BCFR’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is a natural extension of its mission to help individuals with developmental disabilities thrive in their communities, connect with others and achieve personal goals. We believe diversity within the agency’s workforce and among individuals served, families, and other partners leads to innovation, which drives us to create a culture that celebrates and supports people of every disability, race/ethnicity, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, and lived experience.  To help ensure this commitment translates into action, agency actions center around these goals:

• Improve access, inclusivity and equity for the people we serve
• Create a more inclusive and equitable climate and culture at BCFR
• Support more innovative and inclusive educational and professional development experiences
• Recruit, retain and develop a more diverse staff

Improve access, inclusivity and equity for the people we serve

• New agency website includes more accessible and multi-lingual features
• Evaluating agency forms and processes to assure inclusion of all identities

Create a more inclusive and equitable climate and culture at BCFR

• DEI committee was established with diverse representation from all agency teams
• DEI culture survey completed by employees to gauge successes and ways to improve
• Presentations to staff regarding a variety of topics
• Provided food labels at staff gatherings to identify ingredients used in foods for cultural and dietary considerations
• Support of small businesses through group lunch orders

Support more innovative and inclusive educational and professional development experiences

• Provided quarterly trainings for all employees regarding biases, microaggressions, belonging, etc.
• Celebration held to provide education regarding a variety of topics for all employees

Recruit, retain and develop a more diverse staff

• Eleven paid holidays throughout the year in recognition and celebration of nationally recognized holidays
• Established a “floating” religious holiday that staff members can use in lieu of the Christmas holiday
• Recognition of gender pronouns for all employees and inclusion of these offered on business cards, e-mails, name door plaques, etc.
• Additional efforts to address the “whole” employee such as providing a fitness area, changing how employees can use paid personal time, and providing information monthly about the agency’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Create Disability Awareness Through Video Storytelling

• To foster a culture of acceptance and belonging, staff produced a series of videos featuring stories that highlight the importance of inclusion and understanding. These videos are shared on the BCFR YouTube and in local elementary school classrooms with the goal to educate and inspire others by showcasing powerful narratives about individuals with disabilities and the value of embracing diversity.