Ableism and Disablism

Ableism

Review the following short resource: Ableism 101 – What is Ableism? What Does it Look Like?

Then, take about 10 minutes to listen to Dr. Fiona Kumari-Campbell on “ability studies”, below. Her talk touches on several themes; pay attention to her discussion of the able body, ableism, and her references to the intersection of disability and race. Also consider her ideas about the conceptualization of “ability” at the heart of many systems of hierarchical power.

Disablism

Kumari-Campbell and other disability leaders from outside Canada and the US draw a distinction between ableism and disablism.

Disablism refers to discrimination or negative treatment directed towards disabled people (e.g., stereotypes, infantilizing policies, or professional or occupational regulations barring the employment of disabled people).

Ableism references the exclusionary valourizing of “species-typical” standards that dictate how bodies function, move, appear, regulate, and so forth.

Like the dominance of the medical model, Kumari-Campbell describes ableism as pervasive. Mia Mingus (2010, para. 5) extends this analysis to the intersections of oppressive social relations, such as racism, heterosexism, and ableism in our societies, writing “It’s in the air we breathe; it’s how the machine rolls; it’s the default.” The pervasiveness lies in how these oppressive relations are sustained by a system of power and privilege that benefits many. In Mingus’ words, “We live in an ableist society and we all have a responsibility to actively work against it.”