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Common Language In an effort to foster an equitable and welcoming environment within our programs and work settings, the St. Louis Arc has adopted the following Common Language guide. While not exhaustive, the guide is a foundational tool meant to build a common language of understanding. This guide was created out of respect for the Arc’s staff, participants, family members, and community partners as a way to encourage dialogue and further the work of our agency. It is important to note: • The meaning of these words may change and evolve depending on its context. • An individual’s personal identity will always be the preferred terminology. • The Race, Equity, Access, Diversity, and Inclusion (READI) Task Force will review and update this guide annually to reflect changes to terms and meanings as they relate to the work of the St. Louis Arc. Ableism - Prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions based on differences in physical, mental and/or emotional ability; usually that of able‐bodied/minded persons against people with illness, disabilities or less developed skills. Access - Having equitable entrance into, involvement with, and full participation of resources, services, supports, conversations, and choices. Advocate - Someone who speaks up for and acknowledges responsibility as citizens to shape public policy to address intentional or unintentional harm to themselves or others, whether caused by action or inaction. Ally - A person of one social identity group who stands up in support of members of another group. Typically, member of dominant group standing beside member(s) of targeted group. Bias - An inclination of preference, especially one that interferes with impartial judgment. Cisgender - A description for a person whose gender identity, gender expression and sex assigned at birth align (e.g., man, masculine and male). Code-Switching - The conscious or unconscious act of ‘switching’ between two languages, dialects, or intonations depending on the specific situation of who one is speaking to, what is being discussed, and the relationship and power and/or community dynamics between those involved. Cultural Competence - The ability to effectively and empathetically work and engage with people of different cultures, identities, and backgrounds in order to provide safe and accountable spaces for dialogue and discourse; cultural competence is relevant in all fields of work, education, and informal social interactions, and is a continual learning process. Culture - The patterns of shared basic assumptions, behaviors, and experiences within a group of people that are learned by and taught to new members in order to guide them in the appropriate and inappropriate ways of perceiving, thinking, feeling, and acting. Discrimination - Actions or thoughts based on conscious or unconscious prejudice that favor one over others in the provision of goods, services, or opportunities. Diversity - Understanding that each individual is unique, and our individual differences need to be recognized. Diversity includes, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical/mental ability, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.

Last Updated: December 20, 2022 Empowered/Empowerment - A sense of autonomy, self-confidence, strength, and power in oneself. Having the means or ability to do things or make decisions for oneself. Others can teach about power, inspire or support someone to use their power, but only an individual can empower themselves. Equality - Treating everyone the same and giving everyone the same opportunities regardless of their differences. Equity - Fairness and justice rather than sameness (equality). A point where outcomes become random and not able to be predicted by identity. Fairness and justice rather than sameness (equality). A point where outcomes become random and not able to be predicted by identity. Ethnicity - A category of people who identify with each other based on similarities, such as common ancestral, language, social, cultural or national experiences. Gender Expression - the way a person publicly presents their gender, usually through appearance, behavior, and mannerisms. Depending on preference and level of safety, gender expression is sometimes different than one's gender identity. Gender Identity - A person’s individual and subjective sense of their own gender; gender identities exist in a spectrum, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth and are not just masculine and feminine. Gender identity is internal and personally defined, it is not visible to others. Inclusion - Promotes broad engagement, shared participation and advances authentic sense of belonging through safe, positive, and nurturing environments. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to accepting and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual. Intersectionality - The intersection of race, class, gender, and ability identities within each individual that informs how one views, discusses, and navigates through the world the way each of us views and discusses the world. Microaggression - Subconscious and subtle messages or remarks that convey an unconscious bias and hurt the person at the receiving end. National Origin - The political state from which an individual hails; may or may not be the same as that person's current location or citizenship. Non-Binary – An identifying term used by people whose gender does not conform to the binary of man or woman. Nonbinary people can have any form of gender expression. People of Color - An umbrella term used primarily in the United States to describe any person who is not white. The acronym BIPoc is also sometimes used, standing for Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Person First Language – The practice of putting the person before the disability, describing what a person has, not who a person is. Prejudice - A preconceived judgment about a person or group of people, usually indicating negative bias. Privilege - Benefit, advantage, or favor that is unearned, exclusive, and socially conferred to individuals and communities by unequal social structures and institutions. Pronouns - A word that refers to someone or something that is being talked about (like she, it, them, and this). Gender pronouns (like he and hers) specifically refer to people that you are talking about. You can’t always know what pronoun (she/her, he/him, they/theirs) someone uses by looking at them. Asking and correctly using someone’s personal pronoun is one of the most basic ways to show your respect for their gender identity. Race - A term used to identify and define individuals as part of a distinct group based on physical characteristics and some cultural and historical commonalities; once used to denote differentiations in humankind based on physiology and biology, race is now understood as a social construct that is not scientifically based, though is still commonly associated with notions of biological difference; race is still sometimes perceived as innate and inalterable.

Last Updated: December 20, 2022 Respect - Due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others. Self-Advocate - Someone who speaks up for themselves, often in instances of injustices, treatment by others, and access to services and supports. Sexual Orientation - Refers to the gender(s) that a person is emotionally, physically, and romantically attracted to. Systemic Racism - A form of racism that stems from social and political hierarchy. Transgender - An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Additionally, see: Agency Standards for Identifying Race and Ethnicity on Agency Forms References