Inclusion isn’t real when it’s designed for the comfort of the majority.
🧠 Welcome to the Corporate Buzzword Rodeo
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)—with the occasional side of Accessibility (A)—has become the workplace chant of the moment. It’s plastered on mission statements, whispered during team huddles, and shoved into slideshow decks like seasoning on bland tofu.
But here’s the problem: when you keep the “A” in parentheses, it’s not part of the recipe—it’s an afterthought. And honestly? That tells us everything.
🚩 That’s Not a Red Flag. That’s a Whole Damn Parade.
Somewhere between good intentions and HR compliance training, DEI(A) got lost in translation. Instead of being a revolution, it became a checklist. A branding opportunity. A conference buzzword. We’ve got companies patting themselves on the back for a “diverse hire” while the building’s digital front door is locked to anyone using assistive tech.
You want equity? Start with access.
✍️ Other: Human Being
Here’s the move that got me thinking: whenever I’m asked to disclose my race, I check “Other” and write in “Human being.”
Not because I don’t care about identity.
Not because I’m trying to be edgy.
But because I refuse to let a system flatten me into a checkbox.
I don’t know my full ancestry, and I’m not giving my DNA to a corporation for the privilege of being labeled. More importantly? My worth, my capability, my perspective—none of it should be tied to a data point made for demographic optics.
This isn’t colorblindness. It’s a refusal to let identity be reduced to data points just to be considered real.
🧬 Inclusion Without Accessibility Is Just a Lie in a Blazer
Let’s be blunt: If your DEI plan doesn’t include accessibility from the ground up, it’s not inclusive. It’s theater.
Alt text, keyboard navigation, high-contrast design, trauma-informed spaces, captions, flexible work formats—these aren’t “nice-to-haves.” They’re the entry fee to actual inclusion. And if someone can’t even reach your content, your workplace, or your event?
They were excluded before you even opened the door.
🧨 DEI in the Wild: When Good Ideas Go Off the Rails
DEI has been hijacked from both extremes.
On one end, we’ve got performative activism—buzzwords over backbone.
On the other, backlash wrapped in false narratives about “reverse discrimination.”
Neither of these is fighting for liberation. They’re just fighting for control.
DEI(A) is supposed to build a new table—not fight over who gets the corner seat at the old one. But most orgs? They just hire one “diverse” person and act like they did something radical, while the power structures stay the same.
🔧 Organizational Behavior Breakdown
Here’s what I see under the hood:
- “Diversity” becomes a photo op.
- “Equity” means adjusting a salary band—after the lawsuits start.
- “Inclusion” gets reduced to tacos in the breakroom on “heritage days.”
- And “Accessibility” is a footnote—until someone files a complaint.
This isn’t transformation. It’s reputation management.
🖕 So What Now?
If you’re serious about inclusion, here’s the starter pack:
- 🔥 Stop forcing people into boxes. Ask how they identify—and believe them.
- 🎯 Make accessibility non-negotiable from day one.
- 🛠 Pay people for their lived expertise—not just their labor.
- 🗣 Build systems that listen, adapt, and evolve.
- ❌ Never ask for trauma disclosure to justify someone’s seat at the table.
Because here’s the truth: Inclusion that protects the comfort of the majority is not inclusion. It’s assimilation.
⚡ Final Transmission
DEI(A) could be a revolution. But right now, it’s mostly a mirage—shiny, hollow, and built to make the people in power feel like they’re doing something.
Want to change that?
Take the parentheses off the A.
Stop forcing the box.
Write in: Human being.
And if that makes people uncomfortable?
Good.
