Teresa Garratty: Equity, rather than equality, is what Deaf people need

Gather round fellow deafies! Sh*ts about to get political…I think. It’s hard to tell, politics is confusing.

Anyway! Are y’all familiar with the equality/equity dilemma? You’ve probably experienced it even if you don’t realise it and if you’re a deaf, female, creative freelancer then you’ve probably experienced it quite a bit.

I see it pretty much everywhere I go and no matter who I’m talking to or how I hard I try to explain the differences between what’s fair and what’s ACTUALLY fair, the other party just don’t seem to ‘get it’.

The general difference between equality and equity goes something like this:

Equality = Equal distribution (everyone gets the same stuff)

Equity = Distribution based on needs (everyone gets what they need to be on the same level)

If you’re a visual thinker, there’s a drawing kicking about on the internet that looks a bit like this:

Equity is not as simple as equality and truth be told, 100% equity in all situations may even be impossible, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fight for it.

Whatever the situation, equality doesn’t actually solve the issue at hand, all it really does is just prolong it.

Let’s say you you want to reduce poverty by being equal to everyone. So, you have some rich people & some poor people and to be equal, you give them all a pay-rise of the same amount.

What has this achieved? A big fat nothing, that’s what.

The rich people are still rich and the poor people are still poor. The divide is still exactly the same and the problem remains unsolved. Equality doesn’t take into account our differences (gender, race, education, disability etc) and promotes whatever privileges you’re lucky to have. Equality, in essence is just NOT FAIR.

The problem with this subject though, is that you can’t say the words “NOT FAIR” without sounding like a petulant child throwing a tantrum in the middle of a supermarket. As soon as you even begin to broach the subject, you’re accused of playing “The Deaf Card”.

“Here we go, ‘so and so’ wants something for free just because they’re different!”

No, insensitive hearing family member who has no idea what it’s like to be deaf, that is not what “The Deaf Card” is for. “The Deaf Card” is presented when we notice that we don’t have the same opportunities and privileges as our hearing counterparts.

When we’re fed up with not having the same access to a reasonable quality of life, let alone hopes and dreams. That’s when we slam that card on the counter and shame on you for making us feel like we’re being “cheeky” for doing so.

Let me put it this way. My hearing brother works as a lawyer for a huge company, he bought a house last year. I’m a deaf, female creative freelancer, I did not buy a house last year and I probably won’t be buying one for the foreseeable future.

Don’t get me wrong, he works hard to achieve his goals but so do I and yet the fruits of my labour are significantly smaller…like, on a grape<watermelon ratio. Am I not clever enough? Am I too lazy? Is the quality of my work not good enough? No. I’m simply different and therefore so are my opportunities and privileges.

Obviously, I’d like to see that difference reduced. I probably won’t live long enough to, but I like to think that if I keep playing my “Deaf Card” (with good intentions) and my head held high, then one day we just might start to actually level out the playing field.

Now excuse me, while I go and egg my brothers new house.

Read more of Teresa’s posts (with cartoons!) by clicking here.

Teresa is a freelance film maker, photographer and full time cynic. At school, she was voted “Most likely to end up in a lunatic asylum”, a fate which has thus far been avoided. Her pet hates are telephones, intercoms and all living things. Follow her on Twitter as @TGarratty