CTData Conference 2022 Recap: Why Am I Always Being Researched?
At CTData Conference 2022, Eva Liu and Steve Gates from Chicago Beyond joined us to talk about the seven inequities standing in the way of impact from the guidebook, Why am I Always Being Researched.
Our presenters started with this question: What does “research equity” mean to you, and what happens to get there? People identified bias and power, partnership, transparency, inclusion, not making assumptions, stepping back, and listening to the community.
The goal of the session was to change what we notice. “When we change what we notice, we change what we see and what we do.”
The Seven Inequities
Seven inequities stand in the way of impact, seven opportunities for change.
Access: “Could we be minimizing potential impact by who we allow to meaningfully lead?” People know when they are just a token. People impacted have access to the table and control the way content is created.
Information: “Can we effectively partner if information is not wholly shared?” Information is the key, and there is always cost. Many of our organizations were never fully informed about the costs/benefits and were too scared to ask. Small community organizations have shifted to now understand the cost to the community and the cost to the staff.
Validity: “Could we be making uniformed decisions because of who or what we allow as valid inputs?” What if there are conflicts between the model researchers’ design and the expertise nonprofit leaders have in the community? As researchers, how can you be mindful of building relationships with communities?
Ownership: “Whose ownership is assumed, and whose must be earned?” Community organizations seek/build ownership of data, and researchers should invite co-ownership of research.
Value: “Who or what do I deem valuable? Whose costs and risks matter, whose are invisible?” The community deserves value and needs to notice value. We need more time to think about potential costs and benefits to the community.
Accountability: “Are we holding the right parties accountable if our approach creates harm or does not work? Without accountability, trust is limited, and the work cannot be as bold. Worse, communities can be harmed.”
Authorship: “Whose voice is shaping the narrative being told, whose voice is missing?”
Our presenters ended with this question: What is one thing you can do? Some of the things people raised include listening harder and understanding ground truths about users sooner than later. To conclude, it is an ongoing journey, and we need to continue muscle-building.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
You can watch other sessions from the CTData 2022 Mini-Conference at the conference hub.
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