Building Cultural Humility in ABA: Meghan Deshais on Teaching Diversity, Social Justice, and Behaviour Analysis

In this conversation, Ben speaks with Meghan Deshais about her efforts to help move the field forward through education, curriculum development, and the creation of an open-access Culture & Diversity Toolkit for ABA Instructors. Meghan describes how her interests in social justice, feminism, and behaviour science gradually converged, leading her to explore how radical behaviourism and intersectional feminism share common contextual and pragmatic foundations.

Listeners will learn how a faculty-led initiative at Caldwell University evolved into a comprehensive resource that helps educators incorporate culture and diversity content throughout ABA coursework. Meghan explains the toolkit's foundation in the cultural competence standards established by Lyz Hughes-Fong and colleagues and discusses the addition of a new eighth standard focused on understanding behavioural mechanisms that contribute to social inequities.

The discussion also explores practical teaching strategies, including creating psychologically safe classroom environments, encouraging respectful discourse, and helping students engage with difficult topics without becoming defensive or overwhelmed. Meghan offers thoughtful perspectives on navigating politically charged language, emphasizing behavioural definitions and observable realities rather than ideological labels.

This episode is an important listen for behaviour analysts, educators, supervisors, graduate students, and anyone interested in culturally responsive and ethically informed behavioural practice.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aEvbC_fIWYM

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