Disability is one of those things where people work to achieve equality for people who have a
disability in a world where they may not be given the same liberties and freedoms. However, the
problem with equality, and what we feel to be the big roadblock to this change, is a lack of
understanding in the method. It’s not about equality, as far as we perceive the situation, it’s
about equity, instead. Not equal opportunities, but support to get equal opportunities. If you’re
confused, that’s okay, we’ll explain it.
The concept of giving people equal opportunities is a good one, but the problem with it is that it
is fundamentally flawed. Even if we do set out to provide people with equal opportunities, the
issue comes from the fact that not everybody is in a position to use them. Say, for example, that
a government made it a priority to give everyone free access to public transport. What happens
if someone has a disability which requires a mobility aid, and they can’t then access the public
transport to use the free travel? You might assume that someone has, therefore, been given an
equal opportunity, but the reality is different.
This is where the concept of equity comes into play. We need to ensure that people have the
tools necessary to be able to access equal opportunities regardless of what situation they come
from. So, for example, following on from our example, if we wanted to give everyone equal
access to public transport, then we would need to find a way to ensure everyone can access it,
for example, modifying entrances to transport so they work for people with mobility aids. This is
a very important part of how we look at the world and indeed, how we look at disabilities.
Our main goal should be to identify the areas where equality isn’t compatible with the needs of
disabled people. When we know what roadblocks are preventing equal opportunities, we’ll know
how to deal with them. This type of thinking helps us to pave the way for what is to come – the
future generations who will want support and help regardless of what disabilities they face. If we
are going to champion true equity, then we have to overhaul the way that we look at equality.
Striving for equality is a good thing, and something we should all aim for. However, with that
being said, we have to recognise that equality is built on an often incorrect idea – that all points
are equal when they just aren’t. The truth is that there are often situations where disabled
people aren’t in a position to take full advantage of what’s being offered to them. This makes it
hard to push for true equality and does raise a question or two about what that means. We feel
equity is the way forward, and the best way to do that is to try and champion giving everyone
access to the opportunities.