Exploring Diversity and Inclusion at TAM 2018

This year's TAM conference, with its theme of Strength in Unity, saw several sessions focused on questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion, including the facilitator-led roundtable sessions where participants had the chance to discuss these issues together in an informal setting. For this newsletter, and the next few, we will share some of the insights and questions that came out of those discussions.

The Directors and Administrators Roundtable noted that first and foremost, leaders of our organizations need to model diversity and inclusion to their staff. However, diversity and inclusion aren't just about an institution's audience; we must also look internally at employees, the mission statement, exhibits and programming, collections, etc. And there are a number of factors and demographics to consider, including age, race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic, orientation, and accessibility.

Another important consideration: Does your institution have a Non-Discrimination Policy and a Diversity & Inclusion Policy? Many people don't fully understand the difference between these two policies. While they overlap and work together, a Non-Discrimination Policy is more internal, focusing on the idea of "we do not exclude these people," while a Diversity & Inclusion Policy is more external – and active – with its focus on "we will include these people." Just having these policies isn't enough, however; institutional buy-in and support are hugely important. To start the process, an institution must commit and decide to be intentional through enforcement of the policies so that over time they will become part of the culture and everyday operations.

Several participants in this roundtable shared examples of how they were addressing issues of diversity and inclusion within their operations. For example, when planning their exhibition calendar, one museum has a meeting where they review upcoming exhibits to make sure there aren't any gaps in audiences and demographics. They look for missing groups and, if there are any, they create an exhibit to fill that gap, often bringing together a community committee to help in the exhibit's development. Another museum invited a non-profit working with the blind and visually impaired to visit the museum with their clients so that they could help the docents to better understand what they need when visiting the museum and to also point out the areas where the museum could improve accessibility, often in ways beyond those laid out as ADA guidelines, and therefore provide a better and more engaging experience.

The practice of reaching out to the community to get their input and feedback came up time and time again in the discussion. This underlines the importance of including the audience you are trying to serve. By asking them to share their input, you stop assuming that your institution automatically understands the groups and their needs. Co-creation is a wonderfully useful tool to make sure that your efforts at diversity and inclusion are authentic and meaningful.

Next month we'll share the discussion from the Education and School Programs Roundtable. You can also access the notes from all four roundtable sessions here.