Discrimination & Diversity Awareness

1. Discrimination & DiversityAwareness Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance4 West Avenue Annex Bldg.University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR 72701Phone: (479) 575-4019Facsimile: (479) 575-7637

2. What’s your understanding

3. Discrimination & Diversity Defined Discrimination is: Unfavorable treatment based on an individual’s membership in a protected class. Diversity is: The fact or quality of being different; a classification of human characteristics related to personal and biological traits.

4. Who Anti-Discrimination Laws Protect?

5. Title VII • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

6. ADEA/Age Discrimination Act • The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, prohibits employment discrimination based on age. • The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

7. ADA/Section 504 • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities.

8. Title IX • Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 prohibits discrimination based on sex in educational programs and activities that receive federal funding.

9. True/False • If an individual honestly does not intend to offend anyone, their behavior cannot be considered harassment? • Harassment based on sex can include making stereotypical remarks about someone’s gender?

10. True/False • Sexual harassment laws only apply to women? • If you observe behavior you believe to be harassment, you should wait until you know its unlawful before reporting it?

11. True/False • You should not tell anyone about a harassment/discrimination complaint, if you are asked to keep it a secret?

12. Diversity Matters

13. Diversity Goes Beyond Checking the Box • Diversity goes beyond seeking to avoid discrimination • Non-discrimination ≠ promoting diversity. • Diversity is embracing a collective mixture of differences, similarities, and complexities. • Diversity is understanding the value of individual differences.

14. Individuals belong to many different “micro-cultural” groups Gender Disability Social Class Individual Race Religion LGBT

15. Communication is Filtered Through Cultural Perspectives We are the sum of our parts, our characteristics and experiences shape our views and perspectives Age National Origin Race Sexual Orientation Religion Disability Gender Education Personality Work Position/Experience Customs Values Geographic location Language used Work Style Communication Style Economic Status Learning Style Philosophical Perspective Military Experience Family Life

16. Riddle • Edible • Warm Color • Round Shape • Contains Seeds • Grows On A Tree • Name Begins With A Vowel • Good for Juice

17. Different Attribution of Meaning

18. Cross-Cultural Awareness • When meeting people for the first time, our brains automatically make assessments (e.g., job interviews, jury selection). • Although membership in any specific group may provide clues about an individual, it cannot enable us to predict behavior. • First Impressions can be misleading (e.g., Herman Grid).

19. Cross-Cultural Awareness What do you see? Gray spots at the intersections?

20. Cross-Cultural Awareness The Herman Grid provides an example of how we see things that are not really there. • Have you ever had a wrong first impression of someone who had a different background of from a different culture? • Has someone from a different background or culture ever had the wrong first impression of you?

21. Cross-Cultural Barriers • Irrational Assumptions • Misunderstandings • Prejudice • Fears

22. Irrational Assumptions • Irrational assumptions are beliefs founded on baseless suppositions, often skewed by bias. • An example of irrational assumptions are stereotypes we formulate about people based on their association or membership with cultural or ethic groups. “ If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true, there would be little hope of advance.” – Orville Wright

23. Misunderstandings • Misunderstandings are a normal part of communication either because we intentionally or unintentionally use the wrong words or because we do not understand what is being said to us. • To prevent misunderstandings: • Know who you are talking to; • Be respectful; and • Be sure of what you want to say. “Listen, I’m going to talk to the Indians. It’s probably a misunderstanding.”– General Custer

24. Prejudice • By definition, prejudice is either bias in favor of or against something. • Bias can be benign; however, bias having to do with people can be hurtful and cause problems. “Just as a child is born without fear, so is it born without prejudice. Prejudice like fear is acquired.”– Marie Killea

25. Fear • Fear of change is counterproductive, especially fear of ideas and people who are different than us. “I think we have to own the fears that we have of each other, and then, in some practical way, some daily way, figure out how to see people differently than the way we were brought up to.” – Alice Walker

26. Breaking the Barriers • Self Awareness • Thinking Outside the Box • Communication and Listening • Being Proactive and Engaging in Research

27. Self Awareness • Even the most enlightened, intelligent, and well-intentioned professionals may harbor some bias, often so subtle that they are unaware of it. • Awareness of unconscious bias allows and requires fundamental rethinking of approaches to: • Leadership • Training/Teaching • Organizational Policy • Culture

28. Self Awareness • No negative intent may be intended • Eradicating bias is not about trying to find “bad people” and “fix” them, but about heightened awareness • Engaging in an a self assessment is one tool you can use to help evaluate your personal attitudes and uncover potential bias. • Diversity Awareness Assessment

29. Thinking Outside the Box • While sometimes difficult, in order to achieve diversity and inclusion it is often necessary to think “outside the box.” • As an illustration of how difficult it is to sometimes think outside the box, consider the following exercise:

30. Thinking Outside the Box

31. Thinking Outside the Box

32. Thinking Outside the Box • Why is it that most of us do not think about going outside of the boundaries? • We had to draw outside the lines. This is what is required of us when we interact with others, as everyone thinks differently (outside the boundaries or “box”). • Why is it sometimes difficult to see others’ points of view?

33. Communication and Listening • Communication is a key ingredient in a successfully diverse environment. • Essential to effective communication is the ability to actively listen – are you an active listener? • Non-verbal communication also plays a critical role in effective communication. • Think of how text messages and emails can sometimes be misconstrued.

34. Communication and Listening Active Listening: What kind of Listener are you? • If you feel that it would take too much time and effort to understand something, do you avoid hearing it? • Do you think about other subjects when you believe your partner will have nothing interesting to say?

35. Communication and Listening Active Listening: What kind of Listener are you? • Do certain words, phrases, or ideas upset you so you cannot listen to what is being said? • When someone is talking to you do you listen mainly for facts, rather than ideas?

36. Communication and Listening Active Listening: What kind of Listener are you? • When you’re listening, are you easily distracted by outside sights and sounds? • When you’re angry about what’s being said, do you pretend that nothing is wrong or that you don’t understand?

37. Communication and Listening Active Listening: Basic Steps • Step One: The speaker talks to the listener • Step Two: The listener listens without speaking and gives the speaker his or her full attention without distraction. • Step Three: Once the speaker is done, the listener tells the speaker what he or she heard by restating the information in his or her own words. This confirms understanding between the speaker and listener.

38. Communication and Listening Nonverbal Communication • Most people are familiar with viewing and using body language in their own culture. To promote diversity, it is important to be aware of other possible meanings. • Body language can be intentional or unintentional, but both convey meaning to the receiver. Be aware when reading other people, but also be aware of the messages that you convey in your own body language.

39. Communication and Listening Nonverbal Communication: Examples of Cultural Differences in Body Language • Eye Contact: In some cultures eye contact is disrespectful. • Nodding head side to side instead of front to back: These signals look different but can mean the same thing • Personal Space: Some cultures find it normal to stand extremely close when talking. • Handshakes: Some cultures use a longer handshake that include a left-handed elbow touch. Some cultures use a limp handshake and some believe a firm handshake is a sign of aggression. Also, some cultures do not allow shaking hands with women.

40. Be Proactive and Engage in Research • Know your community • Seek supportive resources • Give quality time to all groups • Acknowledge the legitimacy of all cultural heritages and groups • Use a wide variety of instructional and assessment strategies • Incorporate multicultural information, resources and materials in all subjects

41. Tips for Resolving Conflict • Connect with others through what they most value • Don’t try to deduce other people’s intentions as being like your own • Because we respond more strongly to the negative actions of people for whom we have strong feelings than those of strangers, allow yourself more time to get back in balance in those cases.

42. General Strategies for Managing Conflict • COLLABORATING Mode – (cooperative, assertive) attempts to address fully the needs of both parties and is often called the problem-solving approach • NEGOTIATION Strategies – more equitable for everyone; there are no losers

43. General Strategies for Managing Conflict • AVOIDING Approach – (uncooperative, unassertive) neglects the interests of both parties by postponing or sidestepping the problem • COMPROMISING Model – (intermediate on assertiveness and cooperativeness) tries to obtain some satisfaction for both parties

44. General Strategies for Managing Conflict • FORCING Alternative – (assertive, uncooperative) attempts to satisfy one’s own needs at the expense of another person’s • ACCOMODATING Approach – (cooperative, unassertive) satisfies the other party’s concerns whie neglecting one’s own

45. Win-Win Problem Solving • Establish communication – must speak to one another • Own the problem – must be able to describe your needs • Define terms and values – eliminate all verbal confusion • Find common ground – often more likeness than differences

46. Win-Win Problem Solving • Negotiate – everyone should be a winner • Identify and define the conflict • Generate a number of possible solutions • Evaluate the alternative solutions • Decide on the best solution

47. Win-Win Problem Solving What Win-Win Is: • A courageous effort • The best way to get to interdependent relationships • A character-based code for interaction

48. Win-Win Problem Solving What Win-Win Is Not: • Always being “nice” • Always being achievable • A manipulative technique • A personality-based thought pattern

49. What Helps? LEAPS • Listen • Empathize • Ask Questions • Paraphrase • Summarize

50. Case Scenario Collin, a young student in your class comes to you and says, “My Dad says all Muslims are bad people.” How do you respond?