Equity is NOT Equality

When discussing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion the word equality is sometimes confused with equity, but they are not interchangeable.

​Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. It can be tempting to say, “let's just treat everyone equally and things will be fine”. In theory that sounds good, but if you have low vision just having a computer as your colleague doesn’t help you do your job to the same level. Having a screen reader might enable you to perform to the best of your abilities. Everyone has access to the theatre, but accommodations must be made so everyone has equal access in this shared experience, whether that is accessible seating, hearing devices or affordable tickets.

Here’s a short video that breaks it down even further, along with a LinkedIn article with more examples.

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