There are a huge number of keywords around issues like diversity and inclusion, so how do you get your head around what they mean and how they’re all different?

As a disabled, neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ person, I need the world to be inclusive for me to function within it - and, hopefully, thrive. Inclusion refers to the provision of equal and true access to a space for those who might be left out of it, or who are what we might refer to as ‘marginalised’.

Here, marginalised means a group that have been excluded by society or treated badly (for example, white individuals are not marginalised for their race, where Black and brown people are).

Diversity and Discrimination

Diversity surrounds groups being made up of different people with different characteristics, like race, disability, sexuality, or gender. This is natural to society. You might also hear about ‘neurodiversity’, which is similar, and refers to there being all kinds of different minds.

Unfortunately, diversity across society also means we often see different forms of discrimination - where people are treated badly or less favourably due to being from a marginalised group, or having a different characteristic to another person.

Discrimination can take a few different forms. Sometimes it is direct, where it is on purpose, and sometimes it is indirect: placing some people at a disadvantage compared to others. As an example, indirect discrimination is often faced by autistic people in the workplace because of old-fashioned ideas about communication or body language, like when interviewers place lots of weight on whether someone makes eye contact or has a good handshake.

Other forms of discrimination can be othering, and labelling. Othering is where someone is made to feel excluded due to their difference. For someone who is LGBTQ+, this can look like being excluded from an event or their pronouns not being respected. Labelling is about attaching tags to someone, which are limiting or negative - like someone with ADHD being seen as lazy, disruptive, or unreliable.

Sometimes this discrimination is caused by bias. This is where someone’s views about a person or a group of people, such as women, LGBTQ+ people or Black people, is based on ideas that are unfair or inaccurate. This is often because someone only knows about their own experiences, or they are consuming media which reinforces their ideas, causing prejudice - preconceived negative ideas about someone or a group.

Equality, Equity and Inclusion: Why the difference matters

Inclusion is an important concept as it discusses ways that we make the world somewhere for everyone. For me, this could look like allowing me to use stim (fidget) toys, not have to make eye contact, or allowing me to communicate in ways that work for me.

Equality is slightly different, though no less important to understand. Equality is more about everyone being treated the same. Society being equal is important - for women to have the same rights and opportunities as men, including stopping the equal pay gap, for example.

Equality’s downside is that treating everyone the same sometimes means people are not truly included or being given the aids they need that others do not. You might hear of ‘equity’ as an alternative, which refers to treating everyone fairly.

You might have seen an image that shows examples of how these concepts work, with people of different heights trying to look over a fence. Equality puts them all on the same height of stool, whereas equity would give them stools that make them the same height. Inclusion might take away the fence entirely.

These different ideas shape how different people can navigate parts of the world, including healthcare, social care, education and the workplace.

Understanding lived experience

If you are not from a certain marginalised group, it can be quite difficult to comprehend how difficult it can be to experience life from that angle. Reading, watching or listening to lots of people’s different viewpoints and experiences can be really helpful as a first step to understanding discrimination, bias, and the need for inclusion.

You could do this by watching YouTube videos, listening to podcasts, following people on social media, or reading books such as Outrage by Ellen Jones, Unmasked by Ellie Middleton, or Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge.