It is possible that you may have heard someone or some organisation described as ‘Ableist’, but what does that actually mean?
Let me start this article by saying what we actually mean by ‘Ableism’
To do this I can do no better than quote Professor Cynthia Bruce of Concordia University in Montreal who said this about ableism:
“Ableism is a set of beliefs that views disability as bad and normality as good. This mindset makes disabled people feel that they—or their disabilities—are the problem preventing them from participating in life. Instead of recognizing that inaccessibility and discrimination are the real issues, society often puts the burden on disabled individuals to find their own ways to access opportunities.
This creates pressure to focus on overcoming perceived weaknesses and to conform to what is considered "normal." Disabled individuals often feel they must work harder to fit in, especially in spaces like schools and workplaces. In short, ableism leads to the belief that disabled people are responsible for their own access and participation, suggesting they need to "get better" or "be more normal."”
So in reality ableism is discrimination and prejudice against people with disabilities, based on the idea that people with ‘typical’ abilities are superior. It is discrimination in favour of able-bodied people.
Let me give you two examples of ableism in everyday life:
I do not know how many of you have a Disabled Persons or an Older Person’s Bus Pass but one of the restrictions on the use of them is that you cannot use them before a specific time, normally 9.30am. The ableist assumption behind that is that neither disabled people nor older people work. This is absolute rubbish. This week at the Unite Disabled Members Conference I was meeting with and chatting to members who are in their seventies and still working. Being disabled is not age related even if the chances of having a disability increases with age. We need to remember that it may take disabled people longer to get to work and, they may get to work earlier, to allow them to set themselves up for the day. We need to get our MPs to lobby the Government to remove this travel restriction before 9.30am if they really want to support those disabled people who wish to work.
A second example from the recent Ableism webinar is provided by Dr Maureen Wideman, which highlights what could be described as systemic ableism:
Maureen shared her experience managing a department for students with disabilities at a school that was committed to hiring students. Despite this, many of her students were not getting hired, prompting her to investigate the hiring process. After speaking with a hiring manager, who was a friend, she learned that budget constraints were a significant factor. Hiring a student with a disability would incur extra costs, leading the manager to choose a candidate without those costs instead.
Recognizing this as a systemic issue, Maureen took action to change the budgetary process. She successfully advocated for a fund that would support hiring students with disabilities without impacting departmental budgets. This initiative aimed to create equitable hiring practices and provide more opportunities for her students.
Let me include one more quote which is from Dr Maureen Wideman, recently retired Professor at the University of Fraser Valley in British Columbia. She made what I think is an important point:
“When someone constantly must advocate for access—whether to policies, buildings, or learning environments—it indicates that something isn't right. Many of these environments are designed by able-bodied people and don’t consider the needs of those with disabilities.”
Does that sound familiar to you? How many of us have, at least metaphorically, been banging our heads against a brick wall trying to get someone to listen to what we are saying and urging them to do something about it?
Those people that we are trying to challenge may wish that we would simply go away and keep quiet, but we will NOT go away.
In ableist societies, the lives of disabled people are considered less worth living, or disabled people are less valuable, even sometimes expendable.
Isn’t this the attitude towards disabled people that we witnessed during the Covid Pandemic?
Let us be quite clear, ableism in British Society is a huge problem but we have to be prepared to face that challenge head on and say to our employers, our trade unions, our local council, our community groups and anyone else imposing their ableist values on us that we will not tolerate their ableism anymore.
We need to be prepared to stand up and say NO to Ableism!
If you have any questions on Ableism please drop them in the comments below.
I will either answer them in the comments or do another blog based on your question.
Notes
(1) UCU Guide to Everyday Ableism – download it here chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/11222/Everyday-Ableism/pdf/Everyday_Ableism.pdf
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