Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Family Voices

The Importance of DEIB for Family-led Organizations

In spite of our mission and efforts to make space to include children and youth with special
health care needs (CYSHCN) and their families in leadership, Family Voices is not immune to the
effects of structural racism and oppression.

Family Voices’ DEIB initiatives, including the development of this framework, are critical to
addressing these realities in our mission and work.

Why did we begin this work?

For 30 years Family Voices has expanded the inclusion of leaders with lived experience who were
previously excluded from decision- and policy-making tables, empowering CYSHCN and their
families with support, education, training, and opportunities to engage with professional
partners.

Family Voices recommits to a proud legacy of privileging voices that have been regularly
excluded, minoritized, and marginalized by expanding access, prioritizing inclusion, and focusing
action on the CYSHCN who historically and still today experience the greatest disparities across
the U.S.