As our nation grapples with systemic issues of racial inequality and injustice, we, the Board of Directors of the American Society of Access Professionals (ASAP), stand committed to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. ASAP’s mission of bringing together access professionals from both inside and outside government to collaboratively improve access to information and privacy processes works best with participation from individuals who are diverse in all the ways people differ. We believe diversity also includes diversity of thought: ideas, perspectives and values. We reaffirm ASAP’s Statement of Principles, approved by the Board 35 years ago. We emphasize one of the main tenets: “The access professional should not practice, condone, or facilitate any form of discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, marital status, political belief or affiliation, mental or physical handicap, or any other preference of personal characteristic, condition or status.” This is a principle to which ASAP remains deeply committed. Finally, we are committed to creating training and other environments in which we welcome, respect, support, and value all persons. As access professionals, we understand that our role is to be objective and fair and perform our work free from insidious discrimination. The work of ASAP is inextricably tied to the nation’s ideals of a well-informed democracy, and only through a truly open, inclusive, and collaborative environment can those ideals begin to be met.
