Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Policy
Every child deserves an equal opportunity to learn, regardless of their circumstances. This policy shows how we turn that into practice.
| Version | 0.1 (draft) |
|---|---|
| Status | Draft for approval by the Board of Directors. Not yet adopted. |
| Effective date | [to be recorded on adoption] |
| Next review | [to be recorded on adoption] |
| Policy owner | [to be designated] |
At STEMSUP, every individual deserves dignity, equality, safety and the opportunity to participate. We believe education must be inclusive, workplaces must be respectful, and discrimination and harassment have no place in the society we seek to build.
We are committed to creating learning and working environments where every child, educator, employee, volunteer and community member is treated with fairness, respect and compassion.
Learning for Life. Equality in Opportunity. Dignity for All.
1. Purpose and principle
STEMSUP wants every child to have the opportunity to learn, participate, explore, create and thrive. Our guiding principle is:
Every child deserves an equal opportunity to learn, regardless of their circumstances.
We use four words in a precise way:
- Diversity means recognising and respecting differences between people.
- Equity means finding and addressing the barriers that stop people having a fair opportunity. It is not the same as treating everyone identically.
- Inclusion means making sure people can take part meaningfully, not only be present.
- Accessibility means making services, places and resources usable by people with different needs.
2. Where this policy applies
To the Little Champions books, science activities, workbooks, digital products and parent guides, videos, learning resources and every educational programme STEMSUP runs or supports.
3. Inclusive educational content
STEMSUP resources must:
- represent children from diverse social, cultural and economic backgrounds respectfully;
- avoid caste, religious, gender, racial and regional stereotypes;
- promote equality, empathy, cooperation and mutual respect;
- encourage girls and boys equally to take part in science, mathematics, technology and leadership;
- represent disability and different abilities respectfully;
- respect India's linguistic, cultural and social diversity;
- promote scientific temper, critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning;
- help children question prejudice, misinformation and discriminatory behaviour; and
- avoid humiliating, exclusionary or degrading language and illustrations.
Scientific temper and respect go together. We encourage children to ask questions and weigh evidence without insulting or stereotyping anyone because of their beliefs or identity.
How we check. Before a new resource is published, someone other than its author reviews it against these standards: [Content review lead: to be designated]. We will review existing resources periodically, keep a simple record of what was changed, and correct a published resource promptly when a concern is raised.
4. Equal access to opportunities
For scholarships and awards, educational programmes, mentorship, competitions and innovation challenges, workshops and training, digital learning products, and school and community partnerships, STEMSUP will:
- publish clear eligibility and selection criteria;
- apply them consistently and record the reasons for decisions;
- manage conflicts of interest; and
- offer accessible ways to apply and take part.
Where a programme gives priority to disadvantaged or underrepresented communities, we will state the purpose and the eligibility criteria openly. Such targeted measures must be justified by the programme's objectives and applied transparently.
5. Disability inclusion and accessibility
STEMSUP commits to improve accessibility progressively across our website and digital platforms, publications, workshops and learning spaces, communications and application processes, and events.
We will consider reasonable accommodation, accessible communication and alternative ways to take part when someone asks, and we will not treat a request as a burden. This commitment is informed by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, including its provisions on equality, education and employment.
Where we are today. Steps taken on the website so far include text descriptions for images, a keyboard "skip to main content" link, visible focus indicators and stronger form-field contrast. We have not yet completed a formal accessibility audit or tested with assistive technologies, and we do not claim full accessibility. We will publish what we verify.
If you face a barrier, tell us at info@stemsupfoundation.org and say how you would like us to respond. An alternative, assisted route for people who cannot use email: [Accessible contact option, such as a telephone number or in-person assistance: to be added when available]
6. Language and culture
We will work towards offering key resources in more Indian languages as our capacity grows, and we will write in plain language so that more families can use them.
7. Inclusion within STEMSUP
These principles apply equally to recruitment, professional development, procurement, partnerships, leadership, communications and day-to-day participation in the workplace. Everyone is entitled to equal opportunity and respectful treatment.
8. Monitoring and review
We will:
- review our educational resources against this policy at least once a year;
- ask children, parents, teachers and partners for feedback on inclusion and accessibility;
- train staff, volunteers and facilitators on inclusive practice;
- look for barriers to participation and act on what we find;
- handle complaints confidentially, through the route in the Equality and Non-Discrimination Policy; and
- improve our work based on what we learn, and report to the Board annually.
9. Related policies
Equality and Non-Discrimination Policy; Child Safeguarding Policy; Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Policy; Privacy Policy.