Does anyone know what "Ableism" is supposed to mea

Post Reply New Topic

I've been seeing it thrown around the forum within the past few days, however I'm not entirely sure of it's meaning.

same type of thing as racism or sexism, but with regard to disabilities. It means thinking of people who are not disabled or who have typical physical and cognitive abilities as normal, the default sort of human being, good, superior, etc. and people who are disabled or have atypical abilities as abnormal, those "other" people (meaning excluding them or only thinking of them secondarily), bad, inferior, etc.

Descriminating against the handicapped.

That's my understanding of it.

I had no idea what this was until very recently by analysing it via someone's post and realising from the context.

It basically means people assuming you can do everything an able-bodied or non-disabled person can do, despite your disability (positive). I think it can also be used to mean discrimination against you by people refusing to accept the limitations you have because of your disability (negative).

Discrimination of physically or mentally disabled people or treating them inferior.

I think its more multi faceted than that.

It can take many forms, such as in the workplace where someone for example being given tasks that they cannot hope to complete thus 'setting them up to fail'. Or being put into an environment specifically at odds with one's disability or neurodiversity issues.

Ableism can manifest in any action designed to protect NT or able bodied privilege.

Discrimination is bad, 'mkay?

thats the nutshelled version, yes.

I always thought it was people assuming you are generally inferior, worth less as a person because you have a disability. Because you aren't capable of some things, you're capable of nothing. Or a dismissal of your point of view, or failure to even consider that you have one, because you are disabled. You know, treating disabled people as objects for pity or burdens rather than people with opinions. But I suppose it has many faces.

Ableism refers to the discrimination and prejudice directed against people with disabilities. I think in the UK it might also or instead be called disableism.

it's even in the Oxford Dictionary, at least the American version:

http://oxforddictionaries.com/us/defini ... sh/ableism

I like the descriptions people have offered in this thread as well.