Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The Mellon RPE program supports curriculum development that fosters nuanced understanding of the intersections of race, place, and equity. A series of Advising Seminars in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Architecture introduce first-year students at UVA to local, place-based histories and legacies that have shaped the University and Central Virginia. Three-credit courses featuring community partnerships and place-based, community-engaged teaching help build an outward looking, public-service university.

The Mellon RPE program is providing start-up funding for three tenured or tenure track positions to contribute to the broader race, justice, and equity hiring initiatives at UVA. Two positions have been filled (see below); the third will address North American Indigenous Studies.

Over the five-year grant period, UVA will hire 30 Race, Place, and Equity Postdoctoral Fellows/Research Associates across a variety of schools and disciplines  to advance research, creative practice, and teaching related to race, justice, and equity. Fellows will carry out transformative, cross-disciplinary research; contribute to the understanding of the legacy of racial inequity using place-based methodologies for research or artistic expression; and strengthen existing initiatives that address issues of race, justice, and equity, particularly in North America.

Current Openings

The application cycle is underway for the fourth cohort of Mellon RPE Postdoctoral Fellows, to arrive fall 2024.

You can read about the program and about the Fellows here.

School of Nursing

Mellon Race, Place, and Equity Postdoctoral Research Associate in the History of Nursing and Healthcare

General information on Hearing Loop:

• OTOjOY: How Hearing Loops Work: What is a Hearing Loop and how does it work? (YouTube Video)
• Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA): Hearing Loop Technology
• American Hearing Loop: What is a Hearing Loop?
• HearingLoop.org

Information on Teleco

The following UVA accessibility professionals support and encourage the addition/installation of hearing loop (induction loop) technology as the recommended assistive listening system (ALS) for large venues, auditoriums, classrooms, reception areas, ticket counters, and other appropriate spaces throughout the Academic Grounds, athletic venues, and Health System at the University of V

What to caption?

The project's goal is to provide accurate captions for as much recorded academic content as possible. To achieve this 99%+ accuracy, professional services need to be used. So what should be captioned?

Why caption?

Captions/transcripts can be provided for both live and recorded events. The information below will focus on the provision of these resources for recorded audio/visual materials.

Often thought of only as a disability-related accommodation, captions and transcripts provide an enhanced means for engagement for many.  Participants can gain from these resources by taking advantage of one or more of the following captioning benefits:

The benefits of captions are many. They include, but are not limited to, the following:

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What are Otter Voice Notes?

Otter Voice Notes (Otter) is a tool that converts voice conversations into smart notes by recording the audio and using artificial intelligence to provide machine-generated transcription. These transcriptions/notes can be edited, shared, and easily searched.

We are committed to equitable and inclusive practices and work environments across the University and throughout the span of faculty careers. To this end, the Office of the Provost offers a number of workshops and services to support equity, diversity, and inclusion.  

• Teaching Race at UVA: Place-based Faculty Development Seminar

• Promotion and Tenure Committee Bias Mitigation Workshops

We all want to "get it right" when it comes to providing access to our digital world including our digital content. It is important to remember accessibility is not an all or nothing endeavor. Going at this with a perfectionist mindset can be overwhelming and freeze you in your tracks. It is simply impossible to make all of your digital content 100% accessible for 100% of your users.

The most important thing is to start on the journey and learn some core skills of creating accessible, usable digital content.