What is the inclusivity tool?
The Inclusivity Tool is a tool that checks a URL that you input and analyzes the text on the page. You’ll get warnings for any language on the page that could be considered offensive, as well as an alternative language to use in its place. Plus, it’s free to crawl any page on your website!
How does the inclusivity tool work?
We deploy a bot to crawl the URL you enter in the tool. That bot looks at all of the text in the body of that page and compares the language on your site against our database, a compilation of language that inclusive communication professionals have deemed as non-inclusive. If the bot spots any text that matches the database, it will return an alert with the location of the text with a helpful suggestion and context to learn more.
We also offer paid options that include AI-powered crawls for your entire website, ensuring that your online presence is genuinely inclusive. Request a full website Inclusivity Audit.
How do you determine whether language is offensive or not?
The open source database that we started this tool with is called alex. The folks at alexjs.com have compiled this database of non-inclusive language based on resources written and shared by inclusive communication professionals, but community members are also able to send in suggestions or requests to keep the database current. Whole Whale then invested in deeper research on increasing this list to over 800 terms including context to help users learn more.
Since language is always evolving, we want to stay current on the most inclusive forms of language too! If you catch any language that should be flagged as non-inclusive, want to make any changes to our recommendations, or have other suggestions, drop your comment in the form below!
Why did you create the inclusivity Tool?
As part of Whole Whale’s work to further our DEI values internally, we sought to ensure that the language on our website was as inclusive as possible. But auditing hundreds of pages accumulated over the course of 10+ years is no small feat. Plus, the nature of language is ever-changing, and we realized we would have to do the same audit again and again in the future to honor the labels that marginalized people choose for themselves.
Luckily, we love to build tools. If we were facing this issue, then we probably aren’t the only ones. Thus, we created this tool to help other websites – and ourselves – audit their content at scale with the smallest time investment possible.
More inclusive communication resources
- SumOfUs.com: A Progressive’s Style Guide
- ConsciousStyleGuide.com
- 18F Content Guide
- DiversityStyleGuide.com
- National Center on Disability and Journalism: Disability Language Style Guide
Looking for DEI Consulting?
Changing and updating language on a website to improve the inclusivity of content to a diverse audience is a good start. However, it should not substitute for the real work of adopting DEI within an organization. Like treating the symptom while ignoring the cause, working with a DEI consultant will help build the foundation your company may need. Here is a trusted list of DEI Consultants broken down by size to help your organization find the right fit.
Verified Inclusivity Tool Partners
Embolden Action LLC
Website: https://www.emboldenaction.com/
From their website: “Our approach to community engagement, systems change, and diversity, equity & inclusion is collaborative and effective in maximizing strategies and tools for success. We challenge you to make a bold actionable approach to identifying the conditions that support successful change. We build community with our clients by focusing on internal success and their role within the organization and community systems. “
If you’re interested in becoming a Verified Inclusivity Tool Partner, please contact us here! Criteria for becoming a partner are listed below:
- Complete training with the Inclusivity Tool
- Use the Full Website Crawl Audit in your DEI work
Inclusive Language to Use in 2023
Are you using outdated language in your content? How sure are you? As language evolves, so too must our content. This can be difficult because organizations write content over the course of years. This tutorial explores inclusive language and offers concrete examples of how to use it effectively. We’ll also show you how to check your website for specific content and use our free tool, InclusivityTool.com, to check any page of your site or pdf.
This past webinar is also part of our 2023 WWU Live Webinars course, which includes access to all past 2023 Webinars for $25.
Tutorial
Inclusive Language to Use in 2023
Understand how to use inclusive language in your organization, how to review your content for inclusivity, and how to use our free tool, InclusivityTool.com!
“The Inclusivity Tool has greatly benefited EMBOLDEN Action’s DEI Assessment external review process. With the significant time needed to review websites, the Inclusivity Tool reduces review hours and helps identify potential DEI challenges toward a more user-friendly and optimized user experience. It offers a starting point for reviewing and making recommendations. I use the data to create conversations between me and my clients for their online presence. The best part is receiving a comprehensive report on all website pages, including content analysis and suggestions to enhance inclusivity and avoid discriminatory or biased language. It allows me to guide my clients in modifying their external brand, creating respectful, unbiased, and inclusive content, and reflecting their commitment to DEI in design and content. ”
Reeshemah Davis, Founder
EMBOLDEN Action