what is ableism?
Ableism is social prejudice against those living with mental and/or physical disabilities. Embedded within this discrimination is the underlying belief that the disabled body-mind is inferior to the able body-mind. This prejudice shows up in the way that people are reduced to their disability and exposed to additional barriers in their physical environments and policies that they are subjected to.
disability
A person with a disability is a person who has a physical or mental impairment that restricts their ability to participate in various areas of their life to the extent they wish to or are expected to. The origin of each person’s disability is unique and may have been present at birth, caused by an accident, or developed over time – this should never be assumed.
According to the World Health Organization, almost everyone will temporarily or permanently experience disability at some point in their life making it the world’s largest minority group with over 1 billion people currently experiencing disability.
visible vs invisible disabilities
Not all disabilities are visible. An “invisible disability” is a physical, mental or neurological condition that is not immediately apparent to an onlooker, yet poses very real limitations to the person’s life.
Invisible disabilities include cognitive impairment, mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD, brain injury, chronic illnesses, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, the autism spectrum, d/Deaf or hard of hearing, and blindness or low vision.
It is important to never assume one’s ability based on their outward appearance. This goes for those with both visible and invisible disabilities. It should never be inferred that someone can or cannot do something as those who may appear unable might be perfectly capable and those who seem able might not be.
ableist language
Ableist language is considered harmful as it devalues the disabled community and oftentimes unwittingly communicates that disabilities are abnormal or inferior.
There are many ableist words, phrases, and euphemisms used in the everyday vernacular of our culture. Oftentimes, people do not realize the discriminatory origins of these terms that were used to dehumanize, stigmatize, and institutionalize people in the past . These include words such as ‘crippled’, ‘hysterical’, ‘lame’, ‘spaz’, ‘crazy’, ‘stupid’, ‘psycho’, ‘mute’, ‘freak’, the r-word, and ‘blind’ or ‘deaf’ as pejorative metaphors. Although some words such as ‘crip’ are in the process of being reclaimed by members of the disabled community for self-identification purposes, they should never be imposed upon folks or used by non-disabled people.
When in doubt, ask the person how they identify and what words they prefer to use when describing their condition. As with all other marginalized groups, the disabled community is not a monolithic group. For example, person-first language wherein you use “person with a disability” rather than “disabled person” is often considered to be more appropriate. However many members of the disabled community find the avoidance of the term ‘disabled’ to be further stigmatizing. Listen intently and take cues from how each individual person refers to themselves and mirror this language when speaking to them.
making the workplace for accessible for neurodiversity
Check in with your employees, as well as prospective employees during your hiring process, as to what their access needs are. Make an effort to find out if anything else can be improved in the workplace to make it more accessible to them. Access needs vary depending on the person and look like many different things such as soft or dim lighting for people are sensitive to bright lights or bright lighting to help those with low vision see and read.
Find ways to accommodate neurodiverse employees and diverse ways of learning and communicating. This may include sending out presentation slides and meeting agendas in advance for anybody who needs time to review, prepare, and understand materials prior to the presentation or meeting. Doing so enhances the comfort and learning experience of neurodiverse employees, especially when they are expected to contribute and participate in these meetings. During virtual meetings, provide closed captioning or live transcription for those who are visual learners rather than auditory learners. For in person meetings, send out written or visual materials to accompany the presentation.
remote work and flexible work hours
When possible, offer a remote work option for employees who prefer working from home. This lessens the burden of challenges accompanying commuting to work and moving around the workspace with a physical disability or mobility impairments. Communicating digitally in remote work scenarios through text or email instead of speaking helps those with speech impediments. Zoom meetings make it incredibly easy to provide live closed captioning for those who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing.
Developing a policy for more flexible working hours that don’t constrain employees to working the standard 9-5 everyday is also hugely transformational. Conforming to this regimented schedule often requires people with chronic illness and fatigue, mental illness, or those who frequently have to go to medical appointments for their condition(s) to sacrifice their own wellbeing. Where it allows, consider granting employees more flexibility to start their work a little earlier or later in the day depending on their needs or to break up their work throughout the day.
physical environment checklist
- indoor and outdoor ramps and elevators for those with mobility impairments
- designated accessible parking spots for workspace
- braille signage around the workspace
- accessible toilets that accommodate wheelchair access and include features such as lower mirrors and sinks, motion-controlled taps and dispensers, and mobility bars and grab rails
- unobstructed pathways for movement around workspace and doorways and bathroom stalls wide enough for wheelchair access
- scent-free workspace policy
- sign language interpreters present during meetings and presentations and reserving front seats for employees who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing for lip reading
- welcome service dogs and other types of aid that employees need during their everyday life