, we ate together almost every evening in the dining hall, and we participated in student organizations. We were invited to join the German Club, and were the only students of color there. In doing all these things we made ourselves approachable. Our peers became comfortable around us and trusted us.\r\n\r\nAlthough my peers and I all had similar college stresses (tests, papers, projects, etc.) my roommate and I also had become a student resource for diversity. Not because we wanted to, but because we had too. There were very few students of color on campus, and I think students really wanted to learn about people different from themselves. It was a responsibility that we had accepted. The director of HEOP would often remind us that for many students, college was the first opportunity they had to ask these types of questions. He said we would learn to discern when people were really interested in learning about our differences or insulting us. If someone was interested in insulting us, there was no need to respond at all.\r\n\r\nAlthough I transferred to another college at the end of my sophomore year, during those two years I learned a great deal about having honest conversations. Taking part in honest conversations challenged my notions of the world and how I viewed people from all walks of life (race, class, sexual orientation, ability, etc.). Those late nights studying or walks to the student center were when many of us listened to each other\u2019s stories.\r\n\r\nMy advice is to take time to examine your attitudes and perceptions of people different from yourself, put yourself in situations that will challenge your assumptions, and lastly, when you make a mistake do not get discouraged. Keep trying. It\u2019s easy to stay where we are comfortable. College is such a wonderful experience. Take it all in, and I am sure you will enjoy it!\r\n\r\n\u2014Fatima Rodriguez Johnson,\u00a0<em>Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom<\/em>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/863","rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1110\/2016\/02\/02024958\/10314223086_6944ddb2cc_z.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-257\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-257\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1110\/2016\/02\/02024958\/10314223086_6944ddb2cc_z.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of three people from ethnically diverse backgrounds sitting in a row. The woman closest to the camera holds a microphone, a woman in a burka sits next to her, and a man in a suit is at the end.\" width=\"701\" height=\"496\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Diversity: the art of thinking independently together. \u2014Malcolm Forbes,\u00a0entrepreneur, founder of <em>Forbes<\/em> magazine<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n<p>By the end of this section, you will be able to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Define diversity and identify factors that define a diverse group<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Differentiate between surface diversity and deep diversity, and explain what relationships exist between the two<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explore the positive effects\u00a0of diversity in an educational setting<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Define accessibility, and identify implications of accessibility on campus and in communities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>What Is Diversity?<\/h2>\n<p>There are few words in the English language that have more diverse interpretations than <em>diversity<\/em>. What does <em>diversity<\/em> mean? Better yet\u2014what does diversity mean to <em>you<\/em>? And what does it mean to your best friend, your teacher, your parents, your religious leader, or the person standing behind you in a grocery store?<\/p>\n<p>For each of us, diversity has unique meaning. Below\u00a0are a few of the many definitions offered by college students at a 2010 conference on the topic of diversity. Which of these definitions rings out to you as most accurate and thoughtful? Which definitions could use some embellishment or clarification, in your opinion?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Diversity is a group of people who are different in the same place.<\/p>\n<p>Diversity to me is the ability for differences to coexist together, with some type of mutual understanding or acceptance present. Acceptance of different viewpoints is key.<\/p>\n<p>Tolerance of thought, ideas, people with differing viewpoints, backgrounds, and life experiences.<\/p>\n<p>Anything that sets one individual apart from another.<\/p>\n<p>People with different opinions, backgrounds (degrees and social experience), religious beliefs, political beliefs, sexual orientations, heritage, and life experience.<\/p>\n<p>Dissimilar<\/p>\n<p>Having a multitude of people from different backgrounds and cultures together in the same environment working for the same goals.<\/p>\n<p>Difference in students&#8217; background, especially race and gender.<\/p>\n<p>Differences in characteristics of humans.<\/p>\n<p>Diversity is a satisfying mix of ideas, cultures, races, genders, economic statuses and other characteristics necessary for promoting growth and learning among a group.<\/p>\n<p>Diversity is the immersion and comprehensive integration of various cultures, experiences, and people.<\/p>\n<p>Heterogeneity brings about opportunities to share, learn and grow from the journeys of others. Without it, limitations arise and knowledge is gained in the absence of understanding.<\/p>\n<p>Diversity is not tolerance for difference but inclusion of those who are not the majority. It should not be measured as a count or a fraction\u2014that is somehow demeaning. Success at maintaining diversity would be when we no longer ask if we are diverse enough, because it has become the norm, not remarkable.<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"https:\/\/sph.unc.edu\/files\/2013\/07\/define_diversity.pdf\" id=\"return-footnote-256-1\" href=\"#footnote-256-1\" aria-label=\"Footnote 1\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Diversity means different things to different people, and it can be understood differently in different environments.\u00a0In the context of your college experience, diversity generally refers to people around you\u00a0who differ by race, culture, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, abilities, opinions, political views, and in other ways. When it comes to diversity on the college campus, we also think about how groups interact with one another, given their differences (even if they&#8217;re just perceived differences.) How do diverse populations experience and explore their relationships?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;More and more organizations define diversity really broadly,&#8221; says Eric Peterson, who works on diversity issues for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). &#8220;Really, it&#8217;s any way any group of people can differ significantly from another group of people\u2014appearance, sexual orientation, veteran status, your level in the organization. It has moved far beyond the legally protected categories that we&#8217;ve always looked at.&#8221;<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/story\/story.php?storyId=122327104\" id=\"return-footnote-256-2\" href=\"#footnote-256-2\" aria-label=\"Footnote 2\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The following video from Georgetown University explores\u00a0diversity on its\u00a0campus. It highlights the passion and excitement students can feel about diversity and the many ways in which diverse groups can support one\u00a0another.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/youtu.be\/dLZJoHHpjWc<\/p>\n<h2>Surface Diversity and Deep Diversity<\/h2>\n<p>Surface diversity and deep diversity are categories of personal attributes\u2014or differences in attributes\u2014that people perceive to exist between people or groups of people.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Surface-level diversity<\/strong> refers to differences you can generally observe in others, like ethnicity, race, gender, age, culture, language, disability, etc. You can quickly and easily observe\u00a0these features\u00a0in a person. And people often do just that, making subtle judgments at the same time, which can lead to bias or discrimination. For example, if a teacher believes that older students perform better than younger students, she\u00a0may give slightly higher grades to the older students than the younger students. This bias is based on perception of the attribute of age, which is surface-level diversity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Deep-level diversity<\/strong>, on the other hand, reflects differences that are less visible, like personality, attitude, beliefs, and values. These attributes are generally communicated verbally and nonverbally, so they are not easily noticeable or measurable. You may not detect deep-level diversity in a classmate, for example, until you get to know him or her, at which point you may find that you are either comfortable with these deeper character levels, or perhaps not. But once you gain this deeper level of awareness, you may focus less on surface diversity. For example: At the beginning of a term, a classmate belonging to a minority ethnic group, whose native language is not English (surface diversity), may be treated differently by fellow classmates in\u00a0another ethnic group. But as the term gets under way, classmates begin discovering\u00a0the person\u2019s values and beliefs (deep-level diversity), which they find they are comfortable with. The surface-level attributes of language and perhaps skin color become more \u201ctransparent\u201d (less noticeable) as comfort is gained with deep-level attributes.<\/p>\n<p>The following video is a quick summary of the differences between surface-level and deep-level diversity.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"Surface Level vs. Deep Level Diversity\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4QsF8_IwmXs?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Positive Effects\u00a0of Diversity in an Educational Setting<\/h2>\n<p>Why does diversity matter in college? It matters because when you are exposed to new ideas, viewpoints, customs, and perspectives\u2014which invariably happens when you come in contact with diverse groups of people\u2014you expand your frame of reference for understanding the world. Your thinking becomes more open and global. You become comfortable working and interacting with people of all nationalities. You gain a new knowledge base as you learn from people who are different from yourself. You think &#8220;harder\u201d and more creatively. You perceive in new ways, seeing issues and problems from new angles. You can absorb and consider a wider range of options, and your values may be enriched. In short, it contributes to your education.<\/p>\n<p>Consider the following\u00a0facts about diversity in the United States:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than half of all U.S. babies today are people of color, and by 2050 the U.S. will have no clear racial or ethnic majority. As communities of color are tomorrow\u2019s leaders, college campuses play a major role in helping prepare these leaders.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But in 2009, while 28 percent of Americans older than 25 years of age had a four-year college degree, only 17 percent of African Americans and 13 percent of Hispanics had a four-year degree. More must be done to adequately educate the population and help prepare students to enter the workforce.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, people of color make up about 36 percent of the workforce (roughly one in three workers). But by 2050, half the workforce (one in two workers) will be a person of color. Again, college campuses can help navigate these changes.<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"&quot;10 Reasons Why We Need Diversity on College Campuses.&quot; Center for American Progress. 2016. Web. 2 Feb 2016.\" id=\"return-footnote-256-3\" href=\"#footnote-256-3\" aria-label=\"Footnote 3\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All in all, diversity brings richness to relationships on campus and off campus, and it further prepares college students to thrive and work in a multicultural world. Diversity is fast becoming America\u2019s middle name.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox exercises\">\n<h3>Activity: Cultural Sensitivity and Inclusivity in Practice<\/h3>\n<h4>Objective<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify ways in which you can make diversity more personal<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Instructions<\/h4>\n<p>This activity will help you examine ways in which you can develop\u00a0your awareness of and commitment to diversity on campus. Answer the following questions to the best of your ability:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are my plans for expanding myself personally and intellectually in college?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What kind of community will help me expand most fully, with diversity as a factor in my expansion?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are my comfort zones, and how might I expand them to connect more diversely?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do I want to be challenged by new viewpoints, or will I feel more comfortable connecting with people who are\u00a0like me?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are my biggest questions about diversity?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write several paragraphs reflecting on the questions above.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Submit this assignment according to directions from your instructor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Consider the following strategies to help you answer the questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examine extracurricular activities. Can you get involved with clubs or organizations that promote and expand diversity?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review your college\u2019s curriculum. In what ways does it reflect diversity? Does it have departments and courses on historically unrepresented peoples, e.g., cultural and ethnic studies, and gender and sexuality studies. Look for study-abroad programs, as well.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read your college\u2019s mission statement. Read the mission statement of other colleges. How do they match up with your values and beliefs? How do they align\u00a0with the value of diversity?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inquire with friends, faculty, colleagues, family. Be open about diversity. What does it mean to others? What positive effects has it had on them? Ask people about diversity.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research can help. You might consult college literature, Web sites, resource centers and organizations on campus, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Accessibility and Diversity on Campus<\/h2>\n<p>The idea of &#8220;accessibility&#8221; is an important force of change on college campuses today. <em>Accessibility<\/em> is about making education accessible to all, and and it&#8217;s particularly focused on providing educational support to a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff with disabilities. According to the American with Disabilities Act, you can be considered disabled if you meet one of the following criteria:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as seeing, hearing, walking, learning, and others.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must have a history of such impairment.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Others perceive that you have such impairment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you meet one of these criteria, you have special legal rights to certain accommodations on your campus. These accommodations may include, but are not limited to, the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Academic accommodations, like alternate format for print materials, classroom captioning, arranging for priority registration, reducing a course load, substituting one course for another, providing note takers, recording devices, sign language interpreters, a TTY in your dorm room, and equipping school computers with screen-reading, voice recognition, or other adaptive software or hardware.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exam accommodations, like extended time on exams<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Financial support and assistance<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Priority access to housing<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transportation and access, like Wheelchair-accessible community shuttles<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Assistive technologies and Web-accessibility accommodations are critical in today&#8217;s technology-driven economy and society. The following are some examples of assistive technologies are the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software like Dragon Naturally Speaking, Kurzweil, Zoom Text, CCTV Magnifier, Inspiration Software<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Computer input devices, like keyboards, electronic pointing devices, sip-and-puff systems, wands and sticks, joysticks, trackballs, and touch screens<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other Web-accessibility aids, like screen readers, screen enlargers, and screen magnifiers, speech recognition or voice recognition programs, and Text-to-Speech (TTS) or speech synthesizers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Students in the following video share some of their experiences with the Web accessibility.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-2\" title=\"Experiences of Students with Disabilities\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BEFgnYktC7U?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>For more information about Web accessibility, visit<a href=\"http:\/\/webaim.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"> http:\/\/webaim.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Why So Many Questions?<\/h2>\n<p>The following essay about experiences of diversity in college is by Fatima Rodriguez Johnson (State University of New York). Even though at first the writer felt like an ethnic outsider at college, she grew in understanding the importance of diversity of campus and of speaking openly and honestly about connecting with diverse cultures.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<h3>Why So Many Questions?<\/h3>\n<p>I chose to attend a small liberal arts college. The campus was predominately white and was nestled in a wealthy suburb among beautiful trees and landscaped lawns. My stepfather and I pulled into the parking lot and followed the path to my residence hall. The looks we received from most of the families made me feel like everyone knew we didn\u2019t belong. But, he and I greeted all we encountered, smiling and saying, \u201cHello.\u201d Once I was unpacked and settled into my residence hall, he gave me a hug and said, \u201cGood luck.\u201d I wasn\u2019t sure if he meant good luck with classes or good luck with meeting new friends, but I heard a weight in his voice. He was worried. Had he and my mother prepared me for what was ahead?<\/p>\n<p>With excitement, I greeted my roommate who I had already met through the summer Higher Educational Opportunity Program (HEOP). She and I were very happy to see each other. After decorating and organizing our room, we set out to meet new people. We went to every room introducing ourselves. We were pretty sure no one would forget us; it would be hard to miss the only Black and Latina girls whose room was next to the pay phone (yes, in my day each floor shared one pay phone).<\/p>\n<p>Everyone on our floor was nice and we often hung out in each other\u2019s rooms. And like some of you, we answered some of those annoying questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why does your perm make your hair straight when ours makes our hair curly?<\/li>\n<li>How did your hair grow so long (whenever we had weave braids)?<\/li>\n<li>Why don\u2019t you wash your hair everyday (the most intriguing question of all)?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We were also asked questions that made us angry:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Did you grow up with your father?<\/li>\n<li>Aren\u2019t you scared to take public transportation?<\/li>\n<li>Have you ever seen anyone get shot (because we both lived in the inner city)?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It was those questions that, depending on the day and what kind of mood we were in, made a fellow student either walk away with a better understanding of who we were as Black and Latina women or made a fellow student walk away red and confused. I guess that\u2019s why my stepfather said, \u201cGood luck.\u201d He knew that I was living in a community where I would stand out\u2014where I would have to explain who I was. Some days I was really good at answering those questions and some days I was not. I learned the questions were not the problem; it was not asking that was troubling.<\/p>\n<p>My roommate and I put forth a lot of effort to fit in with the community\u2014we spent time hanging out with our peers, we ate together almost every evening in the dining hall, and we participated in student organizations. We were invited to join the German Club, and were the only students of color there. In doing all these things we made ourselves approachable. Our peers became comfortable around us and trusted us.<\/p>\n<p>Although my peers and I all had similar college stresses (tests, papers, projects, etc.) my roommate and I also had become a student resource for diversity. Not because we wanted to, but because we had too. There were very few students of color on campus, and I think students really wanted to learn about people different from themselves. It was a responsibility that we had accepted. The director of HEOP would often remind us that for many students, college was the first opportunity they had to ask these types of questions. He said we would learn to discern when people were really interested in learning about our differences or insulting us. If someone was interested in insulting us, there was no need to respond at all.<\/p>\n<p>Although I transferred to another college at the end of my sophomore year, during those two years I learned a great deal about having honest conversations. Taking part in honest conversations challenged my notions of the world and how I viewed people from all walks of life (race, class, sexual orientation, ability, etc.). Those late nights studying or walks to the student center were when many of us listened to each other\u2019s stories.<\/p>\n<p>My advice is to take time to examine your attitudes and perceptions of people different from yourself, put yourself in situations that will challenge your assumptions, and lastly, when you make a mistake do not get discouraged. Keep trying. It\u2019s easy to stay where we are comfortable. College is such a wonderful experience. Take it all in, and I am sure you will enjoy it!<\/p>\n<p>\u2014Fatima Rodriguez Johnson,\u00a0<em>Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"lumen_assessment_863\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/load?assessment_id=863&#38;embed=1&#38;external_user_id=&#38;external_context_id=&#38;iframe_resize_id=lumen_assessment_863\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:400px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-256\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Image of three people. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Oregon Department of Transportation. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/gHr6bw\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/gHr6bw<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Foundations of College Success: Words of Wisdom. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Thomas C. Priester, editor. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Open SUNY Textbooks. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/textbooks.opensuny.org\/foundations-of-academic-success\/\">http:\/\/textbooks.opensuny.org\/foundations-of-academic-success\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">All rights reserved content<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Living and Learning Together. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Georgetown University. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/dLZJoHHpjWc\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/dLZJoHHpjWc<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em>All Rights Reserved<\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Standard YouTube License<\/li><li>Surface Level vs. Deep Level Diversity. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Ken Harris. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/4QsF8_IwmXs\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/4QsF8_IwmXs<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em>All Rights Reserved<\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Standard YouTube License<\/li><li>Experiences of Students with Disabilities. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Jared Smith. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/BEFgnYktC7U\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/BEFgnYktC7U<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em>All Rights Reserved<\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Standard YouTube License<\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">Public domain content<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Office for Civil Rights. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: US Department of Education. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/about\/offices\/list\/ocr\/transition.html\">http:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/about\/offices\/list\/ocr\/transition.html<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/pdm\">Public Domain: No Known Copyright<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section><hr class=\"before-footnotes clear\" \/><div class=\"footnotes\"><ol><li id=\"footnote-256-1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sph.unc.edu\/files\/2013\/07\/define_diversity.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/sph.unc.edu\/files\/2013\/07\/define_diversity.pdf<\/a> <a href=\"#return-footnote-256-1\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 1\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><li id=\"footnote-256-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/story\/story.php?storyId=122327104\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/story\/story.php?storyId=122327104<\/a> <a href=\"#return-footnote-256-2\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 2\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><li id=\"footnote-256-3\">\"10 Reasons Why We Need Diversity on College Campuses.\" <em>Center for American Progress<\/em>. 2016. Web. 2 Feb 2016. <a href=\"#return-footnote-256-3\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 3\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":277,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of three people\",\"author\":\"Oregon Department of Transportation\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/gHr6bw\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"copyrighted_video\",\"description\":\"Living and Learning Together\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Georgetown University\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/dLZJoHHpjWc\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"arr\",\"license_terms\":\"Standard YouTube License\"},{\"type\":\"copyrighted_video\",\"description\":\"Surface Level vs. Deep Level Diversity\",\"author\":\"Ken Harris\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/4QsF8_IwmXs\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"arr\",\"license_terms\":\"Standard YouTube License\"},{\"type\":\"copyrighted_video\",\"description\":\"Experiences of Students with Disabilities\",\"author\":\"Jared Smith\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/BEFgnYktC7U\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"arr\",\"license_terms\":\"Standard YouTube License\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Foundations of College Success: Words of Wisdom\",\"author\":\"Thomas C. 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