View Topic - Ableism

Ableism rates People with Disabilities as worth less than nondisabled people, even though they are the largest marginalized group, roughly 15% of the world's people. People learn it, often without seeing it, and it works through ableism built into institutions such as medicine and health policy, between people, and inside people who turn its messages on themselves. It shows up as hostility, as rescuing, and as a mix of both, and in health care it puts care out of reach and contributes to illness and deaths that never had to happen. Countering ableism means admitting the harm, hearing People with Disabilities, passing the mic, and pushing for access and representation. We should start with the next program, service, event, or communication in planning.

By Leah Smith

Ableism, a pervasive form of discrimination, marginalizes individuals with physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities, often perpetuating the belief that they need to be 'fixed.' Rooted in societal norms and attitudes, ableism manifests in various ways, from the language used to treat people with disabilities to their exclusion from decision-making tables. Leah Smith, a passionate advocate, sheds light on the intricacies of ableism, challenging readers to examine their perceptions and actions.

Smith identifies the medical model of disability as a cornerstone of ableism, highlighting how society often equates 'difference' with 'wrongness.' By interrogating the assumption that medical history defines a person's identity, Smith confronts the bias embedded in discussions around disability and medical interventions. Additionally, she underscores how acts of perceived kindness, such as opening doors or offering assistance, can inadvertently reinforce notions of helplessness and pity, further perpetuating ableism.

Moreover, Smith emphasizes the importance of inclusivity, urging nondisabled individuals to actively include people with disabilities in decision-making processes. Accessible meeting locations, communication formats, and transportation are essential for ensuring equitable participation. By providing a seat at the table and treating disabled individuals with dignity and respect, society can dismantle ableism and foster genuine inclusivity.

A Just List from the Unbound Team names eight ways ableism appears in faith communities, a set of choices that often leaves People with Disabilities overlooked and pushed aside by churches. Ramps and access sit out of view, prayers and songs lean on seeing, hearing, and walking, and theology casts disability as a burden or promises healing to those with enough faith. People with Disabilities also meet tokenism, get seen as a disability and nothing more, are treated as children, and are offered charity in place of empowerment. Removing these barriers starts with plans made together with People with Disabilities. We should start with the next program, service, event, or communication in planning.

Ableism, as Ashley Eisenmenger of Access Living explains, sorts People with Disabilities into a group seen as lesser and treats a disabled person as someone to fix. It shows up in separate schools, institutions, restraint and seclusion, and buildings and websites with no access, and in everyday slights, from using a mobility device as a footrest to talking down to a person or speaking for them. Pushing back means believing people, listening, keeping invasive questions to ourselves, and making sure People with Disabilities sit where decisions are made. We should start with the next program, service, event, or communication in planning.

Jennifer A. Stollman, PhD, defines ableism as beliefs and practices that devalue People with Disabilities, notes that census figures from 2012 show one in five Americans has a disability, and lists habits to drop: pity, praise for simply having a disability, the claim that we do not notice disability, and the assumption that a diagnosis settles what a person can do. She names the losses of exclusion, from lost talent and perspectives to denied human rights, and asks readers to demand universal design and representation and to keep removing barriers in the spaces where we learn, work, and play.

A guide from the developmental disabilities center at Kennedy Krieger Institute names ableism as an unfair system so deeply woven into daily life that it passes for normal, and it counts the cost in biased health care, stigma, and barriers to education, jobs, and housing. Its Six P's framework, which runs from the person to policy, points faith communities toward belonging for People with Disabilities, along with their families. The guide describes ableism in its hostile and quiet forms and calls for disability humility, representation in positions of power, and policies that reach past inclusion. We should begin by asking the People with Disabilities around us which barriers they meet in the next program, service, event, or communication we plan.