SECONDARY STORY
Research identifies greater need for DEA&I in business community Amplifying Voices project reveals gap between the willingness of businesses to embrace diversity, equity, accessibility and ability to implement By Ken Partridge
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e need help. That is the main message conveyed by business owners and operators participating in the Amplifying Voices research project. Amplifying Voices found the vast majority of businesses in Halifax Regional Municipality are concerned about issues surrounding diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion (DEA&I) and want to do better in these areas. However, they aren’t sure how to proceed and are looking for guidance. “The study found businesses are
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committed to addressing issues of injustice spanning all aspects of the spectrum of diversity, but urgently need further guidance and practical assistance on how to put their statements of intent into the operation of their businesses,” says Professor David Divine, lead researcher on the project and founder of Footprint Life Coaching. “The will is there. What is missing is how to implement it in practice.” Divine says the tipping point in so many business leaders wanting to pursue
FEBRUARY 2022
DEA&I in their operations is different for everyone. In some cases, it’s deeply personal. For others, current events played a role. “The driving force for many business leaders in pursuing measures of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in their businesses is personal and work experiences that triggered moments of self-reflection and thoughts of those facing injustice and discrimination,” Divine says. “The public death of George Floyd and the aftermath of shock and horror was one such moment.”
