Being Bonterra: De’Von Lewis on forging a more equitable world 

De’Von Lewis is looking forward to an experience most people will never have. By the age of 30, he expects to be completely deaf. And he’s at peace with what’s coming. 

That outlook is exactly why De’Von is so well positioned for his role as Bonterra’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) Social Impact Intern. He brings a perspective few can, grounded in firsthand experience with what equity (the E in DEIB) means in practice.  

Raised in Washington, D.C., the middle child of 5 siblings, he is now a senior at Morehouse College, studying business administration with minors in leadership studies, data science, and analytics. He plans to build a career in human resources. When he looks at Bonterra, he sees the same crossover that shapes his degree: people on one side, technology and AI on the other, and true impact where they meet. 

Why Morehouse chose him 

De’Von will tell you he didn’t pick Morehouse College. Morehouse chose him. He had already been accepted to Harvard, Yale, and Brown, and Morehouse was the only historically Black college or university he applied to. He and his mom went back and forth until she asked him to give it one semester. Four years later, he calls it one of the best decisions of his life. 

It’s worth starting here, because belonging (the B in DEIB) is not an abstract idea to De’Von. He has spent his life reading rooms: an all-boys Black elementary school, then a predominantly white school where he was one of eight Black students, then boarding school, then public school. He knows the difference between being in a room and feeling as though he belongs there. Those instincts shape how he thinks about equity and what a community owes its people. 

Equity gives everyone what they actually need 

Ask De’Von to explain the difference between equity and equality, and he reaches for something concrete. “Equality is everyone getting the same test and the same pencil,” he says. “But some people need one pencil and some need three. Equity makes sure everyone reaches the same playing field, even when that means different tools.” 

He learned that firsthand through his 504 plan, a formal agreement in US schools that arranges accommodations for students with disabilities. On paper, he had support, but in reality, that support didn’t cater to his specific needs. 

Extra time was equal, but it was useless to him. That gap, between what he was offered and what would have actually helped, is the whole case for equity in the classroom. 

The accommodations that matter most to him now are the ones that meet him where he is. Alongside being hard of hearing, De’Von manages mental health conditions, and some mornings change the shape of his whole day. At Bonterra, he handles those days with support from his manager. “I can text my boss and let them know I’m not able to come in, and I don’t have to explain myself. I’m protected,” he says. This is an illustration of what true equity looks like in practice in the workplace. 

Why the world works better with everyone

This year’s Disability Pride Month theme puts it plainly: “The world works better with us.” Selected by the Arc’s National Council of Self-Advocates, a disabled-led national council, it makes a simple argument that reaches past any single group. When people with disabilities are included and supported, communities work better for everyone in them. 

The evidence is all around us: Disability-led advocacy gave us curb cuts, closed captioning, audiobooks, and voice dictation, access that became a better experience for nearly everyone, from the caregiver with a stroller to the commuter listening to a book. De’Von hopes the theme sparks curiosity rather than caution, because no two disabilities look the same. “You can have knowledge of what it looks like, and that can help you just be better,” he says. 

Which brings him back to the future he’s looking forward to. Going deaf isn’t a loss to brace for, but an experience most people will never have, and one more thing that will make him who he is.