Women in Quality Symposium

We all have them. It's not something you realize - that first reaction. What did you learn today about? And how can we ‘check’ ourselves and learn to grow?

I read history and seek out black scholars to learn about how the system is set up for people of color. I seek out information and history is the best teacher. When I find myself up against my own bias I “check” them out. Like a man in a woman's job and woman in man's job. I stay Curious and check my thoughts.

People's comfort level with technology and learning new technology - software programs, troubleshooting issues, and whether or not they even have the access to it.

I'll never forget the moment when I was teaching a class of adult students and I had to show someone how to double click to open up a program. I've had younger students who are very comfortable using tablets or smart phones, but have never had access to a computer.

The digital divide is still a very real thing. It hits everyone in different ways, depending on where you live, your socioeconomic status, your age, and just what you're familiar with because of the people around you and what they use. We saw the impact of access most recently when Facebook and its related companies went down in October. WhatsApp is heavily used outside of the United States, and billions of people lost their ability to communicate with each other for several hours. I use WhatsApp to communicate with friends, but for many people outside of the United States it is the primary method of communication for business, school, etc.

The panel discussion in WIQS today “Exploring bias and unlocking opportunity through diversity, equity, and inclusion” reminded me of this (Excellent discussion @Therese Steiner !) When I'm helping someone with technology, I try to ask questions to gauge their comfort level. But if you're not comfortable, you may not want people to know that either. The impetus is on me to make it easier for them and to develop a process where they don't need X years of experience to figure it out on their own.