DEI&A Session for Mercantile Bank Gets Rave Reviews
One of the lesser-known services offered by Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services is the diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI&A) training we do for local businesses, providers, and non-profits.
We recently had a chance to partner with Mercantile Bank of Michigan, and it was another great time of conversation and education as bank employees learned more about their Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing customers thanks to an insightful presentation from our Erica Chapin, Community and Partnerships Manager, and Nancy Piersma, Community Education Coordinator.
Misti Stanton is Mercantile’s Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and she reached out to D&HHS to get our assistance.
She said she connected with D&HHS because in her work, she recognizes and respects all areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. It’s important, she added, for Mercantile employees to access presentations like the one Erica and Nancy gave because one of her goals for Mercantile is to continue looking for opportunities for self-growth and awareness around DEI.
She added: “When you can provide spaces for individuals to learn and grow at their own pace, it helps to establish impactful and sustainable change within an environment.”
Mission accomplished when it came to our recent presentation.
“The goals and objectives I had for this presentation were definitely met,” she said. “Learning how to better serve the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community was very eye opening for us as an organization. We value all of the communities that we serve, but this presentation was a reminder to make sure we continue to look for ways to improve and stay relevant.”
Stanton added that Nancy and Erica were very knowledgeable and provided Mercantile with valuable resources that could be implemented right away to improve the ways the bank serves the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing communities, internally and externally.
Evaluations of the presentation from bank employees were glowing.
Among some of the comments:
“Listen to what each individual needs. No two people are the same, what works for you doesn’t always work for someone else. “
“Being respectful to those Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing. Use the correct language and talk to them. “
“I would like to look into taking their ASL classes in the spring.”
Chapin and Piersma both were pleased by the positive evaluations their presentation received, and Stanton said that she would “highly recommend Nancy and Erica to other organizations in West Michigan. We are looking forward to a continued partnership with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services.”
Learn more about our presentations by visiting our DEI&A page.