About Us

Primarily as a result of its location on the western edge of Europe, Northern Ireland has had a limited experience of diverse peoples and cultures. In addition, 30 years of conflict have ensured that undue emphasis has been placed on religious and political differences and, until very recently, this has been to the exclusion of other areas of diversity and difference.

Over the last four years diversity projects, funded under the EU's EQUAL programme and delivered through development partnerships led by Disability Action, have begun to focus on a range of diversity issues and on the discrimination faced by such communities of interest as carers, those of a range of sexual orientations, people from black and minority ethnic communities and disabled people.

In addition, these programmes have begun to identify the issues of diversity relating to the multiple identities that we all have.

The members of the Diversity Matters Partnership have developed the Take the Challenge, Make the Change diversity awareness training programme with the direct involvement and assistance of individuals who are socially excluded.

The same is true of the unique photographic exhibition that was created by individuals from a number of communities of interest.

The most recent partnership, Diversity Works, is transferring the learning to assist employers to develop innovative diversity practices in the workplace and to research issues of multiple identities.

This site has been funded by the Department of Employment and Learning, the Managing Authority for EQUAL in Northern Ireland, to enable the initiation of a network on diversity issues that will assist employers to identify best practice; those who are discriminated against to access their peers as well as information on their rights and other interested people to research innovation and the latest information on the key issue of diversity.