Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: when the talk equals the walk

 Two places that did it right in Niagara Falls

Truthfully, when your equity, diversity, and inclusion experiences are negative, any positive interactions feel incredibly meaningful. It’s important for me to also share these positive experiences, along with the negative ones. In reality, the recipe is simple: treating people like they are human, with respect, and not making assumptions about them when they enter a room.

Here are two experiences of places that actually worked at “walking the talk” of excellent service delivery through the lenses of EDI. 

A spot for Lunch: Skylon Tower

The first was the Skylon Tower restaurant where I treated myself to a beautiful lunch. The staff were warm, welcoming and did not misgender me once.  This was a change from the experiences I was having thus far (see my previous experience). The food was excellent and well-priced for the quality served. I would recommend eating there for a special occasion and if you do not get motion-sickness.  I don’t get motion-sick and the movement of the restaurant is subtle but I can imagine that it could make those prone to motion-sickness a bit uncomfortable.

Jewels of Niagara: Swarovski

The second place I want to give a shout-out to in Niagara Falls is the Swarovski store. Their store and staff were friendly, helpful and made my shopping experience very pleasant.  I was immediately greeted when I entered the store by a friendly salesperson who asked if I needed any assistance and was very helpful in picking out certain pieces as gifts. I did not feel like the staff made any assumptions of what my budget was (which often happens to me – people assume that I don’t have money to spend) and paid attention to my needs and answered my many questions. As I was checking out, I had a conversation about what I do and issues of EDI with the staff, which led to a great discussion about Swarovski and their EDI approach. It was clear to me from the conversation that the company actually works at “walking the talk” of EDI – at least in their Niagara Falls store 😊.

As policies are developed to create equitable, inclusive, and diverse spaces, we need to put the policies in actions so people of all walks of life feel safe to live their lives. This is not just for their customers, but for their employees and anyone who walks into their environments. I am committed to continuing the conversation, taking actions, and sharing my stories.