Equity

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Equity is fair treatment and access to opportunities and outcomes. 

It is having the choice.

Equity is having the same opportunity to enter the room.

Diversity refers to the representation and demographics of people. 

It is a fact. 

Diversity is being in the room.

Inclusion is the efforts, behaviors and environment that can be fostered by society and the people in it.

It is behavior and actions. 

Inclusion is having a seat at the table and a voice.

Accessibility is part of inclusion, creating solutions that specifically address a particular need or problem that some people may have to enable equitable access. 

It is design. 

Accessibility is removing the barriers to entering the room and being able to communicate.

Belonging is what people feel and results from inclusion efforts. 

It is an emotional outcome.

Belonging is feeling that others want to hear from you and that you have been heard and understood.

In our current system, the reality is that some people get much more than they need while others get less than what is needed, as illustrated in the first image. Thus, a large disparity is created.

Equality means everyone is treated exactly the same, regardless of differences. In the second image, it is assumed that everyone will benefit from the same supports. However, as depicted, the same accommodations don't always lead to the same outcomes. The first person is not in need of the support yet they receive it anyways and the third person still cannot see the game, even with the same support the other two people are given. They are all being treated equally.

Equity means that everyone is provided with what they need to succeed and have fair treatment, access, opportunities and outcomes. Equity is a solution for addressing imbalanced systems. In the third image, the individuals are given different supports to make it possible for them to have the same outcome of access to viewing the game. They are being treated equitably. 

Social justice is fixing the systems in a way that leads to long-term, sustainable, equitable access for all going forward. In the last image, all three can see the game without any supports or accommodations because the cause of the inequity was addressed. The fence blocking the view for some is gone. The barrier has been removed. This is justice.

We want all people to be seen as equals yet have an understanding that individuals need to be treated equitably with accommodations as needed in order to achieve the same outcomes. People often succeed in society despite barriers and obtain positive outcomes, but their success doesn't mean those barriers don't exist with which many still struggle. Ultimately, we want to work towards justice and attaining equity by having all systemic barriers removed.

Life essentials equity is part of broader human rights and refers to the equitable allocation and access to food, water, housing, clothing, health care, safety, etc. These are universal rights that everyone should have simply because we exist. 

Life essentials inequity often implies the lack of equitable outcomes, but it is usually about, alternatively, the lack of equitable access. Like all areas of inequity being interconnected, life essentials inequity is closely linked to economic inequity in regards to the uneven distribution of wealth, and poverty is linked to systemic social inequities. Additionally, access to healthy food, safe drinking water and clean air, is also intertwined with environmental inequities. 

We want to live in a world where everyone has the opportunities and resources they need to survive and thrive.