April 23, 2021 — The Vision Council has released its 2020 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey Report, designed to provide an in-depth analysis of the custom survey the organization fielded to the vision care community in November 2020. The survey was open to all members of the vision care products and services industry and was fielded from November 9–24, 2020. It received 1,527 usable responses, all U.S.-based.
“As we look to the future of The Vision Council and our industry, fostering a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community is paramount to our mission of creating more opportunities for community-building and encouraging industry growth,” says Ashley Mills, TVC CEO. “The information gathered from the 2020 survey will help us move the industry forward in an informed, thoughtful way. We must recognize, however, that while the survey marks an important starting point in gathering information and benchmarks that will allow us to create a more inclusive vision care community, we still have work to do. We look forward to working together to identify milestones and goals for the industry and providing tangible, actionable pathways for our members to access.”
The confidential survey, developed in partnership with Nonprofit HR, a human resources firm focused exclusively on the nonprofit sector with expertise in DEI consulting, was created to benchmark the vision care leadership landscape to help industry organizations identify opportunities to promote diversity, cultivate talent, and improve performance.
TVC has shared key survey insights, including:
- Senior leaders who responded within the suppliers and manufacturers segment deem helping their organizations to become more diverse and inclusive a high priority. 92% deem it their responsibility to help their organization become more diverse, inclusive, and equitable.
- When asked how they viewed their opportunities for advancements, there were differences in opinions among respondents from different demographic groups within the academia segment. 75% of those respondents within the academia segment who identify as white feel they have the ability to advance their career in this industry, compared to 58% of those respondents within the academia segment who identify as people of color.
- In the independent eyecare and retail segment, 88% of owners feel that their organization’s board, management team, or senior leadership demonstrates commitment to DEI, but less than 75% of staff feel that management has this commitment. Among those who identified as having a disability within this industry segment, only 61% felt this commitment from their leadership.
- The corporate eyecare and retail respondents provided some of the lowest scores to key questions regarding equity and inclusion compared to other segments. For example, 46% of respondents in this segment feel that their ideas are strongly considered in the decision-making process at their organization compared to 64% of all survey respondents who feel their ideas are strongly considered.
- In the industry groups category (buying groups, trade media, nonprofit organizations), respondents reported a higher feeling of belonging than respondents in other segments; 81% of respondents in the industry groups segment said they feel comfortable bringing their authentic “whole self” to their places of work.