Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access (IDEA)

OSC IDEA logo

As a science-based institution we put education first and foremost, and pursue opportunities to share information to bring awareness to injustices and systemic societal issues.

Our mission is to inspire science learning for life and we believe in science for all. As an organization, we are committed to creating policies and practices that help eliminate barriers to participation in STEM to build a better tomorrow for future generations.

Our IDEA Framework adds directional focus and clarity to the work being accomplished by Orlando Science Center teams and individuals.

OSC IDEA Framework

Defining IDEA

Adapted from the American Alliance of Museums


Inclusion is the intentional, ongoing effort to ensure that diverse individuals fully participate in all aspects of organizational work, including decision-making processes. It also refers to the ways that diverse participants are valued as respected members of an organization and/or community. While a truly “inclusive” group is necessarily diverse, a “diverse” group may or may not be “inclusive.”

Diversity is all the ways that people are different and the same at the individual and group levels. Even when people appear the same, they are different. Organizational diversity requires examining and questioning the makeup of a group to ensure that multiple perspectives are represented.

Equity is the fair and just treatment of all members of a community. Equity requires commitment to strategic priorities, resources, respect, and civility, as well as ongoing action and assessment of progress toward achieving specific goals.

Accessibility is giving equitable access to everyone along the continuum of human ability and experience. Accessibility encompasses the broader meanings of compliance and refers to how organizations make space for the characteristics that each person brings.

We are committed to practicing IDEA work in our institution.

One of our Strategic Goals reads, "Engage our diverse community by serving, reflecting, and embracing all."

The strategies that support the goal are:

  1. Reinforce and promote an operating culture that embodies Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) principles
  2. Identify and allocate resources and implement practices that strengthen OSC’s ability to drive IDEA principles.
  3. Determine influences and barriers impacting STEM learning in OSC’s service area.
  4. Implement initiatives to drive increased participation of underrepresented audiences through STEM education.
  5. Establish place-based partnerships to engage STEM learners in addressing the needs of their respective communities.
Two kids playing with water in kidstown

Accessibility

The Science Center is committed to removing hardships and strives to be a safe and welcoming place for all people to engage with informal science learning in an impactful way.

Group of seated guests learning about astronomy during presentation at Science on a Sphere.

Science for All Access Program

The Science For All access program allows EBT and WIC cardholders to receive admission and memberships at a greatly reduced rate.