The Microaggressions Project

The term microaggressions was originally used to describe racialized experiences.

The Microaggressions Project seeks to provide a place to post events, observations and experiences of microaggressions [defined by the authors as subtle ways in which body and verbal language convey oppressive ideology about power or privilege against marginalized identities.]

"Often, they are never meant to hurt- acts done with little conscious awareness of their meanings and effects... their slow accumulation during a childhood and over a lifetime is in part what defines a marginalized experience, making explanation and communication with someone who does not share this identity particularly difficult."

What I like about this project is how it encompasses so many experiences. A quick glance at the front page includes a deaf person, gender issues, racial issues, LGBT issues, and more - particularized experiences with details about how people feel as recipients of microaggressions that are far too common.

I also like that

"This project is NOT about "showing how ignorant people can be in order to simply dismiss their ignorance. Instead, it is about showing how these comments create and enforce uncomfortable, violent and unsafe realities onto peoples’ workplace, home, school, childhood/adolescence/adulthood, and public transportation/space environments. "

This article addresses how experiencing microaggressions throughout a day from other people or the environment affects people with a disability.

If anyone thinks it's not a big deal to have your space intruded upon with microaggresssions, go on over and read a bit. If you're experiencing microaggressions, go on over and post what's happening.

To learn more about becoming an ally, check out the video below.

No disabled seating left? This may be why....

Some people are buying wheelchair accessible seating at events and selling them at a profit as 'luxury seating'.

The Twins have rightly been lauded for making probably the most disability-friendly stadium in the country. They have nearly 800 seats that can accommodate people in wheelchairs or those who have trouble using stairs.

But a lot of those seats are ending up online, on Craigslist or StubHub, Major League Baseball's official resale outlet. For one game, I quickly found more than a dozen. While some used the symbol, "WC," for wheelchair, most didn't. Those tickets get resold at inflated prices to fans who do not need special seats, which may prevent at least some disabled fans from attending games.

via startribune.com

Let's all dream on

Artie walked last night on Glee. He even danced on two feet.

I knew it was coming.

In an episode entitled Dream On (with Neal Patrick Harris guest starring), Artie went through all kinds of changes about the possibility of curing his spinal cord injury. He tried to get up on crutches to walk and fell. He researched treatments and wound up in the counselor's office, where his hopes were greeted with the fact that it's research and years away.

What Artie took away from that is he decided to sing rather than dance in a Glee number, saying that his partner deserved better and that anyone could dance better than him except Finn. That may be true, but it's not because he's using a wheelchair. It's because he doesn't know how to dance in a wheelchair.

First of all, it's difficult for me to wrap my brain around a nondisabled actor playing a disabled guy in a wheelchair who gets out of the wheelchair in a dream sequence to pretend he's nondisabled - because that's his dream. Say what?

The problem with all this is that children and teens, who still buy into the fantasy of the entertainment world, are watching Glee in large numbers. Meanwhile, kids I love are being excluded in real life from class trips and social and educational opportunities, mainly because of how society thinks about disability. Just think about the messages sent in last night's episode:

You can't walk, so you can't dance.
You can't walk, so you can sit over there and wait while I get you a pretzel upstairs.
You can't walk, so sit in one spot and hold this for me.

And then:

I can't walk, so get another partner.
I can't walk, so I can't dance, I'll just sing.
I can't walk, so I can't realize my dream.

Message after message of what Artie, the kid in a wheelchair, can't do. No wonder kids with disabilities are still excluded from opportunities. It's not because of their wheelchairs or because they can't walk far enough- it's because of how we think about disability. How teachers, educators and peers think about it. How they themselves are taught to think about it.

Maybe we advocates need to start breaking into song to show that to "dream on" only about walking or being nondisabled is a silly ableist fantasy.

And to let people know that we can do what they can, in a different way - and sometimes we can do even more.

Not overheard from a wheelchair

Walmart on a Sunday around here is like going to an Apple store when they bring a new product out. It's always busy. Let's go to Target, I tell my mother. But Walmart is cheaper, she says. Yeah, I tell her, but it's far less crowded in other stores.

Of course things can happen anywhere, not just in Walmart. Things tend to happen when it's more crowded, although I've had them happen in a place that's almost empty when another customer sees me as in their way and, without warning or saying anything, just pulls merchandise over my head or knocks into me.

When I used a manual chair, it was easier for me to extricate myself out of situations where I became surrounded by people. In my power chair, nicknamed the Beast, I'm reluctant, because I don't want to injure anyone. So when I'm looking at an item and someone steps behind or in front of me where there isn't really room, I'll ask them not to do that and they inevitably say "It's okay."

What's okay? I think. That if I breathe on my joystick your foot will be run over? That I can no longer move an inch now? That you're hanging over me and lifting merchandise over my head which inevitably you drop on me?

No, it's not okay.

I'll only be a minute, they say. (I think these folks are related to those who illegally use parking spots.)

Yesterday a woman literally hung her body behind the back of my power chair, knocking one of my wheelchair accessories into my face and glasses. She then dropped merchandise on my head,("oops!" she said) which hurt by the way, and when I asked her to back off since I couldn't move (someone else did the same to me in front), she said she wasn't doing anything wrong. Then she went into a tirade at me because she didn't go in front of me, she went in back of me so what was the issue? Clearly I was being unreasonable.

My face hurt. My head hurt. And, yes, this is the tirade she spewed at me while I sat there, physically trapped by her because I asked her to not hang over the back of my power chair.

Not overheard from a wheelchair: not an apology that she dropped something on my head, pushed my accessory into my face. In fact, I discovered later, my accessory is broken but since it was behind me, I couldn't tell.

Anyhow, while we all debate what causes this kind of behavior, I have to go work now to pay for things like new accessories. That stings because there are other items I could use, really use and they move lower on the list because of someone else's carelessness.

And although it can happen anywhere, next time I'll say "No, Mom, going to Walmart is not cheaper." At least not for me.

Blogging Against Disablism Day 2010

Today is Blogging Against Disablism Day 2010 and the posts are growing in number! Head on over to Diary of a Goldfish to read them and join in this diverse and welcoming event.

BADD 2010: I know a person in a wheelchair who....

The conversation usually starts like this: "I know a person in a wheelchair who..." and you fill in the blank. It can be anything from "climbed Mt. Everest" to "walked again" to "wears purple every day".

It took me years to figure out that it just didn't matter what followed the words "I know a person in a wheelchair who..."

For all that is said by people when they compare disabled people to one another, much of it is useless. That kind of talk is cheap. I'd like to have a nickel for every time I've heard this done, where people who have no clue what it's like to live with a disability do it.

I remember meeting a guy when I was newly disabled who worked for years to start his own business. He had been a quadriplegic for 15 years. He owned an RV that he used for travel in a job he loved. Everything was accessible. He was successful, happy and friendly. I was still trying to figure out how to plan my life out. When I asked him how long it took him to accomplish all that, he smiled and said "A long time. I figured out what my dreams were. I planned and- well- some of it worked out."

He spread a message that others could be successful, but he never criticized anyone who wasn't where he was at. He never held himself up as better than anyone else. He would never want to be used as "the person in the wheelchair who...", so this is not a story I'm telling for that reason. What mattered was his message of hope. I never forgot that.

Because all our dreams are different, because we all have different plans, the best gift we can all give each other is to offer encouragement, not comparisons.

I know lots of people in wheelchairs who have done lots of things. But he's my go-to guy. That says a lot.


*
This post was written as part of Blogging Against Disablism Day 2010.

Hear ye hear ye: Blogging Against Disablism Day is May 1, 2010

Blogging Against Disablism Day is May 1, 2010 and is held over at the blog Diary of a Goldfish, who writes:

This is the day where all around the world, disabled and non-disabled people will blog about their experiences, observations and thoughts about disability discrimination. In this way, we hope to raise awareness of inequality, promote equality and celebrate the progress we've made.

How to take part.

1. Post a comment [over at Diary of a Goldfish] to say you intend to join in. I will then add you to the list of participants on the sidebar of this blog. Everyone is welcome.

2. Spread the word by linking to [Diary of a Goldfish], displaying our banner and/ or telling everyone about it. The entire success of Blogging Against Disablism Day depends entirely on bloggers telling other bloggers and readers in advance.

3. Write a post on the subject of disability discrimination, disablism or ableism and publish it on May 1st - or as close as you are able. Podcasts, videocasts and on-line art are also welcome. You can cover any subject, specific or general, personal, social or political. In the previous three BADD, folks have written about all manner of subjects, from discrimination in education and employment, through health care, parenting, family life and relationships, as well as the interaction of disablism with racism and sexism. Every year I have been asked, so it's worth saying; the discrimination experienced by people with mental ill health is disablism, so naturally such posts are welcome too.

You can see the archives for previous years here: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009.

Blogging Against Disablism Day is not a carnival of previously published material. The point about doing this around one day is that it is a communal effort and all the posts connect to one another. You can of course use your own post to promote other things you've written as you wish.

4. Come back to Diary of a Goldfish on the day to let everyone know that you've posted and to check out what other people have written. I shall post links to everyone's posts (slowly) throughout the day, creating an archive. However, I do need you to comment and leave the URL of your post or else I shan't find your post and won't be able to link to it.

Please join in!

Dear Ann Landers - I'm not surprised

When Ann Landers told off a reader who complained about having to watch a disabled woman eating in a restaurant because she wanted her rights respected, a bevy of folks wrote in with gems of their own on this issue.

One suggested a special section for handicapped folk - perhaps with palm trees "so they are not seen by" other diners. Another reader claimed handicapped folk just like to flaunt their disabilities to make able bodied people feel guilty (yes, it's all about them!) and he/she is too savvy to fall for that trap (watch out if you live in Sacramento for this one). A third one accused relatives of parading handicapped folk around- to make themselves look good.

Ann Landers says these folks are too far gone to write back too.

Sadly, this doesn't surprise me. I've run into some of these folks out there.

Saying it doesn't matter, when it does

I was reading Dave's post today about his experiences in a book store. He asked a clerk to get him a copy of a book, which happened to be available with two very different covers. When she handed him one with a blue cover, he thanked her, but asked for a book with the other cover. In his words:

She took the book back quickly - not violently but almost - and slid it with a thump back into place. Then she grabbed the other book and handed it to me, turning immediately to avoid any further conversation. I did call to her receding back, 'Thanks.'

...

and he goes on to write that:

Every time I picked the book up and admired the cover, it really is pretty, I thought about the anger it caused and wondered if the amount of pleasure I got from the cover was enough to justify the upset it caused. I would sometimes think, maybe even wish, that the clerk - at the same time was wondering if her momentary display of anger was worth the effect it was having on her sense of self.


Now imagine this being repeated over and over in the course of a number of hours, days, weeks, months, even years, when a resentful, angry person responds like this when you as a person with a disability make a choice. Maybe it's a store clerk, a healthcare aide, a teacher, a gas station attendant, a waiter, a friend, a lover, or a parent.

Your choice - or even initial request- is seen as extra work. It's an inconvenience. So when you make a choice, you're left feeling as if you've done something wrong. If you express a preference, someone acts out. Ironically, because they have a title or power, they may even label you as acting out- just for making a choice.

Their reaction may be passive or outright anger. Sighing. Heaving. Verbal retorts. Arguing. Complaining. Or worse.

Makes me wonder if "learned helplessness" is really that or an intelligent choice in the face of these situations.

"Any color is fine." "Doesn't matter which flavor it is." No, don't rock the boat. Just don't say anything. This can even lead to not asking in the first place.

The funny thing with this, I've found, is that it doesn't matter , for example, whether the help is paid or volunteer if a negative attitude is present. Doesn't matter if your choice- or request- was unreasonable or not. Doesn't even matter if it was an important choice- or request, as in letting someone know you have a serious food allergy or they may break your equipment if they don't handle it a certain way or if you're going to be left hungry or cold.

This may not seem like a big deal to someone who doesn't have to ask for assistance with many physical tasks. But for those who do, it leads to real problems when you get into a care situation, where this attitude can run rampant. Take Elizabeth's situation, where she says because it's the night shift, the aides apparently feel they should sleep too. So expecting an aide to work the hours they're paid for, means they won't work for you any more? Kind of a frightening consequence when there's a shortage of aides.

Even in those situations where the consequences aren't as dire as going without basic help, as Dave writes, it can be an unpleasant experience to be treated this way:

But as I drove up to the counter I began to wonder if I had been over-selective, if it really made a difference to have the one cover, not the other, if I had been an annoying and pushy cripple. As much as I try, when others are mean to me, I always assume I deserve it. I analyze all the ways that I 'set off' or caused the other's attitude or distress.



Not saying anything may, at times, be a reasonable decision. People get tired. They have their own stuff to take care of. They may be overworked. All of this is true.

But when people with disabilities have to say it doesn't matter, when it does, all or most of the time, it's a sign of a bigger problem. And when they experience such negative reactions that not even asking for help in the first place becomes the most intelligent choice, that's the result of attitudes in our society toward those with disabilities.

It's called ableism.

It has nothing to do with disability

I ran across a post discussing why disability "is not your analogy"and would like to add some thoughts.

Saying your quiche turned out badly is like having a disability apparently seems like it's not a big deal to some folks, but to disabled people, it shows ignorance.


Using it for an analogy appropriates the experience of being disabled. It takes the experience without permission or proper respect and only in part, meaning everything gets skewed. This sort of thing tends to leave out either the dimension of social oppression (as with the cooking example) or the impairment (the ‘we’re all disabled’ example). And it’s always used to say something negative: it’s setting up disability as the go-to reference for bad things. In short, using ‘disability’ for an analogy shows a lack of connection with disabled people’s experiences of disability.


This is not surprising since many in our society still blanch when a person with a disability talks about social oppression. When told about the lack of housing, transportation and access to equipment and services, some respond by saying "that's just part of being disabled". But it has nothing to do with disability. This circular thinking is used to justify eliminating the need to find solutions for the limitations that are imposed by barriers, whether they be physical, attitudinal, or systemic.

Systemic barriers, those which are ingrained into not just our institutions but the way we create our world and conduct our affairs in it, have not even been addressed yet except in piecemeal fashion with few exceptions. One exception - those who talk about universal design -speak about a world where the environment is functional for everyone. This eliminates the need to retrofit housing, public buildings and other environments that are originally built with the assumption that they will only be used by non-disabled people. Instead, places are created with the needs of all in mind.

So-called solutions that keep the experience of being disabled segregated and "special" often fail. They don't take into account that the ultimate solution is for the experience of being disabled to be recognized as a valid and equal state of being with the same rights and privileges as being nondisabled. Moreover, as we are seeing in the current economy, programs that are considered "special" are often the first to be cut in a budget crisis. Solutions that are grounded in charity also fail since relying on the kindness of strangers tends to keep people stuck with unpredictable results for what are very real needs.

The answer lies in providing services, equipment and access in a reliable and predictable way so disabled people can fully participate and contribute to society the same way the nondisabled can. As long as we continue to allow people to indulge in the magical thinking that keeps using disability as an analogy alive, as long as people think that a disability simulation is a huge step toward understanding what it's like to live with a disability, as long as segregation is seen as the status quo and not a last resort, the very need for the services, equipment and access will continue to be questioned.

It is not having these things that creates true dis-ability-the time suck and energy suck that nondisabled people don't have to suffer through for making special arrangements included. I don't see them having to call ahead on a special line to get tickets, or make special arrangements to go to a doctor because so many offices are still not accessible. The list goes on and on, but the point is clear: we continue to be segregated in many ways that are ingrained in the way we relate to each other and the way we do things that conducting our affairs leaves us dis-abled in a way that has nothing to do with our physical disability. This is on top of not having access, services or equipment we may need.

Having said all this, perhaps someone out there will reconsider comparing not being able to make a good quiche to having a disability. Perhaps not. I can tell you that a friend of mine who is a chef has quadriplegia and he can tell you how to make a great quiche.

Olivia's brother speaks

After you listen to this video, you'll understand why I'm reluctant to say much. It's a powerful speech by a brother, whose sister Olivia has a disability, to his school. He talks about his love for her. He also talks about how people's assumptions, words and acts hurt her. He speaks for many, including those who can't speak for themselves and he also speaks for their loved ones.

Moments of ableism

There are moments of ableism: incidents that take up a few minutes of our lives, leaving sharp, jagged edges we can sometimes smooth out, but not always.

Other times ableist attitudes affect our lives for longer periods of time. They may leave dreams suspended or put unnecessary obstacles in our way that must be cleared away, inch by painful inch, as we watch months pass by.

Or ableism may shut doors for a lifetime.

Time and ableism coexist in our lives, sometimes colliding like super novas, stellar explosions that shatter into hot, molten fragments, falling to the ground to cool off after flooding our world with a light so painful we can barely look.

The particulars don't matter. Time does. We can't get the minutes, hours, days, months and years back that we've lost to ableism and its effects.

We want to live in a world now that doesn't have ableism.

We deserve better. Our children deserve better.



{this post was written for Blogging Against Disablism Day 2009. You can read others at the host site, Diary of a Goldfish.]

BADD is back and everyone is invited!

When is it? BADD (Blogging Against Disablism Day) 2009 will be held May 1.
What is it?
For those who don't know what BADD is: This is the day where all around the world, disabled and non-disabled people will blog about their experiences, observations and thoughts about disability discrimination. In this way, we hope to raise awareness of inequality, promote equality and celebrate the progress we've made.
How can I join in?
Go over to Diary of A Goldfish and post a comment that you want to join in. (or you can click on the colorful logo below)
While you're over there, pick up the link and/or logo and spread the word.
Then write a post on the topic for May 1 and leave another comment after your post is up.



It's easy, it's BADD and you know you want to do it, so join on in!

Driveby bullying

Twice this past month when I've been out in my power chair, a truck or car went by and a man or woman cried out ableist epithets.

Hey you -ugly cripple!

Has anyone told you that you're disgusting today?


A week ago I was rolling along on a main street and a voice out of nowhere called out an ableist epithet to a disabled friend I was sitting with.

Freak! Freak! Freak!

I looked through the crowd but couldn't find anyone. He said to me "Oh, I have that all the time." He gets around on a scooter and spends most of the day outside.

This kind of name calling is cowardly, often done in a way that ensures one thing: the offender doesn't get caught. I guess you could call it driveby bullying.

When we label people, we objectify them, we dehumanize them. When we hurl names at them openly in front of others, there's a line crossed that is unacceptable.

I see this behavior as a reflection on those who do it, not on me. It's not even personal.

They don't even know who I am.

The sad thing is, as long as they continue to view the world we all inhabit in these narrow ways, they never will.

Media Culture Journal issue: Able available online

M/C Journal was founded (as "M/C - A Journal of Media and Culture") in 1998 as a place of public intellectualism analysing and critiquing the meeting of media and culture. Issues are written about a single word topic.

The July 2008 issue of Media Culture journal is available online. It contains the following articles on the topic - Able:

EDITORIAL: Disabling Able - Liz Ferrier, Viv Muller
FEATURE: Refusing Able(ness): A Preliminary Conversation about Ableism - Fiona Kumari Campbell
Mobilising the Monster: Modern Disabled Performers' Manipulation of the Freakshow - Bree Hadley
Disability, Heroism and Australian National Identity - Martin Mantle
Enabling the Auteurial Voice in Dance Me to My Song - D. Bruno Starrs
Ars Moriendi, the Erotic Self and AIDS - Catalina Florescu
Creating Visible Children? - Nicole Mathews
Shattering the Hearing Wall - Donna McDonald
Amniocentesis and Motherhood: How Prenatal Testing Shapes Our Cultural Understandings of Pregnancy and Disability - Fiona Place
Able to Live, Laugh and Love - Veronica Wain
iTunes Is Pretty (Useless) When You're Blind: Digital Design Is Triggering Disability When It Could Be a Solution - Katie Ellis, Mike Kent
Innovation and Disability - Gerard Goggin
Is There an End to Out-Able? Is There an End to the Rat Race for Abilities? - Gregor Wolbring

Unfair commentary

No, I'm not talking about the elections.

Yesterday someone engaged in behavior that I've seen a number of times since I've acquired quadriplegia. I've dubbed it "unfair commentary" , for lack of a better term. Basically, it's when a person comments about my "disability situation", using adjectives such as terrible, horrible, etc. I'm not talking about normal comments, which happen all the time. I'm referring to commentary that has a message along the lines of "How can you live like that?"

I don't often encounter unfair commentary along these lines and I'll spare you the actual exchange. I simply handled it. When he continued, I cut him off effectively, assertively with a few choice words.

Unfair commentary. Because it is rude and not acceptable to question the validity of my existence as a person with quadriplegia.

I feel compelled to blog about it, even though I know most people would never say these things to my face. But they may think them. I know this because some have said them to people in my circle - and so I know. This is not really a matter of being polite about it, by the way. It's a matter of being wrong. My existence as a person with a disability is just as valuable as anyone else's. My quality of life is affected more by my attitude than my circumstances - just as is true for any of God's children. And, although it is true and valid that some of my brothers and sisters with disabilities live in difficult situations, I face each day with the hope- and faith- that we can work together to make things better.

What we say and what we think about disability has a ripple effect. When people talk about disability in negative terms, there it goes skipping across the waters, sending out a wake effect. And the opposite happens when we see the person who has the disability and are able to see that he/she experiences the same joys as others and has the same dignity and worth.

More BADD

One of the posts I missed from BADD 2008 was an entry from The Gimp Parade called The Most Important Disability Policy. It includes photos of children in Iraq left with disabilities as a result of the war, and, much like the post The Big Picture from Planet of the Blind which I already linked to, discusses disability issues and human rights from a global perspective. So I wanted to get a link up for that since I didn't.

I also wanted to mention over at Media Dis n Dat, I saw an article about a disability advocate who is visiting Iraq to help 35 people with disabilities learn to advocate for themselves. This is, however, not a "feel good" moment, although I applaud his efforts. It is a daunting task considering the collapse of the infrastructure due to the war.

Highlights of Blogging Against Disablism Day 2008

It's May 1 and that means it's Blogging Against Disablism Day. Welcome everyone who may be seeing this online community event for the first time. Today members of the community gather to blog, allies and people with disabilities alike, about the ongoing issues that concern us regarding ableism/disablism.

In order to guide readers to some of the posts that most interested me, I'm going to list some over the course of the day here, as has been suggested. This list is a very short compilation and there are many more wonderful submissions over at Diary of a Goldfish and I encourage readers to check them all out. Thank you, Goldfish, for all your work hosting this!

Why Disablism is Your Problem, My Problem and Everyone Else's Problem
brilliant. if you only read one post, please - read this one.

Conversations with Allie
about Ashley's siblings - and the celebration of the miracle of life

Eugenics in Today's Society
dealing with the topic from a parent's point of view


Celia's Retreat
how history doesn't have to repeat itself...for parents and everyone else, wonderful post

Blogging Against Disablism Day
about inclusion of our children!

Over at Pitt Rehab, a post about Barriers to full Inclusion
3 barriers to inclusion that *I* am also familiar with...

Disabled People Aren't Human, Are they?
WCD responds to an article that has ableism written all over it

Mistaken Identity
David makes the important point about seeing the person with a disability - not our assistive devices, e.g.

Coming to Terms with Normal
a beautiful post about acceptance, a parent's love and why normal doesn't look the same for all of us

Over at frida writes, a post about Invisible People
comparing WiMPs, GiMPS- with words that can touch the heart

The Big Picture
a perspective on human rights

Don't Enable An Ableist:BADD 2008

Ableism hurts. It can be subtle, like when a customer behind me assumes because I'm in a wheelchair that I can't be in line by myself, or like a sledgehammer, when someone assaults you because you're paralyzed and can't fight back. It can result in discrimination in housing and employment. Ableist attitudes are behind the resistance to providing access to people with disabilities and other social changes that would result in fuller inclusion of us in society.

When some people do or say ableist things, there are those who enable them in various ways. Sometimes it's even the person with a disability, when we apologize to an ableist who treats us badly and insists on us backing down from our position. I have a term for it: enableists.

It can sound like this.

"You just refused to show me an apartment because I have a disability?"

"Absolutely. I don't need the hassle," says the ableist landlord, openly breaking the law.

Upon hearing this, a typical enableist will chime in with "Well, you can't expect Mr./Mrs Ableist to want a tenant with a disability. It does present problems" or "Maybe you should just look at another apartment " or if you point out that kind of discrimination is illegal, an enableist will say "You can't expect other people to know all about disability stuff." (Oh yeah, those silly anti-discrimination laws!)

Yes, enableists continue to enable some ableists to say they don't want to make an accommodation or serve a customer with a disability. And when the ableists offer an excuse, the enableist inevitably helps them come up with more. The enableist seems to jump into the fray to calm the ableist down. Yes, yes by all means, let's keep the status quo. Why should the ableist change, they ask the person with a disability?

Enabling an ableist is just as wrong as being an ableist. It encourages them. It not only makes excuses for them, but it gives them an out and solidifies their sense of entitlement, as if it's okay for them to discriminate against a whole group of people. Enabling ableists sends them a message that it's optional and up to them whether they deal with their ableist attitudes and ways - without facing consequences.

A sure sign that you're dealing with an enableist is that you are left feeling as if you've done something wrong after you've asserted your rights in a reasonable way. And yet, as the chorus of ableist-enableist-ableist-enableist goes on, our voices as people with disabilities seem to get lost in the fray. It's as if a sideshow is going on, completely tangential to the fact that we can't use a restroom, for example, that is All About the Ableist. Poor ableist, the enableist says, as we roll down three blocks in the wintry cold to use an accessible bathroom. This accommodation would cost so much. Why are you asking him/her to do that? Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Poor ableist, says the enableist, after he/she embarrasses us with an inappropriate ableist remark at a social function. Why did you have to point that out?

I guess the answer is: because those of us who do aren't enableists.

{written for Blogging Against Disablism Day 2008}

Treating Ableists Under The Medical Model...

Disease: Ableism

Who can get it: Anyone, even those who have a disability, if they internalize negative beliefs about it

Common symptoms: Using stereotypes and labels about disability; calling people with disabilities derogatory names; excluding people with disabilities; exploiting people with disabilities; applying negative assumptions about disability in one's daily affairs

Course of treatment: Some ableists may benefit from being around people with disabilities and learning that they are not any different than able bodied people. However, this does not work with everyone.

Complications: Ableism may be accompanied by racism, sexism, and other intolerant behaviors or rigid and inflexible thinking patterns. In such a case, the usual course of treatment has a fairly low success rate.

Effects of disease: Although not fatal, ableism limits and restricts the sufferer's lifestyle, relationships and quality of life. It also affects those who come into contact with the ableist in negative ways, particularly those with disabilities. Although ableism isn't inherited, exposure to it may harm an ableist's children by skewing their attitude toward people with disabilities and increasing their chances of acquiring the disease - therefore it is, unlike a disability, contagious to some degree.

Research: The rather famous Anti-Ableism Antidote Experiment, conducted in the basement of an unnamed Independent Living Center, showed that some ableists improve more rapidly with the use of a placebo "Anti-Ableism" pill that should be taken whenever they leave the house to ward off episodes of ableism. The findings confirmed that 30% of those who took the sugar pill improved over a period of six weeks. However, one gentleman who broke both legs during the six week period improved when he had to crawl into the basement on a daily basis to get the pill since there was no ramp. The scientists concluded that the latter condition taught some empathy to the ableist who initially thought that people who want access have "a sense of entitlement" and did not attribute his improvement to the placebo.

Prognosis: Varies depending on the willingness of the patient to face his/her ableism.

Research papers from other fields:


The Elephant in the Room or The Ableist in the Handicapped Stall, Journal of Restroom Management, Issue 123, Summer 2001
Linking Ableism to A Tiny Gene in the Nasal Cavity: Does Induced 24 Hour Sneezing Help?, Journal of Nasal Cavity Studies, Issue 1, Fall 1999
Ableism At Work: It Doesn't Work, Journal of Employment Mismanagement, Issue 7, Winter 2006
Disabling the Ableist: Why Token Simulations of Disability for Five Minutes Fail , Journal of Abnormal Ableism, Issue 3, Spring Forward
Why Ableists Argue Against the ADA, Journal of Articles with Lots of A's in the Title, Issue 3, Fall 2003
You Don't Really Need That Wheelchair, Do You: 101 Ways to Deny Essential Medical Equipment to People With Disabilities, Journal of Ableism, Issue 9, Summer 2006



[submitted to Blogging Against Disablism Day 2008]