Glossary of DEI Terms

Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School fosters an inclusive environment that values the diversity of our school community and respects individual differences. Each individual is embraced, celebrated, and treated equitably. We aim to foster a dialogue conducive to learning, acceptance, and cultural enrichment. GNB Voc-Tech promotes its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through discussion, education, and promotion of an environment that encourages scholarship, learning, and respect for diverse backgrounds and viewpoints to prepare students for lives in a multicultural society.

The glossary below is designed to help students, staff, faculty and administrators gain an awareness and understanding of language and concepts they are likely to encounter while learning and working at GNBVT and within their own capacity to be equitable and inclusive.

Please note this list is an overview of commonly used terms and should not be considered all-inclusive as DEI terminology continues to evolve.

Ableism – Beliefs or practices that rest on the assumption that being able-bodied is “normal” while other states of being need to be “fixed” or altered. This can result in devaluing or discriminating against people with physical, intellectual or psychiatric disabilities.

Accessibility – The degree to which a product, service, or environment is accessible by as many people as possible to get into, use and make use of. Accessible design ensures both direct (unassisted) access and indirect access through assistive technology (e.g., computer screen readers). Universal design ensures that an environment can be accessed, understood, and used to the greatest extent possible by all people.

Accommodation – Personalized supports or adjustments that remove specific barriers with the goal of ensuring an individual can meet essential requirements or perform their job duties. Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis through an interactive process.

Ageism – Prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions based on differences in age; usually that of younger persons against older persons.

Ally – A person who is not a member of a marginalized or disadvantaged group but who expresses or gives support to the group.

Antiracism – The policy or practice of actively and consciously opposing racism and promoting racial equity.

Anti Semitism – The specific form of race-based oppression directed against Jewish people and the descendants of Jewish people.

Assimilation – A process by which outsiders (persons who are others by virtue of cultural heritage, gender, age, religious background, and so forth) are brought into, or made to take on the existing identity of the group into which they are being assimilated.

Bias – Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person or group compared to another; usually in a way considered unfair. Implicit bias is unconscious; explicit bias is conscious.

Bigotry – The fact of having or expressing strong, unreasonable beliefs and disliking people who have different beliefs or a different way of life. An irrational attachment to negative stereotypes and prejudices.

BIPOC – Acronym for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

Cisgender – Term for someone whose sex they were identified as having at birth matches their gender. Often abbreviated to “cis”.

Class – Refers to socioeconomic status based on factors such as wealth, occupation, education, income etc.

Classism – Prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions such as differential treatment based on a difference in socioeconomic status, income, class usually by upper classes against lower.

Collusion – Willing participation in the discrimination against and/or oppression of one’s own group (e.g., woman who enforces dominant body ideals through her comments and actions).

Color Blind – The belief in treating everyone “equally” by treating everyone the same; based on the presumption that differences are by definition bad or problematic, and therefore best ignored (e.g., “I don’t see race, gender, etc.”).

Colorism – A form of prejudice or discrimination in which people are treated differently based on the social meanings attached to skin color.

Cultural Competence – Creating an environment where people affirm and appreciate their culture of origin while also developing fluency in at least one other culture. It’s the capacity to (1) value diversity, (2) conduct self-assessment, (3) manage the dynamics of difference, (4) acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge and (5) adapt to diversity and the cultural contexts of the communities one serves.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy – Culturally responsive pedagogy facilitates and supports the achievement of all students. In a culturally responsive classroom, reflective teaching and learning occur in a culturally supported, learner-centered context, whereby the strengths students bring to school are identified, nurtured and utilized to promote student achievement.

Culture – The pattern of daily life learned consciously and unconsciously by a group of people. These patterns can be seen in language, governing practices, arts, customs, holiday celebrations, food, religion, dating rituals, and clothing.

Disability – An impairment that may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory, or some combination of these. It substantially affects a person’s life activities and may be present from birth or occur during a person’s lifetime.

Discrimination – The denial of justice and fair treatment by both individuals and institutions in many areas, including employment, education, housing, banking, and political rights. Discrimination is an action that can follow prejudiced thinking.

Diversity – The variety of cultures, world views, values, and personal experiences that may result from differences including but not limited to, race, ethnicity, national origin/immigration status, sex, age, religion, abilities, neurodiversity, socio-economic status, educational level, sexual orientation, family configuration, and gender identity.*Adaptation created by the DEI Advisory Council FY 23-24

Equality – Means that resources are provided so that all individuals have equal access (each person receives exactly the same resources in exactly that same amount).

Equity – Providing, implementing, and committing to fair practices and policies to ensure that all thrive within the community. Systemic equity addresses inequalities, and provides tools and services to ensure equal access to be successful within learning and working environments across all groups. *Adaptation created by the DEI Advisory Council FY 23-24

Ethnicity – A social construct which divides individuals into smaller social groups based on characteristics such as a shared sense of group membership, values, behavioral patterns, language, political and economic interests, history and ancestral geographical base. Some examples include, Haitian, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Navajo (Native American) etc.

Gaslighting – A deliberate attempt to undermine a victim’s sense of reality or sanity; behaviors that undermine the success, self-confidence, self-esteem, or well being of the target. Tactics can include withholding (critical information, meeting invitations, silent treatment), isolation (exclusion, causing conflict with coworkers), and discrediting (consistently shooting down the target’s ideas, ignoring or taking credit for them).

Gender – Socially constructed categories of masculinity/manhood and femininity/ womanhood.

Gender Bias – A behavior that shows favoritism toward one gender over another. For example, favoring men and/or boys over women and/or girls.

Gender Expression – The physical manifestation of gender identity through clothing, hairstyle, voice, body shape, etc. A person’s gender expression does not necessarily have to be in line with what is expected for their assigned sex or with their gender identity.

Gender Identity – One’s internal sense of being a man, woman, neither of these, both or other gender(s).

Hegemony – The ability of a dominant or ruling group to impose its own values and ideas about what is “natural” or “normal” on a subordinated group, often defining the parameters of what is even considered an “acceptable” topic within the dominant discourse.

Identity – The unique set of characteristics that can be used to identify a person as themself and no one else. Identity often refers to a person’s sense of self, meaning how they view themself as compared to other people.

Inclusion – Building a culture of belonging that intentionally embraces differences and actively invites the contribution and authentic, empowered participation of all people resulting in full access to opportunities. *Adaptation created by the DEI Advisory Council FY 23-24

Indigenous People – Individuals of specific cultural groups who live within (or are attached to) distinct traditional territories.

Intent vs Impact – Our intentions (what we want or hope to do) don’t always align with what we say or do which can impact how others receive what one says and does. “Intent” refers to what you hope or want to do when choosing to perform an action. “Impact” refers to the reality (e.g., results) of your actions or behaviors. The result may not always align with what you intended. “Owning the impact” is when one’s impact is called into question, especially if the action is perpetuating oppression. It is important to recognize the action is being called into question, not the person/overall character.

Intersectionality – The interconnected nature of social categorizations, such as race, class, gender, religion, professional status, marital status, socioeconomic status, etc. It holds that an individual’s given experiences, privileges, and oppressions lies at the intersection of the dynamic interaction between these overlapping identities and both current and historical factors.

Latinx – Gender-neutral alternative to “Latina” or “Latino”. It is a term used to describe a diverse group of people who have roots in Latin America.

LGBTQ+ – An abbreviation used to refer to individuals who are non-heterosexual or non-cisgender, instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay bisexual, or transgender.

LGBTQIA – An abbreviation that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transexual, queer/questioning, intersex, and allied/asexual/aromantic/agender.

Marginalization – To relegate, ignore, exclude to an unimportant or powerless position within a society, group or community.

Microaggression – The everyday slights, indignities, put-downs and insults that people of color, women, LGBT populations or those who are marginalized experience in their day-to-day interaction with other people.

Multicultural – Mutual exchange of and respect from diverse cultures.

Neurodiversity – When neurological differences are recognized and respected as are any other human differences or variations. These differences can include Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyscalculia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Tourette Syndrome.

Nonbinary – An umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with “man” or “woman”. Nonbinary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities while others reject them entirely.

Oppression – Systemic devaluing, undermining, marginalizing and disadvantage of certain social identities in contrast to the privileged norm; when some people are denied something of value, while others have ready access.

Pansexual – Fluid in sexual identity and is attracted to others regardless of their sexual identity or gender.

People of Color (POC) – People of Color (POC)- A collective term for people of Asian/Pacific Islander, African, Latinx/Latino(a) and Native American/Indigenous backgrounds as opposed to the collective “White, Non-White”.

Prejudice – A prejudgment or preconceived opinion, feeling, or belief usually negative, often based on stereotypes, that includes feelings such as dislike or contempt and is often enacted as discrimination or other negative behavior.

Privilege – Exclusive access or access to material and immaterial resources based on the membership to a dominant social group. Favoring, enriching, vaping, validating and inclusion of certain identities over others.

Pronouns – Words to refer to a person after initially using their name. Gendered pronouns include she and he, her and him, hers and his and herself and himself. “Preferred gender pronouns” (or PGPs) are the pronouns that people ask others to use in reference to themselves. They may be plural gender-neutral pronouns such as they, them, their(s). Or, they may be ze (rather than she or he) or hir (rather than her(s) and him/his). Some people use specific pronouns, any pronouns, or none at all. While some people state their pronouns as a form of allyship.

Queer – An umbrella term used by people who prefer to describe themselves as neither heterosexual or cisgender.

Race – A social construct that artificially divides people into distinct groups based on characteristics such as physical appearance, ancestral heritage, cultural affiliation, cultural history, ethnic classification, and the social, economic and political needs of a society at a given period of time.

Racism – A belief that racial differences produce or are associated with inherent superiority or inferiority. Racially-based prejudice, discrimination, hostility or hatred. Institutionalized racism also known as systemic racism, refers to forms of racism that are ingrained in society or organizations. It is when entire racial groups are discriminated against, or consistently disadvantaged, by larger social systems, practices, choices or policies.

Sexism – Prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions based on a difference in sex/gender.

Sexual Orientation – A concept referring to sexual desire and preference for emotional and sexual relationships with others based on their sex/gender. Often implies that sexual objects are an essential inborn characteristic, so may be problematic to some.

Social Construction – The notion that patterns of human interaction (often deemed to be normal, natural or universal) are, in fact, human produced and constructed by social expectation and coercion but are presented as “objective”.

Social Justice – Active engagement toward equity and inclusion that addresses issues of institutional, structural and environmental inequity, power and privilege.

Stereotypes – Assumptions and expectations about members of certain groups that present an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment. They go beyond necessary and useful categorizations and generalizations in that they are typically negative, are based on little information and do not recognize individualism and personal agency.

Tolerance – Acceptance and open-mindedness to different practices, attitudes, and culture; does not necessarily mean agreement with the differences.

Transgender – An umbrella term referring to those whose gender identity or gender expression is different from those associated with their sex identified at birth.

Undocumented – A foreign-born person living in the United States without legal citizenship status.

Xenophobia – Hatred, fear of, or hostility directed toward people from other countries.

Sources:

• https://www.brandeis.edu/diversity/learning/resources/glossary.html
• https://www.pacificu.edu/life-pacific/support-safety/office-equity-diversity-inclusion/edi-resources/glossary-terms
• https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/disaster-planners/diversity-equity-inclusion/key-dei-terms
• https://www.unh.edu/diversity-inclusion/resource/dei-terminology