
As I navigate life with both autism and Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia, I have found that some people find my accomodations and assistance unfair. Some of the pushback is because others might wish to benefit from the same perks without understanding the significance. An example of this is getting disability parking because I struggle to walk long distances, when others might wish they could also park closer for convenience. I also get pushback because the accommodations I need can cause others to use extra effort. Professors might need to rearrange the building their class is in so I can avoid using stairs, or some educational videos might need to have a transcript so that I can process the information effectively. This blog, I want to talk about the importance of equality, vs equity and why that distinction is important.
Equality is the state of being equal. In practical terms, equality results in everyone being treated the same exact way, regardless of individual needs and circumstances (Duffield, n.d.). An example of this is in the opening illustration for this article, where everyone is given two skates, regardless of how many feet the animal has. In one of my classes, I had a testing accommodation where I got a 1.5x time extension on every test. The professor handled this by giving every student 2 hours to take a 10 question test, so that time would not be an issue. Everyone would be treated equally, and no one would have to worry about timed tests. However, my accomodation was still not followed, because I didn't get that 1.5x extended time on the 2 hours.
This leads us into equity. Equity occurs when everyone is provided with resources specific to their needs, strengths, and challenges (Duffield, n.d.). Equity would involve the octopus getting 8 shoes, while everyone with 2 legs gets two shoes. Everyone is getting skates for the number of feet they have, instead of everyone getting the same amount of skates. Equity also looks like getting the 1.5x allotted time on tests regardless of the original time, with another student getting a different amount of time to complete the test as needed to honor individual needs. This way, each student has testing regulations that honors their specific situation.
I have really struggled to get equitable accommodations at various points. Last week, I talked about some of the labels I have given myself or been given by others. These perceptions of disabled people could impact how people view equitable access in a negative way. Advocacy has become really important in my journey to make sure I am getting access that will make my completing of tasks equitable, without becoming unfair. My goal in disability advocacy is to aim for equity, so that each person can have the accommodations they need. This goal even extends outside of disability advocacy, and into how we as a society react to individuality and variation across people. Aka, I think everyone can benefit from equity. I am going to give three situations that involve me getting accommodations, along with a hypothetical situation, and explain if it is an example of equity or equality.
Q1: I am given the option to keep a recorder on me to record auditory lectures and get them transcribed, while other students who need note taking assistance choose to use in class note takers to capture notes.
A1: This is an example of equity, because I am given an accommodation that is tailored to my needs. The in class note taker would not capture enough information for me to go back over. In addition, other students with similar needs as me are able to make their own choices of how to get the necessary information. My reasons for needing a back up way to get audio notes will be different than someone else, so having multiple options allows for better accessibility.
Q2: As a middle schooler, I was given an accommodation called building breaks. This accommodation was due to my anxiety, and allowed me to go on walks during class to get excess energy out in a calm and productive way without disrupting my peers. I could then come back to class, and resume the lecture quietly. I could then get any information I missed after class on my own time. Is this an example of equity, or equality?
A2: This is an example on equity. My accomodation was specifically tailored to my anxiety, and allowed me to complete school work in a way that still allowed me to do equal amounts of work as all of the other students. I benefited from having tools that were tailored to me. If every child had access to a building break, it might not have been beneficial to each child and it would have created chaos. Other children who needed disability accommodations also had tailored services for their needs.
Q3: During my disability services accommodations meeting, I am told that I get priority registration as a student because all disabled students working with the disability office qualify as a specialized class. Is this an example of equity, or equality?
A3: While tricky, this is an example of equality. At large, my accommodation is different than the "average" student. However, I am treated the same as all of the other disabled students who are registered with the disability center. Priority registration is not individualized to me and my needs, but is instead given to all disabled students regardless of the individual disability. While it is an amazing service that helped me manage my anxiety when it came time to register for classes, I never fully understood how it was fair. Why did my identity as a disabled person make it more important for me to get the classes I needed to graduate on time?
Q4: The stairs at a building are all replaced with ramps.
A4: This is an example of equality. It would be amazing if buildings were comfortably accessible for everyone. Unfortunately, we are not there yet. The proposed solution of replacing stairs with ramps is not equitable because there could be people who have an easier time using other tools like elevators or even the stairs that were removed. To make the situation equitable, multiple ways of accessibility would be introduced so that each person could have access. When I used a wheelchair, ramps were not very helpful to me because I was not strong enough to wheel myself up them without assistance, and many were too steep to go down alone. I learned that ramps are only accessible if you have a motorized mobility aid, a mobility aid where you are standing, or a friend who can help.
Overall, equity takes accommodations and changes them from fair for everyone, to personalized to fairly assist each person. I hope that we can start to shift towards equity to make things more accessible for multiple different groups of people. Thank you for reading about the difference between equality and equity. If you have any questions or comments, send me a message at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook. I hope to see you next week!
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