Home » Committee Spotlight, Member News

Statistics and Disability (CSD)

1 December 2021 1,094 views No Comment
Anja Zgodic, Sarah Zlatkovic, and Chuck Coleman

Committee Members
Anja Zgodic, Committee Chair
Mark Otto
Matthew Brault
Erin Elizabeth Chapman
Charles Coleman
Peter Flom
Pamela McGovern
Ryan Machtmes
Sarah Zlatkovic
Maria Matilde Kam
Donna LaLonde (staff liaison)

    In your own words, what is the purpose of your committee?

    Anja: The Committee on Statistics and Disability (CSD) was recently reactivated after a break. Based on conversations between a diverse group of members and allies, we have formulated an updated charge that reflects the values and direction the CSD aims to take.

    First, the committee’s goal is to serve the disability community within the ASA by working to improve accessibility and remove barriers to participation. Second, we aim to provide guidance to statisticians and the broader community on best practices and universal design to improve accessibility to statistics for the public and future statisticians. Finally, the last element of our renewed committee charge is to support and empower ethical statistical research on disability and accessible statistics education for people with disabilities, both within and outside of the ASA.

    In my own words, I would say our new charge aligns with our strong focus on promoting inclusivity, accessibility, diversity, and their intersection.

    Sarah: We are primarily concerned with improving access for those with disabilities. This means helping to facilitate participation in ASA functions and activities and providing guidance on making statistics accessible to the general public and future statisticians. Statistics is for everyone.

    Why did you accept the position to chair and co-chair the committee?

    Anja: I joined the CSD for the opportunity to actively participate in initiatives aimed at reducing barriers experienced by various groups of individuals. Whether it is within industry, academia, or the public realm, conversations about diversity and inclusivity have been increasingly taking place. These topics have rightfully been emphasized as important and I felt like I not only wanted to educate myself on systemic barriers, but also concretely engage in some form of advocacy.

    Sarah: We recently re-energized this committee, and I was excited to be offered the opportunity to help. Advocating for individuals with disabilities is something I’m passionate about—it permeates my research and my professional and personal life.

    Chuck: Since I received my autism diagnosis in 2007, I have been an active autistic self-advocate. The CSD is now one of my advocacy channels. From interactions with fellow Census workers, I have become aware of the needs of other disability communities. One common thread exists between the various historically disadvantaged communities: the need for diversity and inclusion and so on and the many barriers to overcome. The benefit for all lies in the ability to draw on the abilities and experiences of all of us and in the concurrent reduction of resentment and hatred.

    Valor, Erin Chapman’s service dog, meets committee members during a recent Zoom meeting.

      How often does the committee meet to plan activities?

      Sarah: We meet monthly via Zoom and stay connected through Slack. We utilize assistive technology like Otter.AI captioning during meetings to help make it easy for everyone to participate.

      Anja: In addition to our monthly virtual meetings, CSD members frequently engage with each other on platforms such as Slack. We often share articles, resources, and other items of interest, or simply fun stuff! We are often brainstorming on initiative ideas and how to approach possible initiatives.

      Aside from virtual interactions, we hope to establish a strong presence at the Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) moving forward. We would like to (co)sponsor various sessions, as well as organize safe spaces for large and small group discussion, with and without facilitators.

      We are also often in touch with our wonderful ASA liaisons: Mark Otto; Regina Nuzzo; and Donna LaLonde.

      What are some recent or upcoming committee events you would like to highlight?

      Sarah: We are working hard to plan some exciting events and offerings for the ASA community. We’re currently focusing on re-energizing this committee and announcing to the ASA community who we are and what we’re about. We’ve collaborated with the JEDI and SPAIG committees to submit a proposal to co-sponsor a JSM 2022 session around the topic of inclusive collaborations. We are planning social media posts, podcasts, webinars, and a microsite that will host a variety of resources on statistics, disabilities, and accessibility for everyone to access.

      Anja: We have been actively brainstorming since re-energizing the committee. We are a diverse group, so every member brings something different to the table in terms of initiatives.

      An upcoming committee initiative that will be easily accessible to all members of the statistical practice will be our microsite. There, we plan to post content under various formats so microsite visitors of all backgrounds can consume the content.

      For example, we have been talking about establishing a long-term virtual event initiative, which would offer a mix of longer webinar sessions (hosted live and recorded, subsequently posted to the microsite), as well as specialized capsules on a specific topic related to statistics, disability, and connected themes. The formats of the webinar sessions would also vary from didactic and topic-focused to a discussion panel or guided discussion by a facilitator.

      By offering easily accessible content through the microsite, we hope to reach a wide audience and spread the word about the importance of accessibility and inclusivity in our community. We also hope to interact with the ASA and statistical community at large to better understand unfulfilled needs and how the CSD can contribute to bridging gaps.

      What are some upcoming events you are most excited about?

      Anja: Along with the SPAIG and JEDI committees, we look forward to hosting a session called “Making Data and Statistics Impactful Through Inclusivity, Powerful Collaboration, and Effective Innovation” at JSM 2022.

      Our speaker will present on the topic of universal design (UD), which the University of Washington defines as “the process of creating products that are accessible to people with a wide range of abilities, disabilities, and other characteristics.” The word “products” in this definition can refer to processes or workflows such as ones we would encounter in professional situations or academic settings, for example.

      While objects can be designed according to UD, so can courses, conferences, content, even small things like fonts. Our speaker will cover the use of UD in academic departments to foster inclusivity and accessibility, which can lead to powerful collaborations resulting in innovation.

      Any additional information or news you’d like to share about the committee with ASA members?

      Sarah: If you are interested in getting involved with the Committee on Statistics and Disability, we’d love to welcome you as a Friend of the Committee! Friends can connect with the committee through Slack and attend meetings to hear what we’re working on next. We welcome all interested to join the conversation.

      Anja: We also hope to participate in joint initiatives with other ASA committees, interest groups, and ASA members. We invite any group interested in collaborating with us to get in touch. We also invite any member of the statistical community to join in our initiatives.

      1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
      Loading...

      Comments are closed.