Every HIV-priority initiative has made an effort to “meaningfully engage the HIV community” but these efforts consistently fail to achieve the intended goal of robust, consistent, and substantial public involvement. At best, involvement comes in the form of rubber stamps and typically the system throws up its arms and says “it’s impossible to engage people due their lack of interest, readiness, and knowledge to support their involvement.”

RAI is made up of people who represent the HIV community in terms of races, genders, sexual orientations, geographic bases, personal histories of risk, and much more. Together, we crafted a toolkit with six key activity areas that address limitations, including Storytelling Services, Public/Private Partnership Services, Patient Reported Measures Services, Assessment Services, Evidence-Based Co-Design Consulting, and HIV Community Competencies. Our goal is to end extractive processes, stop moral injury, and maximize public input in service planning. “Nothing About Us Without Us!”