Diversity, Equity, Inclusion  and Accessibility (DEIA) in the workplace started when people began to demand equal rights for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. Both consumers and employees now  reflect greater diversity, and recognizing this has become good policy for economic, educational and social leadership and success.  

DEIA’s evolution is ongoing. Unfortunately much work still needs to be done to create truly diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces, and convince all Americans that DEIA is essential to continuing the promise of America for prosperity and social justice. It broadens the horizons, and we all ultimately benefit. 

Upon taking office in January 2025,  President Trump issued Executive Order 14173 “Ending Illegal Discrimination And Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” which includes the words “Illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system.”  

In addition, the Trump administration has called to dismantle or impose significant budget cuts and employee reductions on, federal agencies that play a crucial role in ensuring fair hiring practices, enforcing civil rights laws and regulations, and addressing racial and economic disparities. Agencies including the Department of Education, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development not only are charged with enforcing civil rights laws and regulations to prevent and combat discrimination, they also must ensure that government programs remain accessible to all individuals, including people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and those with limited English proficiency.

And recently Transportation Secretary Duffy referred to “DEI Bike Lanes” and “social initiatives that burden their commutes” when the Federal highway Administration removed five measures from a list of highway best practices (Newsday 7/17/26). The League of Women Voters (LWV) begs to differ with these underlying prejudices, provocations and misjudgments reflecting on “DEIA.”

Understanding, learning, representing, engaging, including, teaming up — the League has been on a civil rights journey from its founding in the 1920s when voting rights for women centered exclusively on white women, and it was only in 1960 that the League reached its first position to  combat discrimination, stating that discrimination or harassment of any kind will not be accepted by the League. We are committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging for all; and respect and value the richness of our community and our members.

Let’s define terms, since there is a great deal of misinformation distributed through private, public and governmental social media and statements. 

Diversity is about a collective or a group and can only exist in relationship to others. A team can be diverse, and so can an organization. A person is not diverse, but they bring diversity to a team. 

Equity refers to systems, processes and approaches based in fairness that ensure everyone is given equal opportunity and treated with dignity and respect. 

Inclusion is the act of ensuring representation of people and perspectives into a group or structure… it is a dynamic state of operating that leverages diversity to create a healthy, high performing organization and community.  

Accessibility expands opportunities for individuals of all abilities by removing physical, technological, and systemic barriers that may prevent full participation in society through reasonable accommodations, inclusive work and public spaces, and more.

Government, businesses, institutions, communities, civic groups, organizations, clubs — all can benefit from absorbing and understanding the benefits of a DEIA lens. But the intense pressure that is brought to bear against DEI by government recently has led to its dismantling within state and federal governments and educational institutions.  Private companies are also preemptively doing away with DEIA, many of which are concerned about losing government subsidies.  Dismantling of DEIA can affect not only hiring, promotion and admissions, but has a real-life impact on each one of us. Of special note is the “A” for accessibility, which covers people with disabilities; many of whom are veterans. 

As Eddie Martin, Jr. of the Center for Law and Social Policy wrote: “DEIA is a direct expression of democratic values: voice, participation, equitable protections under the law. When we eliminate DEIA, we eliminate public trust, exacerbate inequity, and provide a blanket of cover for authoritarian leaders who thrive on division and disempowerment. Public agencies will no longer have tools to challenge inequity, and, thus, will fail to serve the public…”

Lisa Scott is president of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Visit https://my.lwv.org/new-york/suffolk-county or call 631-862-6860.