DEAI Action Plan.pdf

1 Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, & Inclusion at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

THE MARITIME AQUARIUM AT NORWALK

DIVERSITY, EQUITY,

ACCESSIBILITY &

INCLUSION

Originally published Sept 2021, Revised August 2023

2 Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, & Inclusion at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

CONTENTS

Committee Members Representation 5 Process & Materials

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TMA DEAI COMMITTEE

PURPOSE

The Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) Committee at The Maritime Aquarium exists to provide vision and recommendations to leadership designed to promote DEAI in Aquarium policies, procedures, and everyday interactions, both internally and externally.

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TMA DEAI

MISSION STATEMENT

The Maritime Aquarium strives to create a culture that acknowledges differences exist; welcomes, engages and empowers all voices; and expresses our shared commitment to a diverse, equitable and inclusive community.

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COMMITTEE

MEMBERS

REPRESENTATION

The role of each committee member is to bring new perspectives and ideas to the table, leading to a better problem-solving and decision-making process while being a conduit of DEAI communi-cation, fostering real organizational change. The

Committee seeks to have representation from all divisions, levels, backgrounds and experiences.

In support of creating a culture of belonging, the

DEAI Committee meetings will be open to all staff and volunteers to attend. Those who would like to stop in and listen, or are interested in assisting the committee in specific projects, can do so without a long-term commitment.

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PROCESS AND MATERIALS

MEETINGS

The DEAI Committee will meet, openly, on a monthly basis. An agenda will be sent out prior to the meeting along with the previous meeting’s recap. At the conclusion of each meeting action items will be assigned to Committee members as appropriate. Working groups may be formed to accomplish action items for discussion and review at the next meeting. Committee mem-bers may need to enlist the assistance of their non-DEAI committee depart-ment peers or directors to complete action items.

CONDUCT AND

CONVERSATIONS

This Committee is a safe space for our team to learn, grow and encourage each other to make impactful deci-sions for our organization. Members will be given respect to speak freely at all times, and peers are asked to actively listen vs. listen to respond.

Aggressive, accusatory or otherwise inappropriate language or behavior towards others during discussion will not be tolerated during meetings or anytime while on the premises or while representing our organization.

DOCUMENTS

All staff will have access to DEAI related documents and resources on the DEAI page of our internal staff communications portal. Meeting notes, the organizational action plan, open action items and more will be accessible to all.

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OVERVIEW

As awareness of social injustice, discrimination and inequity began to rise in the United States exponentially in 2020, The Maritime Aquarium was compelled to take a stand as a community leader. The Aquarium formed a formal DEAI Committee, endorsed a public statement in support of AZA’s stand on social in-justice, and identified a need within our own community to create awareness of DEAI-related matters. The Aquarium strives to create a culture where the needs of others are respected, unique perspectives are appreciated and differences are celebrated.

Initially, the DEAI committee started with a representative from each depart-ment, meeting bi-monthly and positioned as an action committee focused on awareness and training..

The Committee was able to accomplish amazing results in its first year.

identified and communicated to the team.

The Aquarium began to think differently.

As accredited members of the AZA community we are not only leading by exam-ple in our community, we are also leading by example for our industry. While making strides to create a more diverse, equitable, accessible and inclusive environment within our footprint, we also have a strong commitment to DEAI initiatives in support of our planet, our oceans and our wildlife. As members of the ACP community and participants on ACP’s Racial and Environmental Justice Working Group, we continue to lobby and engage with our peers to achieve better policies and laws to protect our natural world.

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In 2021, the Committee identified a need for expert assistance in order to con-tinue forward movement. In 2022, through a formal RFP process, KJR consulting was chosen as our official partner to guide and advise The Maritime Aquarium on all DEAI related issues. As part of their scope of work, staff, volunteer and board members participated in a DEAI baseline survey, three separate training sessions, and worked closely with the DEAI committee to update and refine the current organizational DEAI action plan.

Through our work with KJR, it was identified that the DEAI Committee would be better served as an advisory committee to Senior Leadership. With limited resources within the committee to launch initiatives, working as an action group would prove to be challenging and less effective.

As an advisory group, the DEAI Committee’s purpose is to identify and suggest possible solutions, training or resources to achieve our goals of inspiring a cul-ture of belonging, engaging the community we serve and measuring our prog-ress.

Committee meetings are open to all members of the Aquarium staff, volunteers and Board members and are held monthly. The DEAI Committee is directly overseen by the Director of People and Culture.

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CORE PRIORITIES

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INSPIRE A CULTURE

OF BELONGING

OVERVIEW

At The Maritime Aquarium, we have the opportunity to inspire a culture of belonging amongst our staff and volunteers as well as the community we serve.

The Committee will identify and suggest ways for the Aquarium to create an environment where everyone feels welcomed, appreciated, respected and accepted. The Committee will also identify ways for individuals with similar beliefs and backgrounds to meet and communicate in safe spaces. Although the DEAI Committee is charged with identifying opportunities to consistently improve the Culture of Belonging, it is the expectation of The Maritime Aquarium that all staff and volunteers foster inclusive conversations, accept people of all races, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds and treat all with respect.

ONGOING ACTION ITEMS

• Promote inclusive conversations towards collective goals

• � Hire a more diverse staff that reflects the community we serve and welcome a multilingual workforce

• � Review our current language offerings and make appropriate recommendations for changes

• � Engage with local agencies to serve as a worksite providing on-the-job training opportunities for individuals in transition programs

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ENGAGE THE

COMMUNITY

OVERVIEW

The Committee will work to identify and suggest initiatives that would engage our internal and external communities. The focus for the internal community will be on creating a clear and easy way to communicate DEAI progress and initiatives to all staff and volunteers while helping to create a more inclusive environment. They will also identify opportunities for training, the need for additional resources, and suggest events and gatherings that will foster a culture of belonging.

The Committee will make suggestions to Senior Leadership on creative ways to communicate our DEAI progress and initiatives to our external community.

They will also work to partner with local DEAI leaders to leverage resources and determine how the Aquarium can be of service to the community as an ongoing DEAI partner.

ONGOING ACTION ITEMS

• � Identify opportunities for TMA to bring awareness to DEAI-related topics to our internal and external audience.

• � Create a social media presence that engages a diverse demographic

• � Diversify how we provide our learning programs

• � Partner with local organizations to leverage DEAI resources

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MEASURE

OVERVIEW

The Committee will work to identify and suggest means and metrics to measure the progress made towards our DEAI priorities. They will also suggest ways to establish desired targets and a data collection plan that would determine how data will be shared with the broader community. Establishing key performance indicators to manage and measure our actions will help to guide decision-mak-ing for the Aquarium around DEAI priorities and guide the organization’s DEAI initiative effectively.

ONGOING ACTION ITEMS

• � Establish working group to identify and suggest means and metrics to measure progress towards DEAI priorities and overall impact.

• � Conduct a pay equity audit and develop a plan to address disparities accordingly.

• � Monitor all organizational policies for effectiveness to achieve DEAI excellence in the workplace.

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OUR CONTINUED

DEAI COMMITMENT

The Maritime Aquarium’s internal DEAI Committee partners with the Board of Trustees’ DEAI Committee to ensure alignment of goals and priorities. There is great support and interest at the Board and staff level to ensure the Aquarium evolves in this important area and becomes a community leader with a DEAI voice, The Aquarium’s internal DEAI Committee, chaired by the Director of People and Culture meets regularly to discuss updates and progress towards the core DEAI priorities. As efforts evolve, the Committee will continue to revise action items and goals to reflect a continued commitment to Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion.

The core priorities provide a framework for our efforts to enhance our everyday operations by integrating DEAI into everything we do. We look forward to the continued benefits that this will have on our peers and our community as we move forward.

The Aquarium is committed to raising awareness of DEAI matters and initiatives with our internal team and external community. Training and resources are made accessible and enhanced as appropriate. Listening to our teams and observing daily operations with a DEAI lens continues to strengthen our effort to create a healthy work environment and welcoming place for our guests.

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THE MARITIME AQUARIUM ACTIVE DEAI INITIATIVES

DEPARTMENT PROJECT PROJECT STATUS AUDIENCE

Administration

Addition of Juneteenth as a holiday Complete Internal

Addition of a floating holiday to minimize using PTO for personal holidays Complete Internal

Animal Husbandry Minority Fellowship Program (with funding) In Progress Internal & External

Development Children’s Opportunity Fund Complete External

Education Sensory Friendly Events In Progress External

Accessibility for All In Progress External

Permanent position of Accessibility Coordinator Complete Internal

Grant for virtual programs to be more accessible to individuals with disabilities External

Provide virtual programs internationally in other languages External

Language change from Citizen Science to Community Science Complete Internal & External

Professional development for education or social bias Internal

OEC requires we have an individual care plan for our campers that need this Complete External

Financial Scholarships for Camp Complete External

Educational programs can be tailored for special needs groups to accommodate specific needs Complete External

Exhibits Handicap accessibility at touch tanks Complete External

Guest Operations EBT Cards / Museum for all Complete External

Fairfield School Partnership Complete Internal

Availability of quiet space and / or nursing rooms In Progress Internal & External

Wheelchairs available for use Complete External

Hiring of diverse staff and leaders Internal

Allergy free food vendor is Soundbites Internal & External

Accept on-site sales for cash paying guests Complete External

Special pricing and chaperone ratio for special needs groups Complete External

Handicap seating in 4D theater Complete Internal & External

Hearing impaired devices available in 4D theater Complete Internal & External

Ear plugs and sensory Friendly Map available for guests Complete External

Social Stories for Families or School Groups Complete External

Human Resources Training for Staff & Volunteers Internal

Diversify our new hires Internal

Communicating job openings internally In Progress Internal

Maternity / Paternity Leave Policy Update Complete Internal

Spectrum Uniform Company Complete Internal

PT staff paid leave for COVID up to 5 days Complete Internal

Job posting revisions Complete External

Marketing Website designed to be fully accessible Complete External

Mindful of DEAI in digital assets - diversify the guests / individuals shown in our adds and materials Complete External

Short list of terms that should or should not be used from a DEAI lens Internal

Ads in different languages External

DEAI included in TMA intranet (The Porthole) Complete Internal

Membership Family requirements have changed Complete External

Accessibility Membership Complete External

Volunteers Science and advocacy more accessible to our teens (ECHO) Complete Internal

Waive of Admin fee if volunteers have a demonstrated need for financial aide Internal

Welcoming volunteers completing court-ordered community service Complete Internal