Discussion question responses and analysis

¶ … inequalities in the distribution of resources and services to client populations of the organization you selected. Explain the impact of the inequalities on clients and the organization.

Equality and equity of access: What's the difference?

Equality is a common phrase used in the rhetoric of American democracy. But equality and sameness are not synonyms. Having to be 'the same' as everyone else is not equality at all. For example, for persons of minority religions, being prohibited from practicing their religion or even being forced to obey certain dictates that are in conflict with their religious codes can threaten their equal rights, even though violating their religious taboos might make them more 'the same' as everyone else. Not providing a supportive instruction program to ESL students does not make these students more equal, in relation to their peers, even if 'the same' education is offered to all students.

Doing away with affirmative action in an effort to be 'color blind' is also often justified as move towards ' sameness,' as if ignoring historical differences between groups can erase historical prejudice and discrimination. A lack of affirmative action to counterbalance institutional biases can effectively bar equity of access, even if it is not technical discrimination. The use of the term 'equity' is preferred to that of 'equality,' given that equality seems to carry the connotation of sameness (such as 2+2=4). Equity suggests that strictly equal treatment does not yield the same results for all persons, and not everyone starts with the equal amount of personal resources. "Policies aiming to achieve equity face recurring challenges as 'unfair.' Affirmative Action, Lyndon Johnson's attempt to overcome generations of discrimination and injustice against women and minorities, became the law of the land without achieving the approval of Americans who saw it as 'unfair' because it appeared to favor some over others; and, thus, to negate the more commonly understood concept of fairness as equality and as uniform distribution" (Kranich 2005).

In the article by Nancy Kranich entitled "Equality and equity of access: What's the difference?" The author supports the creation of an 'E-rate' or subsidy for schools and other institutions without access to technology so students can use the Internet for free at the library. Without equality of access, students cannot obtain an equal education that is taken for granted by their more affluent peers. Technology is necessary to succeed in the modern workplace, and allowing some children to become technologically literate because they have access to computers, tablets, and iPhones at home, unlike their less-affluent peers, creates a permanent class divide that has little to do with equity, according to Kranich.