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As we step into the (hopefully warmer) spring days of 2024, we at ICADV hope you will continue to the necessary efforts efforts to celebrate and build up diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Conversations around DEI expand daily and, while we have seen some improvements in creating brave, accepting spaces for marginalized people, there’s always an abundance of work to do. While this can feel overwhelming, we hope you will instead think of this as an abundance of opportunity in which you can increase your capacity for making sure others are seen and heard, and that their belonging is authentic.
In peace,
The ICADV DEI Committee
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Lastly, over the course of March and April, we honor the following days: | |
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Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community.
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Equal Pay Day (enjoy this honest, although sometimes awkward, video in which two newscasters discuss), a day which raises awareness for the staggering pay gap in the United States between men and women, as well as the discrepancies between white workers and Black, Hispanic, and/or other ethnic groups who are paid less than white workers.
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Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, and organizations with the opportunity to recognize the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual.
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Although Easter is widely known as a Christian holiday, the event also has roots in Paganism. As well, many non-religious people celebrate Easter with a good chocolate bunny and some colorfully dyed eggs! Ever wonder why we the eggs? Check out this article.
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The International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual day of recognition, celebrated around the world on March 31st, which is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments and victories of transgender and gender-expansive people, while simultaneously raising awareness of the work that is still needed to combat discrimination and violence.
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On World Autism Day, we strive to acknowledge and advocate for the rights of individuals with autism around the world, to remember there is no one way to “be autistic” and that each individual with autism experiences it differently. It’s also important to note that the terms "Autism Awareness Day" and "Autism Awareness Month" are often contested by autism rights advocates, who claim that they feed into perceived ableism against autistic people. Such groups, including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, advocate using the term "Autism Acceptance day" as an alternative for both events under the belief that it promotes overcoming anti-autism prejudice rather than simply increasing awareness of autism.
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Ramadan Ends: A commemoration of Muhammad's first revelation, the annual observance of Ramadan is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and lasts twenty-nine to thirty days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next.
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Passover (Pesach) is a Jewish holiday which celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. On the first two nights of Passover (just the first night in Israel), Jews hold a Passover meal called a Seder. After candles have been lit, there is a ritual-rich 15-step feast, which centers around telling the story of the Exodus.
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Lesbian Visibility Week: This week-long awareness event occurs each year and aims to increase visibility, representation, and support for the lesbian community. This intentionally includes nonbinary people and transgender women, as both may identify as lesbians as well. It's also vital to take an intersectional approach and lift the voices of BIPOC and POC lesbians.
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Words and language are some of the most powerful connections and communication tools humans have. Learning to be more thoughtful and conscientious of the language we use in our daily lives is imperative to being effective communicators. As ICADV members, we add a layer of responsibility with the words we choose to use as we work with those who are, or have been, experiencing trauma. What we say can hurt or retraumatize another. | |
Highlighted Issue: Words don’t just matter because they can hurt someone’s feelings, words matter because they have everyday, real-world consequences. How we talk about mental health has the power to normalize help seeking behaviors, but misguided language use has minimized the seriousness of mental health disorders. Stigmas and misconceptions about mental health are intensified when we equate an everyday, human experience to a symptom of a mental illness. Such as: | | |
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Prioritizing cleanliness is not OCD. Forgetting something is not ADHD. Changing your mind often does not make you bipolar. These are mental health conditions that require a diagnosis and are also sometimes so severe they can qualify for disability. | | |
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A person lacking empathy or motivated by self-interest does not necessarily make them a narcissist or sociopath. Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and even Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD or sociopathy) are mental health conditions which require a clinical diagnosis. | | |
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Disliking an experience does not give you trauma/PTSD. Trauma is much more complex than that. In the same vein, using “I’m triggered” has essentially become slang to express every simple distress, engulfing real proclamations of triggers and diluting the clinical purpose of them. These are psychological terms that hold valuable meaning and express real symptoms of mental illness that are far more intense than a bad haircut or a hard conversation. | |
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Most of us are guilty of using at least one of these words/phrases inappropriately before, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start being more mindful now. Minimizing and generalizing mental health conditions and the real, everyday struggles people go through only spreads misinformation about mental health and makes it harder for those seeking help to be taken seriously, especially when people are self-diagnosing now more than ever. OCD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and beyond are all clinical diagnoses that a psychiatrist has to diagnose and even then, they can be misdiagnosed. With the overuse of therapy language as well, we are leaving ourselves and others vulnerable when something serious happens. If we are always using the most intense words (narcissist, PTSD, traumatized, abusive, gas lighting, suicidal, etc.) to describe life’s inconveniences, it waters down the importance and urgency of true instances we need to use these words. By then, we may not be taken seriously. Being careless with words can negate their true purpose. Ever heard of the boy who cried wolf?
Additionally, think about applying person-first language to mental health. If a person is constantly thinking “I am depressed” or is hearing “you are a narcissist,” that might be the only way they can see themselves and think there is no point in self-development. Person-first language like “I am a person with depression” or “you struggle with a narcissistic personality disorder” helps us overcome labels that consume our identity, fight the shame and stigma against them, and encourage those with the conditions to seek out help. Don’t forget: many individuals struggle with their mental health in silence- our words impact more people than we know!
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In Illinois
Illinois Mandates Paid Leave: Effective January 1, 2024, IL will be the third U.S. state to guarantee paid time off (PTO). For every 40 hours worked, IL workers will accrue 1 hour of PTO, up to 40 hours. This win will be especially equitable for women who have (usually overwhelming) caretaking duties and other marginalized communities who are less likely to have PTO benefits. While we acknowledge that lack of benefits is a larger issue with a better solution yet to be found, we should still celebrate this step towards equity! Learn more about the key provisions of this mandate.
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IL Judge Removed from Bench: An Illinois judge who sparked outrage by reversing a man’s rape conviction involving a 16-year-old girl has been removed from the bench after a judicial oversight body found he circumvented the law and engaged in misconduct. The Illinois Courts Commission removed Adams County Judge Robert Adrian from the bench Friday after it held a three-day hearing in Chicago in November on a compliant filed against Adrian. It’s a decision says Adrian “engaged in multiple instances of misconduct” and “abused his position of power to indulge his own sense of justice while circumventing the law. |
Native Americans Hopeful for Land Return and Racist School Mascot ban in Illinois: Illinois lawmakers could pass several pieces of legislation this spring to help Native Americans across the state. One proposal could support the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation's goal to reclaim land stolen from them more than 200 years ago. The measure would allow Illinois to transfer ownership of Shabbona Lake State Park to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Sponsors and advocates told reporters in Springfield Thursday that the park and houses surrounding it currently sit on reservation land in DeKalb County. | REMEMBER: With the Illinois Legislative Session in full swing, please be on the lookout for news, Calls to Action, bills, updates, and legislative events from ICADV and Programs. Policy work is key for meeting the needs of underserved communities, and we encourage you to get involved. To subscribe to policy emails, please click here! |
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Around the World
The Taliban and the Global Backlash Against Women's Rights: In the last two and a half years after regaining power in Afghanistan, the Taliban, have created the world’s most serious women’s rights crisis. They have systematically violated the rights of women and girls including as they relate to education, paid employment, freedom of speech and movement, and political participation among many others. The response of the international community has been tepid and seems to lack an appreciation of how the situation in Afghanistan has grave implications for the rights of women and girls globally. More needs to be done to prevent this from developing any further and to reinforce global commitment to gender equality.
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In Our Nation
Lawmaker Proposes Stricter Domestic Violence Law (NY): Assembly woman Jen Lunsford wants New York state to be tougher on those who commit domestic violence crimes. Lunsford, D-East Rochester, recently introduced legislation (A.8901) to create a separate category of domestic violence crimes that will be eligible for immediate arrest, cash bail upon arrest, and enhanced criminal sentences upon conviction. “This bill will provide reassurance that New York takes domestic violence very seriously, as well as have the practical effects of giving victims and survivors time to take safety precautions by making domestic violence crimes bail eligible and subject to immediate arrest and allowing for enhanced sentences of those convicted of such a crime,” Lunsford wrote in her legislative justification.
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Nonbinary Student Fatally Bullied (OK): The sequence of events leading to 16-year-old Nex Benedict's death shows a broader societal failure to protect vulnerable youth and principles of inclusivity and acceptance. Nex's story should serve as a reminder of the urgent need for comprehensive anti-bullying measures and robust support systems for LGBTQ+ students. Unfortunately, this story is not the first to end with a fatal death but we sincerely hope that it will be the last. That’s why we wanted to discuss the importance of a more inclusive and safer space for young people. How can we improve it? How, as a society, can we fight against hate crimes and discrimination? |
Alabama Declared Embryos as Viable Children: The Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling on February 16 declaring that embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) should be considered children. Several of the state’s IVF clinics have since paused services, and lawmakers, doctors, and patients are raising concerns about the far-ranging impacts of the ruling on health care, including reproductive technology. In a bonus episode of the Public Health On Call podcast, Joanne Rosen, JD, MA, a practice professor in Health Policy and Management and an expert in reproductive law, explains why this decision is so extraordinary. She discusses the immediate response to the ruling, its significance in the post-Dobbs era, and what could happen next. | |
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April is Autism Awareness month. While neurodivergence is more widely discussed these days, it is still a disability that many do not understand. Its invisibility often adds to the misinformation and misunderstanding that it is surrounded by.
There are other forms of neurodivergence such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (“ADHD”), oppositional defiant disorder (“ODD”), and obsessive compulsive disorder (“OCD”). OCD is one of the most debilitating neurodivergent disorders, while often being incorrectly discussed or used by those without a diagnosis (for example, a person saying they are OCD because they clean so much or like to be organized) as well as wrong and surface level portrayals in the media.
Samantha "Sam" Gaddy, ICADV’s Director of Fatality Review, was diagnosed years ago with OCD. She agreed to help educate our Coalition on the challenges of it. There is a vast spectrum of OCD, and this is from her experience and lens:
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Q: When were you diagnosed?
Sam: I was Officially diagnosed in 2010 at the age of 25. I knew I had it for much longer and doctors had tossed it around before, but the symptoms were starting to interfere with my daily life, and I could not ignore it anymore. I went in for help and this is when I was diagnosed.
Q: What does it affect physically and mentally?
Sam: People have a lot of misconceptions of OCD especially because of how it is portrayed in media/movies. It is always shown as fear of germs and frequently washing hands. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, and only some with OCD even struggle with that. My understanding of OCD is that people feel anxious or discomfort, often severe, about something and to calm the discomfort they do something to address the thought. The thought is the obsession, and the compulsion is the behavior.
For me, I am unable to quickly move through completing things. Anything can cause distraction and difficulty focusing. I have to touch things and count a certain number on a page, it can be hard to soak in. I also struggle with counting. I have to count a certain way and make numbered rules in my head. For example, I will tell myself I have to read 12 emails and then write 12 lines and then put 12 things in my timesheet exactly, and if I mess up the order, I have to start over. In my personal life, I will do counting and create rituals with daily activities that cause things to take so much longer than what it should take – like washing the dishes, opening mail, cleaning out the refrigerator, and lose focus on other activities, which interferes with all sorts of things, like timeliness and feeling rested. If something is stuck in my head, like washing 12 things, I am heavily anxious about it, and the only way to remove that anxiety is to complete what is in my head, what I’m feeling anxious about. And it’s not a “oh there are dishes in my sink and it’s bothering me” or “all the hangers have to match because the closet is prettier that way” kind of anxiety; it’s increased heart rate, feeling like I can’t breathe, fear of falling apart kind of anxiety or uncomfortableness.
And still, doing the action only temporarily relieves the anxiety. What is frustrating is I know this is not rational, and I want to stop, but it is a serious feeling that often interferes with daily life and function unless I work really hard every day. Knowing it is not rational doesn’t stop the thoughts. When I am stressed, all of these get even stronger. When I am in a good place, they are not as strong.
Another thing that causes challenges is that I make lists obsessively, otherwise I repeat things in head and cannot concentrate on anything else. I have a huge fear of forgetting something. I feel that I must write things down, even brushing teeth, dressing, etc. in order to get things done. I tried not making lists but it caused more distracting anxiety so that I did end up forgetting my insulin pump at home once, for example. It interferes with everything. I feel like I have to pause anything I do to make whatever list begins to form in my head. If I do not, and say I am in a meeting or conversing with someone, I can only think of the series of words I want to write down. The words repeat over and over in my head nearly drowning out everything else. People think it is organized, but it is out of anxiety and fear. I have so many lists, I stress over losing them and I re-write them over and over because they don’t look right. I often have too many things on the list, yet I often feel like I can’t move forward without trying to accomplish things on them. It’s exhausting.
ll as peer to peer education. For October 2023 DVAM, we conducted our peer advocate leadership training in Korean, Chinese, Mongolian and Mandarin, and over 30 people graduated and reached out to their peers to deliver the materials that they learned, the total graduate number is about 50. They have continued to be leaders and have connected us to their places of worship and their social groups, this is forming a social web of trust building and that makes a huge difference in reaching the underserved and underreached. It also helps in breaking down the cultural norms and taboos surrounding violence, so people are more ready to support survivors.
Q: What are some OCD treatments offered?
Sam: Several years ago, I was offered a treatment called Exposure Therapy. This type of therapy sets up exposure to the thing that is giving anxiety. The point is to show yourself that if you do not give in to the anxiety by doing or touching or writing the thing in your head, etc, whatever your fear is will not actually happen. My compulsions are accompanied by the fear of losing control of myself and
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(cont.)
everyone seeing me fall apart/life falling apart, or some other consequence, if I do not act on an obsession. Exposure therapy sounded terrifying to me and I put it off for years. Here is why I finally tried it: during COVID, my isolation and fear of public places increased to a level that started affecting my toddler. I was afraid to take her places that she needed to go for her own development, like the library or the store. I would pull her at the park but would not let her near kids or on equipment. I would not take her to indoor kid places, etc. because I feared the germs that she might be exposed to. I only realized how this was now affecting my daughter when I bought her a toy shopping cart to play with, and she did not even know what it was or what to do with it, because I had never been to the store with her. So, for my therapy, I had to make a ladder of things that stressed me out least to most, like taking her to the front yard to play vs having her play on park equipment. I took baby steps in exposing myself and her to activities and touching things, and it grew to now being comfortable taking her to the store. I am getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and letting myself see that the worst fear I thought would happen, would not actually come to pass. She now loves Target, and it helps me to see how excited she gets when she goes. Focusing on the benefit, like her happiness, can help. I also have to try not to think too much before doing it, otherwise I will work myself up to anxious state.
There is also Cognitive and Dialectical Behavioral therapy which teach you how to get comfortable being uncomfortable, and there is medication. However, you can also get treatment for onset of behaviors, and a whole new set will begin. It is constant work.
Q: How does it affect socializing?
Sam: It is similar in how it affects work. I will be late to a lunch because of the compulsion to make lists before I go. I will put things and hangouts off because of anxiousness or feeling like I have to accomplish something else first like my list of 12s. They see outcomes like that I was late but do not see what is behind it. It’s exhausting and trying to hide it is exhausting.
Q: What accommodations do we need to make for survivors or even staff that have OCD?
Sam: It would make a huge difference if people had a more accurate understanding of what OCD is and what it is not. Of course, those who have it, must be accountable for their actions like lateness, and need to seek out and participate in their own treatment. Yet, it would help if people understood the reasons behind actions like chronic lateness and what led to it without assuming that someone is just being disrespectful of others’ time, or just being purposely defiant. I know that I need self-accountability, but I also need support. I have to work really hard on my challenges, and I am responsible for doing that. I think those with OCD, especially survivors, would just like those they work or live with to understand why certain behaviors happen, as comments and judgements can often exacerbate the condition.
Q: Do you have any resources you recommend for further education on OCD?
Sam: Someone recommended a book to me that I found very helpful “The boy who couldn’t stop washing: The experience and treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder by Judith Rapoprt” – Germs and handwashing are only one subset of those who have OCD and this book goes through personal stories of OCD and different ways that it can manifest.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Sam: I always go back to how people say things like “Sorry, that is my OCD” or saying “I am OCD too” without a diagnosis. It undermines the disability and lessens the challenges of those who live with it. If you enjoy doing something, like cleaning or organizing, it isn’t the same as having obsessions and compulsions. OCD is an actual disorder that people live with, and struggle with, every day and we don’t enjoy it. It qualifies for disability for a reason, and it can affect everything and everyone in your life.
| You don’t have to understand every nuance of every mental health challenge or be a qualified mental health practitioner to understand that mental health and disabilities (both physical and mental) are part of the world we live in. Because of this, giving survivors and even your coworkers the grace to work through their challenges without shaming them or making them feel guilt for their behavior is akin to trauma-informed care. It’s the same concept: acknowledging that there is a full picture of this person that you can only see part of and acting in that way. | |
DEI doesn’t have to be just another one of those meetings and trainings we have - you know, the ones where you take a deep breath and force yourself to listen. Navigating DEI and learning about the ways we can be more inclusive benefits the communities we work in as well as the underrepresented survivors we work with. Take fifteen to twenty minutes this week and sit down with a colleague, your team, or even just with your dog or cat. Choose one or even a few of the below actions to get started: | |
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Order and Read Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez, where the author discusses how data shapes resource allocation and decision making across crucial areas in the systems we operate within. You can buy it from Barnes and Noble or Amazon—though we strongly suggest supporting your local, indie bookstores!
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Explore satisfaction surveys in your workplace to better grasp the perceptions of your offices culture as well as allowing employees to be honest about their experience.
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Listen to the Mentally Healthy Nation Podcast where psychiatrists and other experts talk about varying aspects of mental health and its impact on ourselves and our communities.
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Download a browser extension called Witty that helps educate users on bias and in turn helps them be more inclusive.
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Explore your local communities’ events and find a way to get involved. A good start is to follow your town/city/village on their social media and or websites and staying in the loop!
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Practice Empathy. In this article you can read how to be more empathetic and learn different tips to help improve connection with others.
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