Representation and making members of community feel welcome.

[Sehnsucht]

Dear Sane forums and SANE as a whole, Your media and website presence does little to address ensuring members of intersecting margianalisations (people of colour, racial or ethnic diversity, religious diversity, other disabilities) are welcome here. Many of SANE's videos are without adequate captioning/transcripts, for those that may need. I just watched the video on the stigma watch page and closed captioning was atrocious. Further to that, the site is overwhelmingly white. Australia has a diverse population with mental health concerns, and in respect to race Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are over-represented in the mental health system. Yet they don't see their faces here, or within SANE's facebook or other media presences. It seems this is an unwelcoming and potentially unsafe space for those that may be multi-margianalised. This concerns me. I am white, and quite privileged, despite having one of the least privileged mental health diagnoses. I really am very privileged. But what hope do even those privileged like me, have of ever expecting adaquete help driven from lived-experience, if those that have it worst still have nothing? Please can you address this? Thank you, Sehnsucht.

[CherryBomb]

Hi @Sehnsucht

Hi Sehnsuct,

Thanks for sharing your concerns, you have raised an important point. This is an area that SANE is currently working to address. At the moment, we are undertaking research with the University of Sydney to speak with stakeholders within culturally and linguistically diverse, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities to be better understand how the SANE forums could be more inclusive of these communities. While we agree that having more inclusive imagery is important, we also want to make sure that what we represent strikes a balance with being diverse and inclusive, but also relevant and meaningful.

The majority of the images that SANE uses are people from our speakers program, of which the focus has been on recruiting differing experiences and stories of mental illness. These are people who have volunteered to speak out about mental illness. What you have highlighted to us is that perhaps we need different recruitment strategies to ensure diversity.

Thanks for raising this with us. 

CherryBomb