DEI Resources

Explaining Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) and Recent Changes to DEIA in Plain Language

APA 7 Citation
Davidson, J. (2025, February 16). Explaining diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) and recent changes to DEIA in plain language. American Association of People with Disabilities.

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Application to Counseling & Advising

I would use this resource to help explain diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in language that is easier for students to understand. This is especially useful when working with students with disabilities or students who may be unfamiliar with DEIA terminology. As a future college counselor and advisor, I want to make sure students understand accessibility, available accommodations, and the importance of disability inclusion in higher education. I could also use this resource to strengthen my own practice by reminding me to consider communication access, intersectionality, and disability as an important part of DEIA rather than treating accessibility as a separate issue. The AAPD resource specifically presents DEIA in plain language and discusses disability within the broader DEIA framework. AAPD

The Anti-DEI Agenda: Navigating the Impact of Trump’s Second Term on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

APA 7 Citation
Ng, E., Fitzsimmons, T., Kulkarni, M., Ozturk, M. B., April, K., Banerjee, R., & Muhr, S. L. (2025). The anti-DEI agenda: Navigating the impact of Trump’s second term on diversity, equity and inclusion. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 44(2), 137–150. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-02-2025-0116

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Application to Counseling & Advising

I would use this resource to better understand how political and policy changes can influence diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within higher education and other institutions. As a counselor, I may work with students who have questions or concerns about changes in programs, terminology, funding, or institutional practices. This article can help me understand one scholarly analysis of the broader policy environment so that I am more prepared to direct students toward accurate information and appropriate institutional resources. Because the article takes a critical position on these policy developments, I would use it together with current laws, institutional guidance, and other sources when determining how specific policy changes affect students. ResearchOnline JCU

Trump’s Executive Orders Rolling Back DEI and Accessibility Efforts, Explained

APA 7 Citation
Moore, R. (2025, January 24). Trump’s executive orders rolling back DEI and accessibility efforts, explained. American Civil Liberties Union.

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Application to Counseling & Advising

I would use this resource as background information when trying to understand how federal executive actions may affect DEIA initiatives, accessibility, civil rights, and higher education. Students may hear conflicting information about changes in federal policy and may turn to counselors for help understanding what those changes mean. This resource would help me become familiar with the ACLU's interpretation of those developments so I can better understand the concerns students may bring into counseling. Because the ACLU is a civil-rights advocacy organization, I would also compare its interpretation with current laws, court decisions, institutional policies, and government guidance before advising students about their specific rights or options. American Civil Liberties Union

Playing Supremacy: DEIA Games in Higher Education

APA 7 Citation
Phillips, D. B., & Thomas, C. L. (2024). Playing supremacy: DEIA games in higher education. European Journal of American Culture, 43(2), 185–198. https://doi.org/10.1386/ejac_00120_1

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Application to Counseling & Advising

I would use this article to help me examine how institutional culture, power, and organizational structures can influence students' experiences in higher education. As a future counselor, I do not want to assume that every difficulty a student experiences results from a lack of motivation, preparation, or effort. This resource encourages me to also examine the institution itself and ask whether policies, practices, campus culture, or systems may create barriers to belonging or access. It can help me develop a counseling perspective that supports individual students while also recognizing the larger institutional environment in which they are trying to succeed. Intellect

Institutionalization of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in California Community Colleges

APA 7 Citation
Lui-Martinez, K. (2026). Institutionalization of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in California community colleges [Doctoral dissertation, Loyola Marymount University]. LMU Theses and Dissertations.

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Application to Counseling & Advising

I would use this dissertation to better understand how DEIA policies move from system-level expectations into actual institutional practices within California Community Colleges. This resource is especially relevant to my professional goal of working in college counseling because it examines a system in which I may eventually practice. Lui-Martinez studied the implementation of DEIA competency criteria in employee evaluations and faculty tenure review and examined both policy development and faculty perceptions of implementation. As a counselor, this can help me understand that institutional change involves more than adopting a policy; colleges must also determine how policies are interpreted, implemented, and experienced by the people working within the institution. Digital Commons

Whose Culture Has Capital? A Critical Race Theory Discussion of Community Cultural Wealth

APA 7 Citation
Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/1361332052000341006

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Application to Counseling & Advising

I would use Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth framework to help me identify the strengths, knowledge, relationships, experiences, and resources students already bring with them to college. Instead of approaching students from a deficit perspective and focusing primarily on what they do not know about higher education, I can recognize the cultural assets they already possess. Yosso identifies aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant forms of capital. As a counselor, I could use this framework when working with first-generation students, Students of Color, multilingual students, and others whose knowledge may not always be recognized by traditional college systems. It can help me connect students' existing strengths with academic planning, self-advocacy, persistence, and educational goals. Taylor & Francis Online

College Students’ Sense of Belonging: A Key to Educational Success for All Students

APA 7 Citation
Strayhorn, T. L. (2019). College students’ sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students (2nd ed.). Routledge.

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Application to Counseling & Advising
I would use this resource to better understand how students' sense of belonging can influence their academic adjustment, achievement, aspirations, persistence, and overall college experience. As a counselor, I can help promote belonging by developing meaningful relationships with students, validating their experiences, connecting them with campus organizations and resources, and following up when they appear disconnected from the institution. This resource reminds me that students need more than academic information and course planning. They also need to feel valued, supported, and connected to their college community. Strayhorn's work can help me incorporate belonging intentionally into my advising and counseling approach. Routledge

Supporting First-Generation Student Experiences in Programs and Advising: Lessons From a Pandemic

APA 7 Citation
Nguyen, J., Phuong, A. E., & Salehi, S. (2024). Supporting first-generation student experiences in programs and advising: Lessons from a pandemic. NACADA Journal, 44(1), 23–37. https://doi.org/10.12930/NACADA-22-41

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Application to Counseling & Advising
I would use this resource to improve the way I support first-generation students through counseling and academic advising. The study found that barriers such as limited awareness, access, and time affected first-generation students' use of institutional resources. As a future counselor, this reminds me not to assume that students already know which resources exist, what questions they should ask, or how college systems operate. I can apply this research through proactive outreach, clear explanations, reducing unnecessary jargon, checking for understanding, and connecting students with resources before they reach a crisis. This resource is particularly valuable to my concentration because it directly connects first-generation student experiences with academic advising practice. Meridian

CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines Version 3.0

APA 7 Citation
CAST. (2024). Universal design for learning guidelines version 3.0 [Graphic organizer]. CAST.

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Application to Counseling & Advising

I would use the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines to make my counseling, advising, and student-support materials more accessible from the beginning rather than waiting until a student experiences a barrier. I can apply Universal Design by presenting information in different formats, using accessible digital materials, providing clear written and verbal explanations, and allowing students multiple ways to engage and communicate. I could also use the guidelines when developing orientation materials, workshops, presentations, resource guides, and online advising information. This framework reminds me that accessible design can support students with disabilities while also benefiting students with different languages, learning preferences, responsibilities, and ways of processing information. CAST identifies the current framework as UDL Guidelines Version 3.0 and provides an APA citation for the resource. UDL Guidelines

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA)

APA 7 Citation
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. (n.d.). Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).

Access the California Community Colleges DEIA resource

Application to Counseling & Advising

I would use this resource to stay informed about statewide diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility priorities within the California Community Colleges system. Because my professional goal is to work in college counseling and advising, this resource helps connect what I am learning academically with the system in which I may eventually practice. The Chancellor's Office identifies areas such as equity in access, equity in support, equity in success, mentorship, institutional practices, and professional learning as part of its broader DEIA efforts. As a counselor, I can use this information to better understand how my individual counseling practice connects with larger institutional and systemwide efforts to reduce barriers and improve student success. California Community Colleges

Together, these resources provide a strong foundation for understanding diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility within higher education. They address areas such as student belonging, cultural wealth, first-generation student experiences, disability and accessibility, institutional structures, academic advising, and the broader policy environment that can shape students’ educational experiences.

As I continue preparing for a career in college counseling and advising, these resources can help me develop a practice that is student-centered, culturally responsive, accessible, and strengths-based. They also remind me that effective counseling requires more than responding to individual student needs. Counselors must also understand the systems students are navigating and recognize when institutional policies, practices, or barriers may affect access, persistence, and success.

These resources also reinforce the importance of recognizing the strengths students bring with them into higher education. Students enter college with valuable knowledge, cultural experiences, relationships, resilience, and goals. As a counselor, I want to build on those strengths while helping students understand their options, connect with resources, navigate institutional systems, and feel a greater sense of belonging.

Ultimately, my goal is to use these perspectives to create a counseling and advising practice that helps students feel informed, respected, supported, and empowered throughout their educational journey.