Inclusive Guide: An Online Community For Everyone
At The Nora Project, we know wholeheartedly that inclusive spaces are better spaces. It’s a foundation of the Ability Inclusive Mindset (AIM) we teach throughout our curriculum and a belief that guides the work that we do each and every day. We recently connected with the folx from Inclusive Guide, an online community based in Denver, Colorado and are excited to share all that they’re up to and the ways they’re working to make inclusion a priority in businessowners’ minds.
Founded by two Black women, the mission of the Inclusive Guide is to create data-driven, economic incentives for businesses to be more inclusive and welcoming, resulting in safer spaces for people who regularly experience discrimination. Today, what started as an idea based on “how do you know” type conversations, Inclusive Guide is on the verge of expanding nationwide after beta testing in Denver.
Parker stands on the left smiling wearing glasses, yellow head wrap, and brightly colored shirt while Crystal stands on the right with their hair down, smiling, wearing a blue jacket and yellow shirt.
Crystal Egli initially had the idea of creating a digital ‘Green Book’ for the outdoors, similar to the segregation-era guide that Black travelers used to know if they would be welcome places. “Once we started talking about it, my brain started churning and I realized that this could be so much bigger than outdoor stuff,” shares Parker McMullen Bushman, Egli’s friend and co-founder of Inclusive Guide.
“When Crystal started thinking about the ‘Green Book,’ and bringing Black travel into the 21st century, we realized we couldn’t just leave it as a Black thing. Intersectionality exists -- there’s Black people in the disability community, in the LBGTQ+ community, and in other communities. There are a lot of people that face discriminality daily.”
Inclusive Guide is an online community where users can list whether they feel safe, welcome, celebrated and list their experiences at all kinds of locations from retail stores, to coffee shops, to movie theaters, and of course, hiking trails and campgrounds. “You can see what other people’s experiences are like,” shares Bushman. “Allies can look and say I want to spend my money where everyone is being treated the same.”
Businesses receive inclusive scores based on reviews from users. Eventually, the Inclusive Guide team hopes to share factual data with businesses so they can see who they’re excluding and make positive changes.
Check out the Inclusive Guide website to learn more and follow along on social media as they prepare to expand nationwide in the coming months. Interested in supporting their project? Contribute to their GoFundMe campaign today. Together, we can make the world more inclusive for all. Know of other businesses making positive contributions to inclusivity in the community? Tell us about them!