Unity in Diversity: Celebrating a joyful gathering of Jr. Youth from different races, showcasing the strength of a vibrant, inclusive community.
Question: Is this example of inclusive practices the norm in your community? If not, what barriers need to be removed which prevent inclusive and welcoming participation?
Striving to remove barriers that prevent us from building Vibrant, Diverse, Inclusive, Accessible Communities!
Inclusion and Accessibility for People with Disabilities are not products to be purchased or outsourced to others. The focus should be on strategic outcomes and not simply on compliance. Real commitment builds real trust.
These core values are fundamental to building vibrant communities and should be responsibly and ethically woven into every stage—from planning to implementation and ongoing improvements. Every decision should actively and intentionally incorporate them, ensuring they are never neglected or treated as an afterthought.
Treating accessibility for People with Disabilities as an act of charity, done at our convenience and out of generosity, is a Grave Injustice.
Removing barriers to accessibility should be embraced as a service to humanity, guided by the principles of Unity in Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Justice.
Inclusion is the ongoing work of removing barriers that prevent equitable participation for People with Disabilities and other marginalized groups, ensuring a welcoming community by creating a sincere sense of belonging.
Our inclusion and accessibility accomplishments should recognize and respect the inherent and inestimable value of these otherwise marginalized people and groups, ensuring they are fully embraced as essential members of the community we are building—a community that is also theirs.
"Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down." -President George H. W. Bush
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About Us
Welcome to The Shining Lamp
This space is about building community.
Imagine a vibrant community where a diverse mosaic of otherwise marginalized members, including people of different Races, Disabilities, Ages, Genders, and Cultures, are warmly embraced and empowered to participate fully and inclusively in all of their community's activities and events, fostering a profound sense of belonging and unity. This web resource aims to guide the creation of vibrant communities by removing barriers to accessibility, following the Baha'i Teachings and Best Practices for Inclusive Design, and integrating these critical strategies into our community-building process. It emphasizes that everyone should feel valued and have equitable opportunities to participate, contribute, and thrive within their own communities.
A vibrant community where: Opportunities abound for diverse individuals and groups, including those historically marginalized, to engage meaningfully. In their vibrant community, children from all backgrounds receive the encouragement they need to explore and grow, while older members share their wisdom and experiences, each valued for their contributions to their vibrant community.
A Vibrant community where: People with Disabilities find that the community’s programs, services, activities, events, communications, and materials are carefully designed and planned to be fully accessible, welcoming and inclusive!
A vibrant community where you can participate in engaging activities and events that promote intergenerational interaction and cultural exchange. Imagine a vibrant community where you immerse yourself in dynamic presentations or explore cultural exhibitions that celebrate a rich tapestry of diverse histories and experiences. Such endeavors cultivate mutual respect, understanding, and unity among diverse community members. – Unity in Diversity! These efforts align with the Baha'i community-building process, linking personal growth with social transformation and fostering meaningful friendships and even stronger bonds beyond barriers of disability, race, culture, age, and class.
A vibrant community is nurturing and inclusive, committed to achieving Unity in Diversity, where everyone can thrive at every level. It's a vibrant community where diverse and accessible initiatives create an environment of mutual support and collective growth. The Baha'i emphasis on inclusivity and reciprocity ensures that everyone, feels a sense of belonging, value and purpose.
The problem is, barriers continue to exist for many marginalized people.
Marginalized people encounter significantly greater barriers related to race, disability, gender, age, and culture often preventing the ability to participate in their community. This is primarily due to the lack of adequate planning for inclusion and accessibility, and is often influenced by majority dynamics. Sadly, this leaves us with an unbalanced community. One which is not at all like what is described above.
To build vibrant and inclusive communities, we must remove barriers and ensure balance among the three main protagonists, the Individual, the Community, and Institutions. Just as a three-legged stool needs balanced legs to support itself, a community needs balanced roles and equitable participation to thrive. Guided by Unity in Diversity, Equity, and Justice, achieving this balance is essential for building a Vibrant, Inclusive, Accessible Community.
From the many examples and stories of his travels and engagements, Abdul-Baha’s focus on Unity and Justice, and inclusion of historically marginalized populations, should guide our Reflection Gatherings and Community Building efforts. As Shoghi Effendi stated, “If any discrimination is at all to be tolerated, it should be a discrimination not against, but rather in favour of the minority, be it racial or otherwise.”
For the bedrock of the Bahá’í administrative order is the principle of unity in diversity, which has been so strongly and so repeatedly emphasized in the writings of the Cause.
-Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 90
We should adopt the principles of Unity in Diversity, Justice, and Inclusion, acknowledging the wealth of diversity in our community. Prioritizing Race Unity and eliminating all forms of racism through willful anti-racism, guided by Abdul-Baha's teachings, is essential. Recognizing systemic barriers, we must remove all forms of discrimination and ensure equitable opportunities.
Building an age-friendly community involves nurturing connections among diverse ages and supporting champions of Age-Friendly programs, services, and inclusive events.
We must remove barriers for People with Disabilities by planning ahead and ensuring that all Programs, Services, Events, and Materials are Inclusive and Accessible, through ongoing consultation with those who best understand the barriers they face.
Without these efforts, the community remains divided into factions of "haves" and "have nots," perpetuating inequalities and undermining unity, justice, and inclusion. Reflecting on Abdul-Baha's teachings, we share the responsibility to uplift all marginalized members of our community and create environments of genuine equity, inclusion, and belonging.
So what can we do about removing barriers?
How can we learn about and remove barriers that prevent us from building Diverse, Vibrant, Inclusive, Accessible Communities?
Let's find out together!
Raise awareness about accessibility
Recognized as a fundamental human right under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, access to information and the internet is crucial. With over one billion people globally living with disabilities, ensuring accessibility is paramount. Discover the International Accessibility Standards and their role in fostering inclusivity in your on-line publications. Join the cause by watching and sharing these videos to raise awareness and advocate to remove barriers that prevent us from building Diverse, Vibrant, Inclusive, Accessible Communities!
Accessibility: Essential for Some, Useful for All
Learn and Use the International Accessibility Standards
To ensure your communication is accessible and inclusive in emails, meetings, events, videos, newsletters, websites, apps, and other materials produced, published and used, it's vital to follow International Accessibility Standards developed using a comprehensive inclusive process. Thankfully, Accessibility Training offers free and easy-to-learn standards for you to utilize.
Plan and Host Accessible Events
Abdul-Baha exemplified unity, justice, and inclusion of marginalized people, including those with disabilities. It's crucial for event planners to prioritize accessibility for participants. Removing barriers and establishing just relationships is key to uplifting everyone and building vibrant communities.
Change our Mindset from the Medical Model to the Social Model of Disability
Shifting from the medical to the social model of disability is critical because it emphasizes the need to address systemic barriers and promote inclusivity, rather than solely focusing on fixing individual impairments.
Use ALT Text and Descriptive Images
Boost your image accessibility - learn how to write meaningful ALT text. Learn to tell the difference between simply identifying what's present in the image and offering a clear and concise description of it.
Write Inclusive Accessible Email Messages
Effective communication is crucial in creating diverse, inclusive communities, and email messages are a common tool used for sharing information. If messages aren't inclusive and accessible, they can stifle and harm community building by creating a sense of "otherness" instead of belonging. It is essential to remove these barriers and create truly diverse, vibrant, and inclusive communities.
Learn about and Use Audio Description in Video for Blind and Low Vision Accessibility
To ensure accessibility for those who are Blind or have Low Vision, be sure to use videos with Audio Descriptions for presentations and enable Audio Descriptions during presentations and video creation. This article emphasizes the importance of Audio Descriptions, their role, and how to incorporate them for a more inclusive digital world.
Fix the Unusable Flaws of Print with Online PDF for Accessibility and Inclusive Design.
Fixing the flaws of relying on print publications and online PDFs for accessibility and inclusive design is crucial in today's digital landscape. Traditional PDF formats prioritize designer control over presentation, but an inclusive approach prioritizes user control and accessibility instead. The PDF format, while offering designer control, presents significant barriers for people with disabilities, such as limited customization options and problems for screen reader users. Alternative formats and consultation with people with disabilities are essential steps towards truly useful and inclusive content creation, ensuring that digital environments are accessible and equitable for all users.
Make Materials Accessible to Your Blind Friends.
Include blind friends in meetings by providing accessible formats like braille, audio, large print, or electronic copies. Check privately for their preferred format which can be obtained easily through a certified transcriber, enabling full participation.
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Remove barriers and unlock the full potential of the Shining Lamp Collection of Resources!
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Discover a world of illuminating insights, understanding and effective ways to take action with the Shining Lamp's online collection of articles.
Keep up to date with What's New!
Stay up-to-date with the latest and most intriguing content on the Shining Lamp website. Explore a variety of captivating articles, videos, and resources that will keep you informed and ready and able to remove barriers. Don't miss out on the opportunity to discover something new and exciting every time you visit the site.
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Be an Upholder and Defender of the Victims of Oppression
Take action to remove barriers that prevent us from building inclusive and just communities. Establish equitable relationships among individuals, communities, and institutions of society that uplift all and reject the idea of "othering." Uphold and defend the rights of those who suffer from oppression and be a beacon of hope and compassion.
Remove Barriers
Our 9 Year Plan includes a call to action for us to remove barriers to building vibrant communities. By identifying and addressing the barriers that exist, we can foster a more inclusive and equitable environment that empowers individuals and supports collective growth.
Unity in Diversity
The Baha'i concept of Unity in Diversity holds that despite differences in race, gender, disability, age, and culture, there is a fundamental unity underlying all human experience.
The Baha'i Faith and People with Disabilities
As members of society, it is our collective responsibility to remove barriers and promote inclusion for people with disabilities. We should strive to ensure equal opportunities, educate ourselves and others to combat prejudice, and eliminate stereotypes and prejudices. Let us work together towards building diverse, vibrant, and accessible communities where People with Disabilities are valued and included.
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