Articles > 12 Steps of Recovering Segregators

The following steps are an extract from work we are doing on developing a "New I.Q." test, one that measures the inclusion quotient of a community and its settings. It came to me in thinking about labeling and the habits that have evolved around labeled people that we all suffer from some of the "habits" formed in our early childhoods. These habits are sometimes the traditions passed down from the previous generations. We often continue these habits, without good reason, "just because that is the way we’ve always done it." By way of example, I was trained every day in early childhood that America was the centre of the universe, that all of the world should "obey" when the Star Spangled Banner is played. Living in another country has forced me to "recover" from this automatic reaction. I have had to "recover" from automatic defensiveness and learn to critique the issues for what they are. What I have learned is that I am not alone in my wish to recover from some of the other "traditions" passed down to children. Segregation of people with labels is one of those traditions from which we must all choose to recover from, as it is a universal and deeply historical tradition of several thousand years. Therefore, it seems to me, that the whole of the humankind are "would be recovering segregators" of some sort or another. We all seem to harbor notions of some one or another who we think would be better off forced to live their lives with their "own kind", or at least away from "our kind". Like other recovering programs, I thought a twelve step recovery tradition might be an apt way of considering how to address this phenomenon. For your consideration:

Recovery will never be complete for people of our generation because:

Of years, thousands of years of tradition that we must all recover from.
Of our early childhood deprivation in learning the traditions of inclusion.
The "first step" requires that we seek & forgive one another in our daily acts of segregation and many of us aren’t yet willing to do one or other of these.

Inclusion is a not something that one completes. It is a life-long "becoming" humane.
Recovering from a life of segregation is both serious and fun work.
Telling others is not only encouraged but a major part of the recovery itself.
Show & tell others as often as you can.

We are all placed uniquely in the world and have different parts of the story to tell.
If you are a researcher, show & tell your research friends about the research.
An employer, show & tell other employers about your experiences in including labeled people in your business.
If you are a teacher, show & tell other teachers.
Students - show & tell other students how to include.

Only show & tell with people who voluntarily seek to know. Positivity builds inclusion.
Forcing recovery on people is not possible. It creates resentment and slows real recovery. Negativity breaks inclusion.
Prepare, prepare and prepare some more. Often opportunities to show & tell don’t present themselves. Prepare anyway so that when an opportunity comes your way, you are able to move quickly and bring serious depth to the issue.
Look for "windows of opportunity" and move on them quickly.
Problems of money, authority and time may easily divert us from our primary aim. Stay focused on the primary goal: inclusion for all - in all areas of life.
Don’t be ashamed or too proud or too good to work with recovering segregators that haven’t reached your level of recovery. (If you do, you may not have "recovered" as much as you thought!)
Look each day to improve your own recovery.