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July 26 is the 31st anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which set the minimum standards required by law for public spaces to be accessible to persons with disabilities. In recent decades it has also become more common to see spaces designed under the principles of accessible or universal design. Learn more about the difference between those two principles from The Universal Design Project and check out how this can apply to buildings and other civil/architectural spaces with these recommendations from the Whole Building Design Guide.
Finally, if you want to experience some universal design for yourself, check out Berkeley’s Ed Roberts Campus, right next to the Ashby Bart station. The campus is currently closed during the pandemic, but it is an excellent example of how thoughtful design can make a space welcoming to a broad range of people. June is Pride month, and we’d like to share some resources related to the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace. According to the 2020 NCSEA SE3 survey results, about 3.4% of the structural engineering community identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or “none of the above”, and 0.2% identifies as non-binary or gender non-conforming.  For a useful primer on terminology that goes along with accurately talking about the LGBTQ+ community, refer to the Glossary of LGBTQ Terms put together by the organization Out and Equal. This is part of their larger Toolkits and Guides resource list, which includes great pieces on how to support nonbinary and intersex people, and other marginalized groups in the workplace.
One simple way to show allyship to the LGBTQ+ community is to include pronouns in your email signature or when meeting someone for the first time. Companies can also show allyship by adapting their internal policies to be inclusive and supportive towards LGBTQ+ colleagues. Happy college graduation month! In honor of the many graduates and students finishing their exams and preparing to enter the workforce full time or as interns, we’d like to share some resources about hiring, and specifically about hiring with DEI goals in mind.
The DEI Spotlight is a monthly forum in the SEAONC Post in partnership with the SEAONC Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3) Committee to engage our members in the mission of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the structural engineering profession. In the wake of the shootings in Atlanta two weeks ago, please refer to the March 2021 DEI spotlight for resources and further reading on how to be an ally for the Asian American community in this troubling time. This month we’d like to highlight the fantastic work of the NCSEA SE3 Committee. The latest topic briefs from the 2020 NCSEA SE3 Survey have been released on Work Flexibility and Children & Dependent Care. Also check out the continuing monthly installments of Read.Watch.Listen. for many great DEI-related resources.  The DEI Spotlight is a monthly forum in the SEAONC Post in partnership with the SEAONC Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3) Committee to engage our members in the mission of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the structural engineering profession.
This month we’d like to bring attention to the recent attacks targeting Asian American seniors in the Bay Area. The Airbnb Asian@ Employee Resource Group (ERG) compiled an excellent resource list for allyship and fighting anti-Asian discrimination. For further reading on anti-Asian racism and discrimination: An interesting article about the Model Minority Myth and its influence on the apparent lack of Asian leadership in American corporate culture. Those firms that are missing out on the value of Asian leadership may have been allowing biased performance reviews to thwart advancement; this article from Harvard Business Review identifies this subtle issue with performance evaluations and how to make them less biased. The DEI Spotlight is a monthly forum in the SEAONC Post in partnership with the SEAONC Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3) Committee to engage our members in the mission of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the structural engineering profession.
February is Black History Month, so we’d like to highlight just a few of the many resources that discuss the history of Black and African American folks in the USA, both as it relates to our profession and within the broader society. For a look at the history of American slavery beginning in 1619 and its impact on today’s wealth gap or traffic, listen to the New York Times 1619 Podcast, which is part of the larger NYT 1619 Project. For a brief introduction of how race affects how we interact with and experience the built environment, watch Bryan Lee’s TEDx Talk Race, Architecture, and Tales for the Hood. (Watch time: 9 minutes) Finally, for more content from the author of last month’s SEAONC SE3 Racial Equity Book Club book Between the World and Me, read Ta-Nehisi Coates’s other novels. The DEI Spotlight is a monthly forum in the SEAONC Post in partnership with the SEAONC Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3) Committee to engage our members in the mission of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the structural engineering profession. Check out the free recordings of the 2020 NCSEA Virtual Summit panel discussion How Do We Progress Towards Racial Equity in the Structural Engineering Community? co-moderated by SEAONC SE3 Chair Tiffany Hwang, as well as the 2020 SEAOC Convention panel discussion Forum on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion moderated by SEAONC President Emily Guglielmo. NCSEA SE3, which administered the nationwide 2020 NCSEA SE3 Survey with over 5,000 responses, 1,159 of which were from California, has recently published their first topic brief on demographics. Excerpted below is a page on racial demographics of the survey respondents.  The DEI Spotlight is a monthly forum in the SEAONC Post in partnership with the SEAONC Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3) Committee to engage our members in the mission of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the structural engineering profession.
This month we’d like to highlight NCSEA SE3’s latest installment of Read.Watch.Listen, a forum to share and promote conversations on DEI resources. Read the Forbes Magazine article on Evidence That Company Diversity Leads to Better Profits and watch the Autodesk University webinar on Why Diversity and Inclusion in the AEC Industry is Necessary and How to Achieve It. NCSEA SE3, which administered the nationwide 2020 NCSEA SE3 survey with over 5,000 responses, has recently published their first topic brief on demographics. The DEI Spotlight is a monthly forum in the SEAONC Post in partnership with the SEAONC Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3) Committee to engage our members in the mission of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the structural engineering profession.
This month we’d like to share the pre-work resources that our firm leaders who participated in the Roundtable on Driving Innovation through DEI Strategies completed. Stay tuned for a best practices brief based on our findings from the roundtable.
Missed the first two sessions of the NCSEA DEI series? You can still listen to the recordings for free! Welcome to the first installment of the DEI Spotlight: a monthly forum in the SEAONC newsletter to share diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) resources. In partnership with the SEAONC Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3) Committee, we will share data, articles, explainers and upcoming events to engage our members in the mission of DEI in the structural engineering profession.
There are several upcoming NCSEA and SEAONC DEI events we’d like to highlight this month:
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SEAONC SE3 CommitteeDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Group The SEAONC SE3 Monthly DEI spotlight is a forum to engage our members and share resources relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the structural engineering profession.
You can also find the DEI Spotlight each month SEAONC Post Newsletter! Archives
May 2022
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