Ableism is not a commonly known word when it comes to the discussion of discrimination and prejudice. Most people know of words like racism, sexism, or homophobia. But ableism is a word that rarely, if ever, comes up. The concept of ableism has long been ignored, and for many reasons. But that is not what we’ll be discussing today. As you read this, you might be wondering already what it is that ableism means.
Personally, I feel that there is no better way to define ableism than this quote from the Center for Disability Rights’ blog:
“Ableism is a set of beliefs or practices that devalue and discriminate against people with physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities and often rests on the assumption that disabled people need to be ‘fixed’ in one form or the other” (Smith).
Now, with this definition, we can closely examine our society for signs of ableism. After all, “ableism is intertwined in our culture” (Smith), so if you know where to look, you can find ableism nearly anywhere. This website will help you further explore the multitude of ways that ableism can be found in our everyday lives, especially the everyday lives of the disabled.
Source
Smith, Leah. “Center for Disability Rights.” #Ableism – Center for Disability Rights, Center for Disability Rights, cdrnys.org/blog/uncategorized/ableism/.