MODULE 9
Ableism and disability justice
What’s in this module
Learning objectives
- Reflect on your definition of disability and assumptions related to different types of disabilities.
- Compare the medical model of disability and the social model of disability.
- Define ableism and give examples of individual-level behaviors and systems-level policies or practices that reflect ableism.
- Define disability justice and name at least two principles of disability justice.
1. Defining disability
Definitions of disability
- Take a moment to jot down your definition of disability
- Students share some of their definitions and compare them
- What assumptions are contained in these definitions?
- Consider which of the following models of disability these definitions are more aligned with
Medical model of disability
- Disabilities are defined by the way in which they limit participation
- Defined in comparison to “normal” abilities (how is this defined?)
- Focus is on fixing the disability or providing substitutions
Social construct of disability
- Disability is socially constructed just like other social identities
- Not simply the state of someone’s physical or mental capacities but the result of their interactions with the social environment
Examples
- Being deaf is a disability in a society in which hearing is normalized and required for full participation
- Being deaf is not a disability in a society in which deafness and sign languages are normalized.
- Being unable to walk is a disability in a society that assumes and normalizes the ability to walk.
Disability results when social designs and the built environment do not account for the presence and participation of people with non-typical physical, emotional, intellectual, or social abilities and needs
Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice
How can responses to disability vary?
- How do different conceptualizations of disability affect the way in which we respond to the challenges faced by people with disabilities?
Legal construction of disability
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines disability as “an impairment (i.e., a physical or mental limitation) that “substantially limits one or more major life activities” or limits the operation of a major bodily function. Sometimes requires a medical diagnosis. Sometimes requires meeting some sort of “severity” threshold.
Discuss
- In what ways might these legal definitions of disability benefit people with disabilities?
- In what ways might these definitions and laws disadvantage people with disabilities?
- How do expectations about economic productivity play into the legal and social construction of disability?
2. Ableism
What is ableism?
- Ableism is the system of oppression that disadvantages people with disabilities and advantages people who do not currently have disabilities. Like other forms of oppression, it functions on individual, institutional, and cultural levels.
- Ableism is not solely about the experiences of people with disabilities as targets of discrimination, but rather about the interaction of institutional structures, cultural norms, and individual beliefs and behaviors that together function to maintain the status quo and exclude people with disabilities from many areas of society.
Examples of individual behaviors that reflect ableism
- Parking in a spot reserved for people with mobility impairments, if one doesn’t have them
- Staring at someone with a disability OR completely ignoring them
- Assuming or stating that there is no one with a disability at your school or workplace because it is not visible to you or you assume people with disabilities wouldn’t be smart or capable enough to study/work there
- Talking extra loudly to a person with a mobility impairment (without any evidence that they also have a hearing impairment)
- Using baby talk (or child-directed speech) with a person with any disability
- Talking to someone’s interpreter or aide instead of directly with them
Disability and systems
- In groups, discuss some ways that ableism manifests at the systemic level for each of the following three domains: legal system, educational system, and healthcare system
Internalized ableism
Internalized ableism
Internalized ableism is
believing the lies we have been told about our bodies,
believing that nobody will love us or want us,
believing we are damaged
and broken
because others have said we are.Internalized ableism is
negating ourselves the right to say no,
denying ourselves the right to say yes
or saying yes when we should say no,
or saying no when we should say yes
because we’ve been made afraid to trust
ourselves.Internalized ableism is
the thick extra layer of skin we grow
in order to not get wounded
by the voices that say we’re imperfect, and worthless
and undesirable.
Disability justice
10 Principles of Disability Justice
- INTERSECTIONALITY
“We do not live single issue lives” –Audre Lorde. Ableism, coupled with white supremacy, supported by capitalism, underscored by heteropatriarchy, has rendered the vast majority of the world “invalid.” - LEADERSHIP OF THOSE MOST IMPACTED
“We are led by those who most know these systems.” –Aurora Levins Morales - ANTI-CAPITALIST POLITIC
In an economy that sees land and humans as components of profit, we are anti-capitalist by the nature of having non-conforming body/minds. - COMMITMENT TO CROSS-MOVEMENT ORGANIZING
Shifting how social justice movements understand disability and contextualize ableism, disability justice lends itself to politics of alliance. - RECOGNIZING WHOLENESS
People have inherent worth outside of commodity relations and capitalist notions of productivity. Each person is full of history and life experience. - SUSTAINABILITY
We pace ourselves, individually and collectively, to be sustained long term. Our embodied experiences guide us toward ongoing justice and liberation. - COMMITMENT TO CROSS-DISABILITY SOLIDARITY
We honor the insights and participation of all of our community members, knowing that isolation undermines collective liberation. - INTERDEPENDENCE
We meet each others’ needs as we build toward liberation, knowing that state solutions inevitably extend into further control over lives. - COLLECTIVE ACCESS
As brown, black and queer-bodied disabled people we bring flexibility and creative nuance that go beyond able-bodied/minded normativity, to be in community with each other. - COLLECTIVE LIBERATION
No body or mind can be left behind – only moving together can we accomplish the revolution we require.
Source: https://www.sinsinvalid.org/blog/10-principles-of-disability-justice
Reflection on Albeism
- Have you ever experienced or witnessed ableism? Have you engaged in ableist behaviors? If so, describe the encounter and how this reflects ableist thinking or attitudes?
- The burden of dealing with an ableist society most often falls on people with disabilities. Describe what you can do now or in the future to make your workplace, your relationships, or your interactions a more equitable place for people with a range of disabilities.
Becoming Culturally Responsive 