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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility: DEIA

Find resources for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility at the Orange County Library System.

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November 2024 Newsletter

In This Issue

  • November Highlights
  • Employee Resource Groups
  • DEIA Libguide
  • Let’s Chat About Books
  • DiverseSpeaks
  • Inclusiflicks
  • Accessibility Tips

November Highlights

Native American Heritage Month celebrated annually in November, is a vital time to honor the rich history, cultures, and contributions of Native American and Indigenous peoples. It's an opportunity to learn about their diverse cultures, traditions, and societal contributions. One individual contributing to visibility of Indigenous voices is Lily Gladstone. Lily Gladstone's performance in "Killers of the Flower Moon" has garnered widespread praise and accolades, including several awards and nominations. Gladstone's achievements are particularly significant for Native American representation in film. She was the first Indigenous person to:

  • Win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture- Drama

  • Be nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Actress

  • Win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Female Actor

Books and Media to Celebrate Native American Heritage

More Resources

Awareness Weeks

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week- Week before Thanksgiving

Raises awareness about the issues of hunger and homelessness in the U.S and encourages communities to take action through education, service, and advocacy events.

Transgender Awareness Week: November 13-19

Increases visibility and awareness about transgender individuals and the issues they face. It leads up to Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, which honors the memory of transgender individuals lost to violence.

Awareness Days

World Kindness Day-November 13

Promotes kindness and encourages individuals to perform acts of kindness. It was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement.

Veteran's Day-November 11

Honors military veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Originally known as Armistice Day, it marks the end of World War I and was renamed in 1954.

Holidays

Thanksgiving- Fourth Thursday in November

A national holiday in the United States originating back to 1621. The holiday is a time to give thanks for the harvest and the blessings of the past year.

Want more suggestions, check out the calendar on the resources page of the DEIA LibGuide.

Employee Resource Groups

 Are you looking for a place to network and share stories with people who are similar to you? Do you want to get to know staff across the system who share your culture, hobbies, or goals? Then an OCLS Employee Resource Group (ERG) is the place for you.

 On Staff Day our current ERGs, Accessibility, Black and African American, Environmental, Latino/LatinX, and Reading Rainbows, will meet in-person for the ERGs-Employee Resource Groups Meet-Up from 11:50am- 12:30pm. Even if you're not a current member, staff are encourage to drop by during this session to learn more and connect with current members. Stay tuned to Staff Day announcements for details on the meeting location.

November Virtual Meetings:

Black and African American ERG: Thursday, November 21st at 2 PM

Meeting Link: Join the meeting now

If you are interested in joining this brand new ERG or any of our current ERGs please fill out the Employee Resource Group (ERG) Interest form. If you are interested in launching a new ERG, please fill out the ERG Proposal Form.

LibGuide

This month we have one new addition to the DEIA Libguide.

Generational Diversity: This resource page will help you better understand the five generations that make up the workforce today. The    page includes an overview of each generation, along with strategies to help bridge the generational gap as we interact with one another.

Do you have an idea for future DEIA LibGuide pages? Curious about a specific DEIA topic? Let us know deia@ocls.org.

DiverseSpeak

Ready to make a positive impact? Our next DiverseSpeak session will explore the meaning of allyship, effective listening, and practical strategies for creating a more inclusive and equitable society. We'll discuss how to challenge biases, overcome common obstacles, and support marginalized communities. Join us for a meaningful and impactful discussion. 

Virtual Session #1: Thursday, December 12th at 9 AM

https://attend.ocls.org/event/12119283

Virtual Session #2: Tuesday, December 17th at 2 PM

https://attend.ocls.org/event/12120792

Let’s Chat About Books

We'll once again focus on an open read for our book chat in December 2024. Choose any book you want to read that fits the themes of our book chats. You can find those themes on the Book Chats with DEIA page on our Libguide.

Here are a few suggestions for you, if you need them:

Give Me Some Truth : a Novel with Paintings by Eric Gansworth

Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah

A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter

A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina

Event Date: Tuesday, December 10th at 2 PM

Registration Link: https://attend.ocls.org/event/12127133

Inclusiflicks

Join us for a celebration of diversity as we highlight short films that align with some of our heritage and cultural celebrations from this year. Our short film selections are Hair Love, In a Heartbeat, Sanjay’s Super Team, and Bao.

Register by November 7th to receive a movie treat.

Event Date: Wednesday, November 13th at 2 PM

Registration Link: https://libguides.ocls.info/deia/InclusiFlicks

Accessibility Tips

For staff with Canva access, did you know Canva has a built-in Design Accessibility tool?

The "Check Design Accessibility" tool is a built-in feature designed to help users create visually inclusive designs. It automatically scans your Canva project for potential accessibility issues. Features include:

  • Color contrast- will identify when there is not enough contrast between text and background (i.e. if you type something in a highlighter yellow color, it will flag it as being bad contrast and give suggestions)
  • Alternative text- A place to put in written descriptions of each element on the document, helpful if you are sending something digitally
  • Typography- Is your font and size ok?
  • Reduce motion- turn off animations and transitions
  • Screen reader compatibility: Canva PDFs are designed to be readable by screen readers, ensuring that visually impaired users can access and understand the content.

 The tool helps ensure that your designs can be easily understood and used by people with disabilities, such as visual impairments or cognitive challenges.

 Steps to check accessibility:

  • Open Canva file
  • Click “File”
  • Click “Accessibility”
  • Click “Check Design Accessibility”

Resources for writing Alt Text

Harvard University's Digital Accessibility Alt Text Guidelines

https://accessibility.huit.harvard.edu/describe-content-images

Arizona's State University Image Accessibility Creator

https://asuo-ai-labs.streamlit.app/Image_Accessibility

 Thank you to Kenzie Carlson, Ryan Schleifer, and Kathryn Thorp for sharing these with the DEIA Team!

What DEIA Means to Me - Ruben Cortes

Check the archives for past "What DEIA Means to Me" posts.

DEIA should be a priority to OCLS because our community represents a vibrant melting pot of identities and experiences that make our community a great place to live in. DEIA should be a focus because it recognizes that the library’s place in the community is to serve everyone. This includes our Portuguese-speaking community out by Windermere to the migrant workers out in Zellwood just to name a few. Focusing on DEIA is making an effort to create an environment in which everyone feels a strong sense of belonging which is by no means a small task but one that is worthwhile.  

As someone that is a Mexican American immigrant, I grew up with a lack of representation in media and books unique to my experience. As a result, imposter syndrome has been a real thing and at times has contributed to me hiding parts of myself. This is something that will very likely resonate with anyone that has ever felt like an outcast. As humans, we all want to feel accepted, and focusing on DEIA allows us to ensure that everyone feels seen. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve had some supportive mentors that have pushed me to be comfortable with the uncomfortable and have seen my potential oftentimes before I saw it myself. Fast forward to today, I’m now in a place where I can comfortably present myself as my authentic self and can now use my voice to advocate for others.  

Focusing on DEIA allows us to ensure that as we move forward others don’t experience those negative experiences that are a result of an environment that is not inclusive. As you reflect on what DEIA means to you, I challenge you with the following:  

  • Read or watch something that highlights someone that doesn’t look like you  

  • Make an effort to talk to someone that doesn’t share a commonality with you  

You’ll be surprised to find out that a lot of people have much more in common than we like to think about.  

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes that captures why DEIA is so important:  

“The world would be such a better place if we took the time to understand each other.”  

-Ruben