What is Ableism?

Ableism is a huge, complex topic but it’s short dictionary definition is … “discrimination in favour of able-bodied people.” Ableism is heavily engrained in our society and impacts everyone’s daily life. 

But what does Ableism actually look like?

Ableism comes in many shapes and sizes, I personally did not even recognise the full extent of ableism until I started going to therapy. Once in therapy I started to explore my maladaptive thought processes and began to notice my negative self-talk which grew out of ableist culture and societal beliefs. Here are some examples adapted from Medical News Today:

• asking someone what is “wrong” with them — it’s nice to show you care and want to learn more but think about how you might ask or go about this. 
• saying, “You do not look disabled,” as though this is a compliment
• viewing a person with a disability as inspirational for doing typical things, such as having a career
• assuming a physical disability is a product of laziness or lack of exercise/not trying hard enough
• using public facilities that are for people with disabilities, such as parking spaces or toilets
• questioning whether a person’s disability is real
• asking someone “what do you do all day or what do you do for work”

How can I help?

There are many ways to support others and be more anti-ableist. Here are some examples adapted from Medical News Today:

• inform yourself and learn about disability — what does it mean and how does it affect people
• listen and be attentive to people with disabilities, hear about their experiences and give people with disabilities a platform, let me speak for themselves instead of speaking for them
• challenge ableism as it happens — correct myths, support equity and necessary adjustments or stop bullying and discriminatory stereotypes and language 
• advocate for accessibility and inclusivity within your community, workplace or home
• enact policies or laws that counter ableism
• learn about ableism, ableist stereotypes, and the history of disability rights activism — you are already doing this one right now, keep it up! 

Ableism is hard enough but so many of us have experienced widespread mistreatment to the point we now experience internalised ableism. 

What is Internalised Ableism?

“Internalised ableism is when a disabled person discriminates against themself and other disabled people by holding the view that:

• disability is something to be ashamed of,
• or something to be hide,
• or by refusing accessibility or support.”

My story with unconscious ableism

One major issue I am recognising in myself and am trying to work through is unconscious internalised ableism. Of course society is not set up in an equitable, welcoming way and I feel this has led me to judge and hold myself to impossible standards.  

I felt very judged by the outside world when I had to drop out of university due to my invisible illnesses/disabilities. It was especially hard as people could not actively see what was ‘wrong’ with me. This made me feel I had to justify myself or prove my disability. Similarly, this is something I struggle with when using my disability parking sticker as I sometimes receive glances from people because my disability is not readily available for them to see. 

There are societal stereotypes as to what disability looks like, when in fact disability looks like everything. (As I shared in a recent instagram post there are many faces of chronic illness). I dismissed and denied myself equity rights for years.

I refused to seek help because people would say ‘you don’t look sick’ – so I would doubt myself and my disability by asking questions like: do I really need the support? Is the support justified? Am I sick enough to ask for help? 

Today I still really struggle with claiming my rights for extra help and support, likely because the ablest world I grew up in fed me the belief that: extra help = weakness. I worry I need this support because I am ‘weak’ and ‘I can’t keep up’, but it is the ableist culture that is weak, flawed and not equitably set up.

Importantly, receiving support is not a sign of weakness or personal failure and people living with disabilities are by far the strongest, most resilient people I know – living and working in a system not designed for us. 

How to Identify Internalised Ableism through Common Phrases and Self Talk

Internalised ableism often manifests as beliefs, schemas and common phrases. @a_spoonful_of_pain has shared some you can read in the picture or I have listed them below:

The Question: What do you do?

What do you do? (i.e. for work or study etc.). It’s a quick, natural question which helps us understand what a person does and what they might be like but it is an incredibly ableist question which fuels assumptions. 

I have been asked this question all my life and began to ask others this too. Society places value and engrains our identities in ‘what we do’ – as if what we do is who we are. Although I asked this question because it was ‘the norm’ I never truly believed it was a productive question. A person should not be judged by stereotypes and assumptions that may come along with certain job titles or academic work. 

I am trying to ask some new questions instead: what do you do for fun? Or what brings you joy? I feel these questions give us far more insight into people’s souls, lives and passions and help build better connections — and what could be better than that?

I hope by sharing an article on these topics we can spread awareness and give power back to those struggling with asking for help.

Take away points:

• Become aware of ableism both in society and yourself, it is only with awareness that we can question and change ourselves and our reactions.
• I want to encourage other people living with disabilities to not feel ashamed when asking for help and support they deserve – this is something I personally grapple with to this day. 
• Receiving support is not a sign of weakness or personal failure, it is the system that has weaknesses due to its inequitable set up. We are not weak, in fact, people living with disabilities are by far the strongest people I know – living and working in a system not designed for us.
• You are not defined by what you do. Your worth is not related to your productivity or output.