Blooming Through the Evolution of DEI

Dawn S Brown; Brianna Chesser

doi:10.1097/JTE.0000000000000374

Blooming Through the Evolution of DEI

J Phys Ther Educ. 2024 Sep 17. doi: 10.1097/JTE.0000000000000374. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Dawn S Brown^{1

2}, Brianna Chesser^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Dawn S. Brown is the assistant chair of curricular affairs and assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences at the Northwestern University, 645 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 1100 Chicago, IL 60611 (dawn.brown@northwestern.edu). Please address all correspondence to Dawn S. Brown.
² Brianna Chesser is the associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy & Athletic Training at the Grand Valley State University.

PMID: 39298541
DOI: 10.1097/JTE.0000000000000374

Abstract

The lexicon and language surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are evolving with new and nuanced meanings arising, depending on historical and current contexts. Notably, the DEI initialism has evolved to incorporate justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion to create the acronym JEDI, excluding key terms such as accessibility, belonging, or antiracism. Adding a plus sign (+) to the DEI initialism embraces a more comprehensive and intersectional approach, creating space for transformative and evolving language. DEI+ aims to include and invite everyone into ongoing conversations where all are respected, supported, and feel a sense of belonging. Using Bloom's Taxonomy for cognitive learning as a framework, the authors advocate incorporating the DEI+ initialism within physical therapy education, research, and practice.