That’s Not Fair: Equality vs Equity in Behaviour Support

‘That’s not fair!’ As leaders, practitioners, carers, and parents, it’s not uncommon to hear these words uttered by those we support and look after: perhaps, pupils in a class witness one child being allowed to go out onto the playground ‘whenever they want’; or maybe a service user in a residential home is permitted to use a certain room that is not readily accessible to others. Scenarios like this can appear grossly unfair to others in a setting.

Whether it’s a real or perceived injustice, nobody likes to feel like they have been treated unfairly. It can trigger intense feelings of annoyance, frustration, jealousy, and resentment towards others.

However, the reality is that, for a whole host of reasons, people are often treated in different ways which may, to the untrained eye, appear unfair. Knowing the difference between equality and equity, concepts that play an integral part in effective behaviour support, is key to understanding and accepting the underlying reasons behind the decisions we make as professionals.

Why equality can be a confusing concept

In all our settings, fairness is one of our key values. We stress the importance of caring for each other, being inclusive, and treating everyone equally. However, at times, our actions may appear to contradict this, due to the individual needs of the people we support and work with.

Understandably, this can cause confusion for the individuals we support. For example, when a student sees a teacher letting a certain pupil hold a fidget toy during a lesson, while nobody else is allowed one, it feels, in their eyes, like an injustice. Because they are not aware of the factors behind the teacher’s actions (perhaps the child has ADHD or is autistic, and the fidget toy enables them to concentrate), the decision can appear unfair.

To dispel any misconceptions, and help individuals understand why we sometimes treat people differently, we need to delve deeper into the definitions of equality and equity.

Equality vs equity explained

Equality means ‘the state of being equal’, ensuring that every person in our settings has equal opportunity to reach their potential, and lead a rich, happy and fulfilling life. It’s based on a belief that a person’s starting point, background, or characteristics (as protected in the Equality Act 2010) should not negatively impact their life chances. Equality dictates that everyone is treated fairly, so they feel respected, valued and cared for.

Equity, on the other hand, means that in order for people to be treated fairly, individualised, bespoke support and provisions may need to be put in place. This happens, for example, when an individual with dyslexia is given a scribe, a reader, or extra time in an exam, while others are not. Or it could be that an individual with sensory issues around noise is provided with ear defenders when in loud places, such as on public transport or in a busy supermarket.

Put simply, equity can best be understood as ‘levelling the playing field’, recognising that individuals need different resources and opportunities to access equal outcomes.

Understanding individual need

A healthy balance of equality and equity in our settings instils feelings of trust in those we