Equity in Design & Instruction

The terms diversity, equity, and inclusion are buzzwords in America these days, and especially in education. But what do they mean? And why are they important in our work as educators?

What is Diversity?

In order to understand equity, let's first look at the term "diversity." In short, diversity means the ways in which people differ from one another. Diversity can refer to obvious differences like race, gender, and ethnicity, or less noticeable distinctions like religion, ability, age, political affiliation, or even school affiliation. Humans naturally identify in groups; we tend to categorize ourselves and determine who is "like" us and who is different based on any number of factors. To have a diverse organization or school then, simply means that there are people who identify with many different identity groups, but it doesn't say anything about how different groups are treated. This is where the term "equity" comes in to play.

What is Equality?

Equality is the idea that everyone should be treated the same. This idea is somewhat antiquated in that it does not take into account the additional supports marginalized people might need in order to have equal access.

What is Equity?

Equity is about treating people in such a way that everyone has the same level of access. Rather than treating everyone the same, we should provide the necessary supports to ensure disadvantaged people have the same access as those with more power and privilege. Achieving equity requires providing extra supports to underprivileged groups of people in order to level the playing field.

Resources on Equity & Justice in Higher Education