Ableism is discrimination against people who appear unable, with language and attitudes that reinforce the idea of “normal” versus “abnormal.” Disability activism has grown since the 1960s, leading to legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ableism can create social barriers and make basic life activities frustrating for disabled people. Organizations combat ableism by fighting for inclusive accessibility and against discriminatory practices. Individuals can also work to correct ableist attitudes and assumptions.
Ability is a form of discrimination in which preference is shown to people who appear able. The language surrounding the definition of ableism is almost as loaded as ableism itself, as many definitions are based on ideas such as “normal” versus who are “abnormal” people, which draws the ire of activists. Some disability activists don’t even like the term “ableism,” preferring to use “disability,” which reinforces the idea that this form of discrimination involves targeting people with obvious physical or mental disabilities.
This term appears to have originated in the early 1980s, around the time people with disabilities became much more politically and socially active. Historically, disability has been a cause of shame and fear, but thanks to the protest movements of the 1960s and 1970s in which people of color and women began to fight for their rights, the disabled community was inspired to follow suit. The rise of the AIDS virus in the West also created ample fodder for disability activism, eventually leading to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, a groundbreaking piece of legislation in the fight against disability.
Like other “-isms,” ability can be insidious and so closely intertwined in society that people without obvious physical or mental disabilities may not even think about their ableist attitudes and the ableist structure of their society. For example, people with use of their legs may not consider how difficult navigating a wheelchair can be. Albeism also penetrates language and society; terms like “weak,” “lame,” and “retarded” are all clever and widely used, even by people sensitive to other forms of discrimination.
The ability can make it difficult for someone to find a job, force students to drop out of some universities and colleges, create social barriers and make basic life activities very frustrating, especially for disabled people who want to live an independent lifestyle and active. This form of discrimination also highlights the difference between people with obvious physical disabilities, such as amputees, and people with hidden disabilities, such as medical conditions that cause chronic disease without an outward manifestation of disability.
Organizations designed to combat the ability can be found throughout the world, working in a variety of ways to combat the various forms of ability. Many of these groups fight for inclusive accessibility, encouraging mandates to make public spaces accessible to people of all levels of physical ability, and also fight against discriminatory workplace and college admissions practices. They also carry out outreach activities to connect abled and disabled people.
Individuals may also struggle with ability, reflecting on ability attitudes they may have and working to correct these attitudes. For example, the use of ableist terms could be avoided just as carefully as people avoid racial epithets, and assumptions about the abilities, skills and mental state of people with disabilities can be combated by interacting directly with the disability community .
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