Ableism

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Ableism is the intentional or unintentional discrimination or oppression of individuals with disabilities. Ableism is usually from people who believe that they and typical abilities are superior, and that disabled people need fixing. They can assume stereotypes, misconceptions, generalizations, and define people by their disabilities that sometimes further pushes their wants to fix people or think they are better.

Ableism can appear in many different ways, from more obvious displays, “everyday” or minor ableism, and micro-aggressions. More obvious displays can be making jokes of disabled people, segregation of disabled students and restraining/secluding them as a means of control, assuming disabled people want to or need to be fixed, etc. The eugenics movement of the early 1900s and the mass murder of disabled people in Nazi Germany are examples of disabled people being harmed for being disabled.

“Everyday” or minor ableism and micro-aggressions are things disabled people may experience on a daily basis. Things such as making disability seem tragic and/or inspirational in news stories and other forms of media, someone using the accessibility stall when they are able to use the non-accessible stall without pain or risk of injury, infantilizing older/adult disabled people and treating them like babies or young children, asking invasive questions, assuming a disability has to be visible to exist are examples of micro-aggressions. Micro-aggressions are especially common, with phrases that imply being disabled makes a person lesser than abled people, that disability is bad, and is a problem that needs to be fixed.

Ableism In Plurality
Many plural systems face ableism in many forms. They can experience being told they aren’t a system or that systems aren’t real, and can be fakeclaimed.

History
The term originated from the disabled people rights movement.