Allyship Workshop: A Human

The conference presentation discusses a human-centered approach to allyship and DEI in tech/STEM, challenging prescriptive and performative allyship behaviors.

• The focus is on a human-centered approach to allyship and DEI in tech/STEM
• Prescriptive and performative allyship behaviors are challenged
• The talk highlights the importance of challenging how individuals show up in a given environment or situation
• Models of disability and ableism are discussed
• Tools for being a better ally and resources for creating accessible environments are provided

During the presentation, the speaker emphasized the importance of taking a human-centered approach to allyship and DEI. They shared a personal story about a time when they were struggling with a disability and how a friend's simple act of kindness and understanding made a huge difference in their experience. This anecdote illustrated the power of human connection and empathy in creating more inclusive environments.

Conversations around DEI and allyship have come into focus (especially in the past several years), in many areas of tech/STEM. Common paradigms for thinking about and addressing how one might best show up in support of historically excluded groups, oftentimes focus on prescriptive or performative allyship behaviors.In this talk, we intend to flip the script. Instead of focusing on the “correct behaviors” and “right responses” when demonstrating allyship, we’ll be taking a look at a human-centered approach for those we are intending to support, while asking challenging questions about how we each show up in a given environment or situation.Thank you to our sponsor Google Cloud!