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Diversity & inclusion in digital communications projects

Considerations for racialized communities in digital communications projects

The language we use can often perpetuate harm or offense toward members of racialized communities. To craft communications that are sensitive to the experiences of racialized communities, follow these guidelines. 

  • Avoid tokenising when representing diverse groups in your photos and graphics.
  • Consider the user experience of all members of your community when creating and structuring content.
  • Use plain language.
  • Avoid language that suggests victimhood, e.g. “suffers from”, “confined to a wheelchair”.
  • Ensure racial and ethnic groups are designated by proper nouns and capitalized. For additional information see Racial and Ethnic Identity. APA Style.

    References

    To fully foster inclusion for all members of the community, we encourage you to view the related resources below.

    Considerations for Indigenous communities in digital communications projects

    • Familiarize yourself with terminology specific to Indigenous communities. For more information, see the British Columbia Writing Guide for Indigenous Content.
    • Capitalize terminology relating to Indigenous identities; Indigenous governmental, social, spiritual, and religious institutions; and Indigenous collective rights. 
    • Use active language and present verbs when discussing Indigenous peoples and affairs, and avoid possessive terms;
      • e.g. replace "The Treaty provided rights to First Nations" with "First Nations negotiated to Treaty to secure their rights",
      • e.g. replace "First Nations held this territory" with "First Nations hold this territory",
      • e.g. replace "Montreal's Indigenous community" with "the Indigenous community in Montreal".
    • Include an acknowledgement of the traditional territory. For more information, see, e.g., the Land Acknowledgement web page and the Traditional Territory web page on the Equity at McGill website.

    Additional resources

    Respectful language for mental illness, suicide, and substance use

    Misperceptions and stigma around mental illness, suicide, and substance use are still represented in common phrases. Speaking and writing about these topics in a more respectful and accurate way helps reduce stigma and promote inclusion. Here are some guidelines to help you create more inclusive and respectful content.

    1. Avoid casual use of slang terms related to mental illness and substance use ("bonkers," "nuts," "crazy"). Instead, think about the feeling or observation that you're really trying to convey. For example, frustrating, irritating, funny, or bizarre might be more accurate terms for the feeling or adjective you're looking for. 
    2. Focus on a person's experience, instead of using it as a label. For example, "A person living with mental illness" or "A person experiencing depression" are more respectful formulations than "A mentally ill person" or "A depressed person."
    3. Try not to make assumptions about someone's experience of mental illness. Instead of describing someone as "suffering" from mental illness, it's more inclusive to describe them as "living with" or "experiencing" mental illness. 
    4. Use accurate terms for substance use and substance use disorder. (Avoid labeling people as "junkies" or "addicts", or formulating substance use disorder as "substance abuse.") It can also be helpful to focus on the current reality of a person (e.g. in recovery) rather than their past experience of substance use. 
    5. Use sensitive, plain language when speaking about death by suicide and attempted suicide. Avoid terms like "committed suicide" or "successful suicide," as well as "failed" or "unsuccessful" suicide attempts. These have unhelpful (or even painful) connotations. 

    References

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