The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ableism as “discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities”. The Disability & Philanthropy Forum, a philanthropy-serving organization created by the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy, goes one step further and defines ableism as “stereotypes and practices that devalue and discriminate against people with disabilities” and states that ableism assumes that the bodies and minds of people without disabilities are the “default”.

Ableism may take many forms, including a lack of compliance with disabilities laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the segregation of students with disabilities into separate schools, the use of restraints or seclusion on students with disabilities, failing to incorporate accessibility into building design plans or into websites, mocking people with disabilities, or assuming people with disabilities want or need to be “fixed”. Other examples of ableism which may not seem as overt may include choosing a venue for a meeting or event that is not accessible, using someone’s mobility device as a hand or foot rest, framing disability as either tragic or inspirational, wearing scented products in a scent-free environment, talking to a person with a disability like a child, asking invasive questions about the medical history or personal life of a person with disabilities, or casting an actor without disabilities to play a character with disabilities in a play, movie, or TV show. Ableism may also include micro-aggressions, which are everyday, subtle, subtle verbal or behavioral expressions that, whether intentional or unintentional, communicate a bias toward historically marginalized groups, including people with disabilities. Micro-aggressions towards people with disabilities may include phrases such as “That’s so lame”, “You are so retarded”, “That guy is crazy”, “Are you off your meds today?’, “It’s like the blind leading the blind”, or other such phrases. To learn more about ableism and the resources to help end ableism in your community, contact NARIC’s information specialists by phone, chat, or email.