AGI Releases Community Consensus Statement Regarding Access and Inclusion of Geoscientists with Disabilities

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AGI Releases Community Consensus Statement Regarding Access and Inclusion of Geoscientists with Disabilities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Heather Houlton (hrh@americangeosciences.org; 703-379-2480 x. 227)
8/31/2015

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute's (AGI) is pleased to announce the release of a community consensus statement on access and inclusion of geoscientists with disabilities.  This statement was inspired by the 2014 AGI Leadership Forum, which brought together the Executive Directors and Presidents of AGI's Member Societies to discuss the issue of access and inclusion of persons with disabilities in the geosciences.  

The meeting was facilitated by the Executive Director of the International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD) Christopher Atchison, which illuminated the challenges faced by geoscientists living with disabilities, as well as addressed strategies for increasing accessibility within the discipline. 

Discussions from the event catalyzed the development of a community consensus statement illuminating the challenges and opportunities the geosciences have regarding increasing accessibility and promoting inclusion for those current and future geoscientists living with disabilities.  The IAGD and AGI co-developed the statement with input from several of AGI's membership societies, resulting in a document which describes our communities' collective responsibilities and provides examples of ethical practices regarding access and inclusion of those from this underserved population. 

The approved statement is posted on AGI's website, including a downloadable PDF for societies to adopt and use for their own purposes. Official signatures of supporting organizations are listed at the conclusion of the statement, representing a united front that recognizes the importance of this issue.  To review the statement and find out how your organization can become involved, please go to: http://www.americangeosciences.org/community/disability-consensus-statement and contact Heather Houlton at hrh@americangeosciences.org for more details.    

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The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

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