AHLA Announces New Statement of Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility

The AHLA Board of Directors approved a new Statement of Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility to replace its previous Diversity+Inclusion Statement. This new, more comprehensive statement comes out of AHLA’s inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) action plan as part of AHLA’s 2019-2022 Strategic Plan.

“The approval of this statement is an important step forward in AHLA’s diversity and inclusion journey, recognizing the importance to strive for equity and accessibility in all that we do for our membership and the broader health law community,” comments Joanne R. Lax, AHLA Board Member and Chair of the Membership- IDEA Board Committee. “AHLA’s ongoing commitment enables our Association to lead by example and foster a more robust community of health law professionals. We will continue to reflect, plan, and act in our quest fora more open, welcoming, and accessible Association.” 

AHLA’s Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility

In principle and in practice, the American Health Law Association (AHLA) values and seeks to advance and promote diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible participation within the Association for all staff and members. Guided by these values, the Association strongly encourages and embraces meaningful participation of diverse individuals as it leads health law to excellence through education, information, and dialogue.  
 

• Inclusion fosters an environment where individuals feel safe to engage and participate fully because they feel respected, free to express their ideas, and valued for their unique voice, perspective, and abilities. 
   
• Diversity reflects the ways people are different from one another. This goes beyond the boundaries of race and gender to include culture, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socio-economic background, religion, neurodiversity, gender identity, experiences, disability, and invisible illness. 
   
• Equity creates fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for individuals by establishing systems and processes that counteract social inequities and prevent the formation of barriers. 
   
• Accessibility creates equitable access for individuals of all ability and experience. 

The IDEA action plan and associated goals establish a foundation for AHLA to truly become a “resilient organization” that is able to accomplish its strategic priorities, including “developing and maintaining a diverse and inclusive membership.”

AHLA will be hosting a town hall meeting this fall to engage its membership with the IDEA action plan, solicit feedback, and review its annual report.