as small as a world and as large as alone, What is ableism

4:39pm June 22, 2014

Anonymous asked: What is ableism

soilrockslove:

youneedacat:

spaceparty:

I’m actually still learning about ableism so I may not be the best person to educate on this subject but essentially it is believing that just because your body works just fine and can do things, so can everybody else’s. It’s the ignorance or non-acknowledgement of disability. For example, saying “Everyone could be healthier if they’d just start running.” is ableist because it’s exclusionary toward people who are physically incapable of running. Phrases like “That’s so lame” or “This is dumb” are ableist because they appropriate terms to describe potential physical or mental handicaps. It’s so easy to be ableist and it’s been a difficult thing to begin unlearning but it’s an important task in the journey toward becoming more inclusive and respectful.

Ableism is oppression of disabled people. It takes many forms, and ignorance and non-acknowledgement of disability is only one of them. Disabled people are still in much debate over whether words like “lame” are ableist.

But things that we tend to be in agreement are ableist:

* Widespread institutionalization of disabled people for no reason other than that we are disabled. (Nursing homes, group homes, ICF/MRs, mental institutions, etc.)

* Widespread hate crimes and murder against disabled people, in which the perpetrators usually get off lightly if they get a sentence at all. Often the perpetrators are sympathized with, and people assume that it is better for the disabled person to be dead.

* Being given substandard education in segregated schools and classrooms.

* Having to live near or below the poverty line, especially if unable to work.

* Living in capitalist societies that judge a person’s worth according to their ability to work and make money.

* Being seen as an unperson, an empty shell, a husk with no soul. And treated accordingly.

* Being made completely invisible wherever we go.

* Living in a society that has almost been designed to shut us out, architecturally and socially.

* When others become suicidal, people talk about suicide prevention, however faulty that is. When we become suicidal, people talk about helping us die, and may gain quite the following in the media.

And that’s just the beginning.

“This is dumb” and “This is lame” are things that some disabled people think are ableist, and other disabled people don’t. But most disabled people, especially those involved in disability rights to any degree, are going to agree that not only are most of the above are ableist, they’re also much better examples of ableism than a list of forbidden words.

http://andreashettle.tumblr.com/post/76681477628/examples-of-scary-ableism

All of this.

“Living in a society that has almost been designed to shut us out, architecturally and socially.”

I’ll expand on this because some people might have a hard time figuring out what this means. Basically this is being shut out because buildings are designed with 2 random extra steps to get in the entrance - and no ramps. Or needing captions or braille. And no one being willing to give them to you. Meanwhile every building has lots of lightbulbs so people who can see can see things at night.

And another big thing is kids (and adults) with disabilities being taught to look normal instead of how to function their best. So if a person discovers that using a wheelchair lets them go much longer distances and not be in pain - they will still be pressured to learn how to walk normally (which can take hours of physical therapy for very little result) instead of being given lessons on how to maneuver over rougher ground. Likewise, most “therapy” for autistic people (and other cognitively disabled people) is about stopping them from moving so weirdly and not about helping them find other ways to learn and communicate.

Also, being discouraged from making friendships or mentorships with other disabled people.

Being assumed not to know what the *%@! you are talking about and being patronized to.

And stuff like this.