Washington State Establishes Office of Equity

In spring 2020, Washington state established an Office of Equity which will work across state agencies to ensure the goals of the department are established and carried forward. All state agencies are collecting information from families, people served, and other stakeholders to co-create a 5-year equity plan. DDA and the DD council are currently hosting community/stakeholder equity strategic planning/ listening sessions.

The newly created Washington state Office of Equity was established by the Legislature and signed into law in April 2020 because the Legislature found that:

• The population of Washington state has become increasingly diverse over the last several decades.
• As the demographics of the state change, historically and currently marginalized communities still do not have the same opportunities to meet parity as their non-marginalized counterparts across nearly every measure including education, poverty, employment, health, and more.
• Inequities based on race, ethnicity, gender, and other characteristics continue to be deep, pervasive and persistent, and they come at a great economic and social cost.

Source: Washington State DDA Announcement