Direction Home Akron Canton aims to connect individuals to the supports they need to become or remain safe and independent in the places they choose to call home-- regardless of social background and physical appearance. We believe that home is a place that welcomes both cultural similarities and cultural differences by uplifting, educating, empathizing with, and advocating for outspoken individuals.
 

How do we do it?

 

IDEA Committee

The IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Awareness) Committee was created to promote an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace environment where employees are safe from racism, discrimination, and judgement. Our IDEA committee members meet monthly to discuss the status of inclusion efforts within the Agency, as well as community engagement opportunities in our service area. Committee members organize and attend cultural continuing education courses, attend DEI conferences, staff vendor tables at Pride and cultural festivals, coordinate with local leaders to better reach marginalized groups with services, review and revise policies, analyze employee recruitment efforts, publish internal educational monthly newsletters, participate in simulations, and organize Agency trainings and activities. 

The IDEA Committee can be contacted at IDEACommittee@dhad.org.

Members of the IDEA Committee are passionate about DEI efforts both at DHAD and outside of the agency. Throughout 2023, many Committee members have attended trainings, events, and CEUs. Some of these include:

Community Events

  • Stark Pride

  • Akron Pride

  • ASIA Inc. International Festival

  • Kwanzaa Celebration

  • MLK Breakfast with the Akron Urban League

  • Poverty Simulation

  • Diwali and Hmong New Year

  • ASIA Inc. Community Festival

Trainings

  • Fall Conference

  • O4A Conference

CEUs

  • The Anatomy of Prejudice

  • A Spectrum of Color and Culture

  • Cultural Humility through a Trauma Informed Lens

  • We're Here, Queer, and Getting Older: LGBTQ+ Seniors Aging with Dignity, Not Discrimination

  • Sexual and Gender Minority Health

  • We're All in This Together: Creating a Self and Socially Aware Workplace

  • Positive Aging and Combatting Ageism

Equal Opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, DHAD complies with all applicable federal and state non-discrimination laws and will not tolerate discrimination based on race, color, military status, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, or age. 

 

DEI Statement

Direction Home is in the process of updating our DEI Statement for 2024.

June 9, 2020- Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities Response to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access.

“The ultimate measure of a person is not where one stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where one stands in times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

 Over the past few months we have seen a pandemic trigger broad changes to life as we know it. Now we add another tragic mistreatment of human beings in the black community. Society has suffered much recently, with pain, isolation and fear present. It is hard to watch this racial injustice play out, and to feel helpless as professionals who have chosen to be helpers. While we aren’t currently in the community performing our roles, thoughts naturally move towards “what-if” scenarios. We are doers, problem solvers, experts, and professionals. By our nature we want to help those who need it most, and that is why we as an organization need to address the challenges we see with determination.

 We can’t allow disparities to continue for those we serve or our employees.  Data shows that the black community have suffered more during COVID-19 than others. We see the effects of racism in our work, and strive to find solutions at all levels. We want you to know that Direction Home is a family, and while things are bad now, we’re determined to see they get better. It’s a scary time, and we’ll get through it together. We need to put our competency, courtesy and compassion to work, especially for our minority members at this time.  And we will look inward to make sure we are doing the best we can as an organization.  

 We will

  • Ensure cultural competency and racism is addressed in our CEU programming, providing professional education on these topics

  • We will facilitate agency conversations about diversity, inclusion and awareness

  •  We will work with community partners to address the health disparity issues for the betterment of older adult minorities.

  •  And we will look to you all to offer suggestions and provide potential solutions to this crisis.

  • While diversity and inclusiveness has always been our culture, we will explicitly call it out as our value.  We will work to ensure that value lives in all that we do.  

We will make things better in our own organization, and we will start now.