Assessing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in International Contexts

Abstract Information: Over the last several years, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) concerns and initiatives have grown several-fold. While conversations surrounding DEIA have persisted for decades across both public and private spheres, the vast majority, if not all, of analysis and discussion has focused on DEIA from a U.S.-centric point of view. Despite the wealth of literature addressing the evaluation of DEIA concerns within domestic contexts, the question arises: How do we approach assessing diversity in international or cross-cultural settings? As DEIA principles and goals begin to enter the conversation in programming taking place outside the U.S., particularly in federal programs and projects, evaluators will need to understand best practices for culturally appropriate and sustainable assessment methods. Although evaluators may be familiar with assessing programming on DEIA concerns related to race, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and more within the U.S., international settings pose their own challenges. How does one adapt DEIA frameworks rooted in Global North perspectives to societies in the Global South? Or, what if cultural norms limit interactions across genders? These and other complex questions demand nuanced and culturally sensitive approaches to assessment; evaluators must utilize context-specific analyses to properly assess whether international programs are addressing DEIA concerns. This may mean creating baseline data on current levels of diversity or inclusion in various fields or utilizing desk research to assess what types of diversity are most relevant to a specific location or region. Through a roundtable discussion, we will discuss current definitions of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, how DEIA is traditionally analyzed in a U.S. context, and what types of questions evaluators should think through when looking at DEIA in international contexts. After a 30-minute presentation, several hypothetical case study examples will be presented to the audience, who will be asked to give ideas on how DEIA could be evaluated in each case, or what further research may need to be done to properly assess DEIA. These hypothetical cases will aim to create a space for generative ideas and discussion among evaluators on what questions one should ask, and what data one should examine when evaluating for DEIA concerns in foreign settings.