Inclusive Community Engagement

Fairfax County is home to a diverse population, which is reflected in 180+ languages and dialects. Our engagement approaches must consider who we want to engage in our work and then shift our design to meet the needs of our participants, especially for the various languages spoken in the county. We must strive to create multilingual messages that are culturally competent. We recognize this commitment requires a human component and acknowledge there are some improvements that need to be made in this area. In addition, we must ensure language access is planned at the beginning of a process, as well as within public-facing technology solutions. 

According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 43 million adults in the United States cannot read, write or do basic math above a third-grade level, so literacy is important to consider when planning inclusive community engagement. Fairfax County includes people at all literacy levels. Our engagement must be inclusive of the needs for those in our community who are at lower literacy levels, including people from other countries and their native languages.

One way to achieve success is through the use of intentional plain language. We need to respect the time our residents engage, as well as the spectrum of literacy skills within our community. Plain language (also called plain writing or plain English) is communication our community can (ideally) understand the first time they read or hear it.

•    Plain language gets our message across in the shortest time possible.
•    There is less chance information will be misunderstood, so we spend less time explaining it to people. 
•    Acronyms, bureaucratic/government terms and legalese are limited as much as possible.
•    Be concise – leave out unnecessary words. Don’t use jargon or technical terms when everyday words have the same meaning. Use words and terms consistently throughout documents.
•    Plain language keeps literacy levels in mind since that's an issue identified in our root cause analysis. 
•    Plain language leads to easier translations into other languages.
 

Cultural, religious and linguistic differences impact how well we are understood and connected with important messages and community efforts. Culture is multidimensional, not only does it include race and ethnicity, but it also includes shared customs, values, rules of behavior, traditions and rituals, and perceptions. Culture is passed down from generation to generation. We can also look at culture through a systemic perspective – the cultural factors around the individual, the family/group and the broader community. It is important to consider the historical factors that are very much present today, including a history of enslavement, marginalization, racism, violations of trust and abuse. These factors have significant implications at the individual and community level with respect to collaboration, partnership building, and developing and maintaining trust and must be recognized in any engagement effort.  
 

Accessible meetings promote meaningful participation from all in our community. Approximately 11 percent of Virginians have a disability. The right resources will need to be identified to support any requests for needed accommodations, such as American Sign Language interpreters, closed captioning, document adjustments and facility access. Related accessibility considerations include transportation and childcare availability. 

Digital equity is a key consideration across our community, especially in a county our size where digital participation allows people from all over the county to participate.  A recent One Fairfax workgroup explains:

“Digital equity ensures opportunities for Fairfax County residents to participate and engage in a connected community. The ability to access, understand and use digital tools is essential for many tasks in modern life, including applying for jobs, paying bills, enjoying recreational activities, completing homework, staying informed and connecting with government/community services.”

In Fairfax County, the ideal state of digital equity means:
1.    Affordable digital hardware and connections
2.    Awareness of digital resources and services
3.    Access to specific digital tools
4.    Advancement of digital literacy skills
 

In-person, face-to-face engagement (pre-pandemic) has its advantages, but a shift to virtual formats may be necessary to show we are still listening and meeting people where they are in their busy lives. From the perspective of our community, engaging online can provide a better engagement experience than the traditional face-to-face approach – no travel, more convenient and people can participate in a more relaxed manner. Moreover, in an online environment, younger people are more likely to participate, and introverts may find the experience less intimidating. Online engagement platforms can help reach a broader audience, and smartphone mobile technology is often more prevalent than laptops or desktop computers for many communities. Like in-person community engagement, virtual engagement requires a significant amount of planning time to determine purpose and appropriate methods to be successful. While planning, consider digital equity and technical access. Take into consideration these potential barriers to participation: 

•    Lack of internet access or unreliable/slow access
•    Prevalence of mobile phones as a primary device to participate
•    Sharing devices/connection with other family members
•    Limited data plans 
•    Quiet space to participate 
•    Headset or headphones for better sound quality
•    Access to a printer to print materials shared in advance

When engaging communities, whether it is a specific location or an identified population, we have to acknowledge that not all groups/ people/ communities have had the same experience with the county. The impact of county policies, programs and practices must be considered. This should be intentional and reviewed throughout the process. 
 

A key consideration for community engagement efforts is the time we choose for meetings and gatherings. Traditionally, evening meetings have been the norm, but that’s not always ideal for parents, those who work evening jobs and for other reasons.