Our Commitment to Equity
At The Shadow Project, we see students thrive in classrooms built around dignity, belonging, and a belief in each person’s potential. To achieve our mission of making school more accessible and engaging for students with learning challenges, we work to center diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) for students, educators, volunteers, employees, and everyone in our community.
What We’ve Done
In 2021, The Shadow Project partnered with Kaycie López Jones of At The Root LLC and Karen Drill of Drill Consulting to complete an equity audit across our organization. This was a key moment in our equity journey. We unequivocally state that racial inequities are at the heart of the barriers many of our students face.
You can read the full equity audit results here. These findings still guide how we grow and improve today.
By the numbers:
- 23% of all books distributed to students from 2023-2025 featured characters of color or were written by authors of color
- 500+ educators trained to support students’ sensory needs, apply trauma-informed practices, and use assistive reading tools in the classroom.
- 700+ culturally specific book titles curated to support Family Reading Kits, Reading Mentors, and classroom needs.
- Worked with volunteer and professional translators to prepare Family Reading Kits in 8 languages.
- 20+ teachers, donors, program alumni, staff, and Board members worked together to create our 2025-29 Strategic Plan.
Where We’re Going
Today we’re working to:
- Make sure people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds feel welcome at The Shadow Project, know how to get involved, and have a voice in decisions, especially about future strategy and funding
- Increase the number of staff, committee members, and Board members who identify as people of color to better reflect the communities we serve
- Identify and correct any Shadow Project policies or practices that limit equity, inclusion, or access
- Build DEIA accountability into every level of leadership to ensure continual growth
