The Department of Psychology at UTSC recognizes the barriers and disproportionate costs faced by marginalized groups spanning, but not limited to, the domains and intersections between race, Indigeneity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, religion, neurodiversity, age, family structure, culture, circumstance, language, physical and mental health, socioeconomic status, and place of origin. We acknowledge that these barriers are present at the structural and individual levels within the field of psychology, and that our department needs to achieve progressive change across all levels towards equity, inclusion, and belonging. We believe such change can be accomplished through a norm of shared responsibility and humility. This entails a willingness to acknowledge sometimes painful truths and a commitment to learning about, understanding, and affirming the diversity of identities and lived experiences of our community members. We believe that such diversity has inherent value and that it strengthens our department.
To pursue our department’s values of equity, inclusion, and belonging, we make six overarching commitments:
- Centering lived experience when identifying barriers, priorities, and areas of need and strength, via data gathering and broad consultation
- Fostering opportunities to learn about, advance, and celebrate equity, diversity, and inclusion
- Reviewing recruitment practices and policies across levels and roles, to help identify and reduce barriers that disproportionately impact those from marginalized/underrepresented groups
- Building inclusive and accessible learning and working environments
- Bringing diverse and underrepresented perspectives into research teams, pedagogical approaches, and curricula.
- Recognizing that change at the level of departmental and institutional policies and administration is necessary for promoting sustainable, accountable, and systemic shifts towards equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Building relationships beyond the Department of Psychology to ensure that our work is connected with larger campus, university, and community efforts
Links to other Equity, Diversity & Inclusion resources: