TL;DR
- Ableism is a system of beliefs, processes and practices that positions the healthy, productive body as the norm, causing people with disabilities to be discriminated against, excluded, or treated as inferior.
- The way society looks at people with disabilities stems from three models: the medical model, which assumes the disability lies within the person and needs to be fixed; the moral model, which sees disability as sin, punishment or gift, and can therefore work in a stigmatising way; and the social model, which assumes the disability lies in the environment, which needs to become more inclusive and accessible.
- These models determine how ableism shows up on four levels: cultural (the image society holds of people with disabilities, for example stereotypical portrayals or as a source of inspiration), institutional (exclusionary rules and policy that prevent people with disabilities from participating), interactional (the way people with disabilities are treated, for example through language and assumptions), and internalised (people with disabilities taking on that negative image themselves).
- We need to widen the norm and look at disability differently: not as a deviation from the norm, but as human variation. We do that by changing the image society holds of people with disabilities, by making society more accessible and inclusive, but also by continuing to make medical progress.
“How great that you do your own groceries.” “I find it so inspiring that you work here too!” “My partner gets tired sometimes too, you should try a different diet.” You may have said one of these sentences to someone with a disability yourself, or heard it said. Often well-intended, but there is a hidden message in there that not everyone hears, one that traces back to ableism.
What is ableism?
Ableism is a system of beliefs, processes and practices that positions the healthy, productive body as the norm, causing people with disabilities to be discriminated against, excluded, or treated as inferior. The unspoken norm is central here: the perfect, unlimited body and the unlimited mind. Anything that deviates from that is seen as inferior, something that needs to be fixed, hidden or compensated for.
The models that shape how we look at disability
Ableism, then, is about excluding people with disabilities because they do not fit the norm. That is closely tied to how society looks at people with disabilities. Three models matter here.
The medical model
The medical model sees disability as an individual, medical problem. The solution is sought in curing the individual, so they can function as “normally” as possible. Medical treatment can indeed reduce pain or discomfort, giving someone, for example, more energy in a day for the things they want to do. However, this places the full responsibility on the person and their disability, without taking environmental factors into account. Having a disability is seen as a deviation, not as natural human diversity.
The moral model
The moral model sees having a disability as punishment, sin or a test, but in some cases also as a gift. This model is closely tied to religious influence and works in two directions: on one hand, there can be shame around having a disability, leading people to want to hide it. That shame can sit with the person with the disability themselves, but also with those close to them, such as family. On the other hand, people can also draw strength from their disability: seeing it as a gift or message from a higher power.
The social model
The social model assumes that the disability does not lie within the person, but in the environment. The central question here is how the environment can be made accessible and inclusive, so more people can take part and room is made for diversity among people. This looks at things from a different perspective than the medical model.
These models influence how we look at disability. It is often said that society needs to make the transition from the medical to the social model. There is something to that: as long as having a disability is seen as an individual problem and the environment does not change, stigma around disability will persist. However, it is also true that having a disability sometimes brings discomforts that are hard to solve simply by addressing societal barriers. So we should not move from the medical to the social model, but towards a world in which both models can exist side by side.
How the medical, moral and social model shape how we look at disability
These models, and the way they influence how we look at and treat people with disabilities, show up in four different forms of ableism.
Cultural ableism
Cultural ableism is about the stereotypes and prejudices that exist around people with disabilities. These are fed by the representation we do (or do not) see, for example in the media. Few people with disabilities appear on television. And when they do, it is often about their disability, not their profession or expertise. In films, people with disabilities are often cast in stereotypical roles: someone in pain whose greatest goal is to “get better,” or a villain with some form of physical deformity. Cultural ableism also plays out in everyday life, for example when people with disabilities are praised for doing everyday things, such as grocery shopping, exercising, or going to work.
In both cases, a stereotypical image of people with disabilities emerges. When we see people in a context we do not expect them in, we quickly find them remarkable or inspiring. This is also known as inspiration porn: the phenomenon where someone with a disability is admired simply for taking part in society. This kind of admiration often says more about the other person’s discomfort than about the person in question.
Institutional ableism
Institutional ableism is the structural exclusion of people with disabilities through rules and policy. It has its roots in the United States, where the Ugly Law was in force between 1867 and 1918. This law prohibited people with a visible disability from appearing in public. Today, institutional ableism translates into policy, such as the absence of legislation requiring accessible construction, or the slow implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Systemic change is a crucial step in creating a more inclusive and accessible environment. It provides equal opportunity and creates a society in which more people can take part.
Interactional ableism
Interactional ableism plays out in direct contact between people, and shows up, for example, in the infantilising of people with disabilities: speaking in a childlike tone, patting someone on the head, or assuming someone has a carer and only speaking to them. But also in denying someone’s disability, trivialising someone’s disability (“everyone is a little disabled“), or offering well-meant tips intended to make someone feel better (“maybe you should try this diet“). People with disabilities usually have a good sense of what works and what doesn’t for them. Beyond that, people do not always want a solution or a “fix”: sometimes it is simply better when someone listens, without immediately making the situation about themselves.
For many, the word “disability” feels loaded and negative, which brings discomfort. As a result, euphemisms are often used, such as “disability as a superpower” or “workplace uniqueness”. At first glance, these kinds of terms seem positive: they look at disability from a different angle and emphasise the positive sides. And that is exactly where the problem lies. Having a disability, and the word itself, are not inherently negative, the image society holds of it often is. Having a disability simply means that someone’s body or brain functions differently from the norm, underlining that different kinds of people exist.
Internalised ableism
Cultural, institutional and interactional ableism come together in internalised ableism: because people with disabilities are continuously confronted with different forms of ableism, they can (unconsciously) come to believe and internalise the negative image society holds of them. This affects someone’s self-worth and self-image, and influences how they see and act toward themselves. This might show up as avoiding asking for help out of fear of being seen as difficult, downplaying one’s own experiences, or constantly measuring one’s own achievements against those of people without disabilities.
From awareness to action
If we want more people to be able to take part, recognising ableism is an essential starting point. Awareness creates room for the conversation. But awareness alone changes nothing. The change lies in the action that follows: an adjustment you make, an assumption you correct, a barrier you remove. That will sometimes be uncomfortable. But it is the only way we can grow together.