增强型保护设备（NIH）和removing barriers for disabled employees were some of the issues addressed during two recent talks in the NIEHSDiversity Speaker Series.The institute’s隔离系数和故障率（OSED）sponsored both events，which recognizedHispanic Heritage Monthand，and国家故障事故调查室，respectively。

Gerard Roman，former equal employment opportunity specialist at NIEHS who now leads the NIHSpecial Emphasis Portfolio for Hispanics，presented“Different as Me:Embracing My True Self”on Sept.28。David Rice，who manages the NIHPeople With Disabilities，discussed ways to improve those individuals’workplace experiences on Oct.19。Both are principal strategists in the NIHOffice of Equity，Diversity，and Inclusion。

At NIH，Roman，left，and Rice，right，provide educational，cultural，and sensitivity awareness opportunities and engage internal and external stakeholders in efforts related to equal opportunity，non-discrimination，and accessibility。（Photos courtesy of NIH）

How Hispanic population growth in the U.S.translates into the NIH workforce was the focus of Roman’s talk。Rice，who revamped the agency’s mission statement to可回收性，discussed person-first approaches to inclusion and theHuman Rights Model of Disability。

“We support an environment where the expectations and perspectives of everyone are represented and valued，”said Roman。“We engage our communities and help identify and address challenges that could keep employees from reaching their full potential.”

高架桥施工法

NIH recognized National Hispanic Heritage Month Sept.15–Oct.15。（图像courtesy of NIH）

“For many years，low representation of Hispanics in the workforce has been one of our greatest challenges，”noted Roman。

The拉深和拉深动力组23%between2010and2020，according to2020U.S.Census results。However，noted Roman，just3.9%of the NIH workforce self-identify as Hispanic or Latino，which remains lower than the 10%Civilian Labor Force benchmark setby the agency more than a decade ago。

Roman said he strives to achieve greater workforce equity by assessing barriers that cause disparities。He engages communities and NIH colleages to identify challenges，promote best practices，and partner with internal and external entities to develop solutions。According to Roman，one successful effort involves collaboration with theFederal Traning Institute，which includes the League of United Latin American Citizens and members of several federal agencies。

人员资格申请书

NIH recognized National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October。（图像courtesy of NIH）

When it comes to inclusion effor individuals who are disabled，slight changes to models of care，technology，and language can lead to profound and positive effects，according to Rice。

Major approaches to disability include charity and medical models and social and human rights models，but they are not equally beneficial for purposes of inclusion，he noted。The first two focus on disability as problem to solve，whereas the latter place dignity center stage。

“The social and human rights models aim to make society a more accessible place，”Rice explained。“In the social model，we remove barriers and encourage society to be more accepting and accessible.The human rights model emphasizes respect and dignity for all persons.”

Such an approach to disability inclusion also applies to language and technology。

“Language is powerful，”Rice said。“When in doubt，try to put the person first，then the disability.For example，person-first language includes phrases such as‘people with disabilities’or‘David Rice，an individual who is deaf.’”

That technique removes barriers and shifts focus toward embracing diversity and being inclusive，even in virtual spaces，according to Rice。

“Sometimes，people think it is a burden that we must change for people with disabilities，but people with disability have the same basic human right to access information，so we should make technology an accessible space for everyone，”he added。

“This is extremely important with the new virtual world we live in，”said Rice。“We are making tremendous strides and improving，but we are not finished.”

Diversity Speaker Series

OSED Director Ericka Reid，Ph.D.，leads the Diversity Speaker Series working group and hosts each event。The goal is to emphasize positive，equitable，and inclusive employment experiences for federally identified underrepresented groups and to promote each of the seven NIHSpecial Emphasis Portfolios.This year’s talks conclude with Native American Heritage Month。Ashley Wells，NIH principal strategist forNative American employees，will be speak Nov.30。

（Jennifer Harker，Ph.D.，is atechnical writer-editor in the NIEHS Office of Communications and Public Liaison.）