The Interconnections of DEAI Initiatives and Effective Empathy Practices

Various programs or initiatives at organizations in the ACE for Wildlife Network have demonstrated that effective empathy practices and diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion initiatives are related. However, after a DEAI focused hackathon session at the in-person Empathy Summit in 2025, it became clear that those connections needed to be explicitly stated. This resource, created with guidance from the Network’s DEAI Committee, highlights the relationship between effective empathy practices and DEAI initiatives by showcasing different projects from across the Network that embody that relationship. The committee hopes that this resource will not only provide tangible examples of empathy and DEAI in practice, but be used by the variety of practitioners in the Network and provide avenues of connection for resource users on DEAI topics.