JE:DI Council

The goal of this group is to provide guidance, advice and accountability. To survey everything we do at AIA Seattle through the lens of our EDI goals.

AIA Seattle is committed to identifying, naming, and dismantling systemic discrimination within the architecture community in order to nurture universal inclusion and fairness in the built environment, for the communities we impact, both locally and nationally.

WHAT WE DO
The JE:DI Council is a resource to the board, staff and committee leaders of AIA Seattle in the planning and execution of programs and services for AIA members and the public, as related to the topics of justice, diversity, inclusion and equity.

Goals and Areas of Action

1. Access to the Profession
2. Relationship Building
3. Continuing Education Training
4. Advocacy
5. AIA Seattle – The Organization

UPDATES FROM THE JE:DI COUNCIL

2021 in Review: This past year encouraged each of us to find new ways to grow, adapt, and challenge the world around us. In 2021, the JE:DI Council worked in support of the Chapter’s ongoing EDI work, naming and confronting systemic discrimination within the AEC professions.

• Delivered Statement of Support RE: Elise F. Woodward’s letter to the National Ethics Council, dated October 9, 2020, to expand NEC Rules 1.403 and 1.404 to specifically address the obligation of the architecture profession to uphold standards of human rights, safety, health and welfare in the context of the United States justice system.
  We oppose the use and design of facilities that authorize the use of capital punishment thereby recognizing that the design and construction directly and indirectly contributes to the desolation of black and brown families mentally, socially, and economically. These spaces represent the physical manifestation of systemic racism. There cannot be true environmental justice without racial justice.
• Delivered Statement of Support RE: BSA Ethics Committee proposed updates/revisions to the Code of Ethics.  
• Revised policy language directing AIA Seattle Board and Staff equity and diversity work to take a more holistic view. 
• Racial Justice Townhall Working Group worked with Diversity Roundtable, Planning in Color, and NOMA NW to deliver Culture Change in Practice: A Leadership Cohort. 
• Diversity Roundtable hosted 2021 Solstice Event in collaboration with AIA Los Angeles J.E.D.I. and AIA Oregon CoEDI
• Member Committee co-chairs convened, with support of JE:DI Council, to evaluate and explore 2022 EDI efforts outlined in annual plans

HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Architects choose this profession out of a passion to make our communities better. Never has that urge been more important. We can and must act to make a difference — through our commitment to anti-racism, our design work, our intercultural understanding, our community leadership, and our workplace practices. We must begin by listening to the diverse communities we serve.

We accept the hard work ahead and take it on with humility. Please help us. Add to our learning and our dialogue with your thoughts and ideas. Speak up where you believe we should be better.

JE:DI Council members are appointed by the Council Chairs; the group is comprised of 7-8 AIA members in good standing that represent the diversity of membership. Please contact the Council Chairs to be considered.

Contact JE:DI Council

OTHER COMMITTEES & GROUPS THAT MAY OF INTEREST
Join Women in Design Committee
Join Diversity Roundtable
Join Young Architects Forum
Join Asian American Designers Union
Apply to participate in Laddership
Learn more about NOMA NW and their Call-to-Action

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Readings

• The Elephant in the (Well-Designed)Room An Investigation into Bias in the Architecture Profession (AIA National)
• Guides for Equitable Practice (AIA National)
• Equitable Development Frameworks (AIA National)
• Increasing Diversity in Architecture: Barriers to Entry (Architect)
• Increasing Diversity in Architecture: Designer-Led Solutions (Architect)
• Where Are My People? Hispanic and Latinx in Architecture (ACSA research report)
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Readings (BSA resource list of books and articles) 
• WID + DRT Conversations Toward an Equitable Practice (recaps of roundtable sessions)
• Disability Pride Month: Disability is Broader Than You Think (Psychology Today)
• Neurodiversity: Some Basic Terms and Definitions (Neurocosmopolitanism)
• Accessibility: A Beginner’s Guide to Fragrance and Chemical Sensitivities (Hedonish)
• Food Allergies in the Workplace Are Not Always What They Seem (Forbes)
• Virtual Events During Lockdown Are Proof That Greater Accessibility is Possible (Rooted in Rights)
• Why All Designers Need to Understand Color Blindness (99 Designs)
• Disability Visibility Project (Alice Wong)
• Yes We’re Calling It Hispanic Heritage Month And We Know It Makes Some Of You Cringe (NPR)
• Without Meaningful Allyship, Hearing People are Doomed to a Never-Ending Cycle of Poor Deaf Awareness (Rooted In Rights)
• Design For All: Karen Braitmayer (Architectural Digest)
• Campus Design & Planning: DeafSpace (Gallaudet University)
• In Palo Alto, a House for Deaf Clients Provides Clarity (Metropolis)
• Equity at Work (Mithun)
• IT Inclusive Language Guide (University of Washington)

Videos/Webinars

• How to Build Equity, Diversity, and Inclusive within Your Architecture Firm with Yiselle Santos Rivera (webinar, produced by Monograph)
• Breaking the Silence of Design (vodcast, produced by Karen Compton and Gabrielle Bullock)
• Gender, Sexuality, and Disability (Disability Philanthropy webinar)
• Down to the Struts: A podcast about disability and design (Qudsiya Naqui)
• Prioritizing Equitable Design: Developing Strategies for Accommodating Practices (AIA Chicago)

CEUs

• Spotlight on Equity: Architecture in Turbulent Times (AIAU course series)
• Inclusive Design Continuing Education (University of Buffalo Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access) 
• Online Accessibility / Universal Design Courses (AIA California)
• Inclusive Design Degree Programs (University of Buffalo)

Policy Resources/How-tos

• AIA Seattle Racial Justice Commitments
• Creating a Culture of Justice, Equity, and Inclusion for Your Architectural Practice (Perkins & Will whitepaper)
• Six Signature Traits of Inclusive Leadership (Deloitte)
• Accessible Spaces: A Fragrance-Free Toolkit (UCLA Center for the Study of Women)
• Best Practices for Handling Food Allergies in the Workplace (Workplace Diversity)
• How Managers Can Support Employees with Chronic Illnesses (Harvard Business Review)
• Respectful Interactions: Disability Language and Etiquette (NW ADA Center)
• 7 Ways to be More Inclusive of People with Invisible Disabilities (Hive Learning)
• How We Are Creating a More Just, Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive World: 2021 Update (HKS)

2022-2023 JE:DI COUNCIL