Triangle, Inc. awarded state grant to expand racial equity and disability justice work

$140K grant will support the work of Triangle’s Racial Equity Task Force

  Triangle, Inc., a 50-year-old nonprofit based in Malden that serves people with disabilities and their families, was awarded a $140,000 state grant to expand its ongoing racial equity and disability justice work within the organization’s workplace. Triangle was among 85 community organizations to receive more than $46 million in Home and Community-based Services (HCBS) and Human Services Workforce grants through the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) for training, recruiting or retaining the HCBS and human service workforce in Massachusetts.

  “We are incredibly grateful for this grant,” said Triangle, Inc. CEO Coleman Nee. “It is essential to educate all our employees on matters of racial equity and disability justice to help them thrive in a diverse, modern workplace. Our ongoing racial equity and disability justice efforts are essential to our mission and to building a strong, inclusive workplace culture. Triangle is committed to enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion.”

  In June 2020, a group of Triangle employees formed the organization’s first Racial Equity Task Force. The group developed and distributed a survey to all Triangle staff members to better assess the need for future racial equity work within the organization and to learn more about their unique experiences at Triangle. The survey results showed a need to address Triangle’s workplace culture and to make sure that all members of the Triangle staff are represented, respected and heard regarding matters of diversity, equity and inclusion.

  In response to the survey, the Racial Equity Task Force and the organization’s executive leadership and Board of Directors hired Lovelace Consulting Services, Inc., an internationally respected Racial Equity consulting firm, to learn more about Triangle’s needs and to facilitate follow-up steps. Additionally, Triangle reexamined its own internal policies related to disability inclusion in the workplace.

  The grant, which was awarded in December, will allow Triangle to continue and expand its racial equity and disability justice work for the next 18 months. That work includes:

• Continued monthly Racial Equity training sessions for all staff members.
• Development and implementation of quarterly Disability Justice trainings for staff members across the organization that will provide a deeper understanding of disability history, workplace disability inclusion, and ableism.
• Development and implementation of monthly Disability Justice micro-trainings for new hires that will be included as part of the Human Resources orientation process.
• Support a portion of Triangle’s Human Resources Recruitment Specialist’s time dedicated to developing strategic recruitment initiatives and adopt best practices as the organization expands pipelines for new hires that reflect the diversity of its client and participant population.
• Support a portion of Triangle’s Human Resources Director’s time as they develop new organizational policies that will ensure the examination of all current but outdated staff policies to build a more inclusive culture that de-emphasizes structural racism and adopts best practices that encourage the hiring and promotion of diverse candidates.
• Support for a third-party ombudsman or representative who will serve as an external resource for Triangle staff members to voice any concerns or violations of organizational policy related to Racial Equity or Disability Justice.

  These initiatives will help Triangle build a transformed culture among existing staff members that emphasizes their unique identities as an asset to the organization. In addition, this ongoing work will allow Triangle to establish stronger recruitment, hiring and retention practices.

  About Triangle, Inc.: Triangle is a 50-year-old disability services agency that reaches 3,000 people every year in North Shore, Metro North, Greater Boston, South Shore and Worcester communities. Triangle offers a variety of services to the disability community, including residential services, supported employment and community-based day services, workforce development programs, and empowerment programs that promote self-advocacy, personal safety and community engagement. IMPACT Boston and Empowering People for Inclusive Communities (EPIC) are both proud Triangle affiliates. Learn more at triangle-inc.org.