Developing a guide to inclusive communication: a resource for tertiary education providers

Developing a guide to inclusive communication: a resource for tertiary education providers is a blueprint for developing inclusive language and visual representation within your organisation.

The aim of this guide is not to simply to tick this exercise off a checklist and then forget about it. Rather, this guide will assist tertiary education providers to embed inclusive language and visual representation into the fabric of your organisation to enhance respectful engagement in all spheres of activity.

This guide will help your organisation to:

• understand the importance of inclusive communication as one of your key diversity and inclusion strategies
• develop a rationale for why inclusive communication is important to your organisation
• take stock of where your organisation is at in terms of inclusive communication
• work through the eight steps for developing a guide through a collaborative whole-of-institution process that draws on the voices of people with corporate responsibility, lived expertise and lived experience.

The guide includes valuable resources and is supported by research and good practice.

• Developing a guide to inclusive communication: a resource for tertiary education providers (doc)
• Developing a guide to inclusive communication: a resource for tertiary education providers (pdf)

ADCET hosted the webinar "Words Matter - Developing Inclusive Language Guides in a Tertiary Setting", featuring Stevie Lane and Kay Barnard from Edith Cowan University. They discussed developing inclusive language guides in tertiary education settings, with a particular focus on LGBTIQA+ people with disability. Drawing on their personal lived experiences and professional expertise as equity practitioners, the speakers shared insights from their collaborative process in creating ECU's inclusive language guide. They explored how such resources can improve organisational culture, belonging, and inclusion within universities.

Related resources

• Developing a Disability Inclusion Action Plan
• Embedding Universal Design for Learning
• Adopting Accessible ICT Procurement
• Embedding Disability Awareness Training 

2023