As a team of researchers, health and healthcare professionals, disability advocates and educators we value the diversity of the human experience and intersecting identities. We believe that all communities have knowledge and experiences which contribute to our understanding of health, quality of life, and health care for all people. We also do our work recognizing that people with disabilities face many barriers to health and meaningful participation in community. These barriers may include racism, sexism, ableism, classism, transphobia, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination, and communities with multiple identities are often impacted the most. The disability rights and justice movements have a long and impactful history of working toward addressing these challenges. We honor this work by committing to the following actions;  

• Elevating the stories and perspectives of people with lived experience and from diverse communities as experts in their own lives, and collaborating with communities to impact change
• Partnering with people with disabilities to teach the next generation of healthcare providers 
• Increasing resources in our community that support self-determination for people with disabilities  
• Offering information in a variety of formats and languages, as well as research in plain language 
• Leading by example to promote inclusivity in healthcare, policy, research, and educational spaces, recognizing the harmful history of these spaces and working to ensure people with disabilities are actively welcomed and included as colleagues 
• Hiring and promoting leadership opportunities for people with disabilities and sharing power to create spaces where lived experience guides our work 
• Including people with lived experience to create and lead new research ideas  
• Examining our own beliefs and biases and working to change our perspectives so we can impact change within the systems we work in 
• Listening to the community on an ongoing basis, especially communities who have experienced oppression, to understand what communities need most 
• Evaluating our current work in response to community needs 

2023 DEI Impact Report

Plan Language Resources:  

Green Mountain Self-Advocates Group: Plain Language Booklet on Racism and Police Violence

Green Mountain Self-Advocates Group: A Plain Language Guide about Ableism and Violence

Green Mountain Self-Advocates Group: Intersectionality, What Does That Mean?