From the devastating bushfires to growing concerns around Coronavirus, the start of 2020 has raised fresh physical and mental health challenges for many Australians.
These crises were also the backdrop for powerful emotions around Invasion Day along with moments of heartache in the LGBTQ+ and cyberbullying space.
Navigating this new terrain, which many are calling a societal shift, can be turbulent. Yet it also opens the door to creating improved inclusion outcomes. Communities are speaking up more about their needs and evaluating identity issues and values. These voices are starting to have a powerful affect on broader community attitudes and leadership decisions.
At its core, inclusive design means taking guidance directly from community representatives and their subject matter experts – whether they be climate scientists, bushfire experts, Indigenous land managers, health professionals, young people or silent Australians. It also means engaging directly with those most affected by a decision and listening to their individual circumstances and needs. It’s encouraging to see some of our leaders starting to initiate this dialogue more consistently.
CFID recently released guidelines for ‘Communicating inclusively in emergencies’ – designed with the bushfires in mind, these guidelines could be equally applicable in cases such as the Coronavirus if amended. Thank you to our talented team for putting these together, and to who have provided positive feedback. We are keen to hear from you if you have expertise within the health space – as to how these might be modified or expanded to make them applicable to this current global emergency.
As we see a gradual shift towards more inclusive leadership models and organisations, social ventures are also gathering momentum. This month in our newsletter we put the spotlight on two wonderful impact organisations – Remarkable Tech and Catalyser, a program supporting migrant entrepreneurs.If you would like to read more news and views from our community, please sign up to our monthly newsletter here: Sign Up.
Do you know someone doing groundbreaking work in the inclusion space? Please reach out with your news and updates. We’d love to hear from you.
Manisha Amin
CEO Centre for Inclusive Design