Ableism

Ableism is prejudice or discrimination against disabled people. It takes many forms and can be either intentional or unintentional.
Click below to learn more.

Disability Rights

Disability Rights is a global movement in response to discrimination against disabled people. The movement aims to give disabled people equality and accessibility.
Click below to learn more.

Statistics

There are over 1 billion disabled people alive right now. They all experience oppression in some form.
Click below for statistics about disability.

Disabled innovators

We often hold this assumption that disabled people are helpless, but this is because they're often erased from history. Disabled people are far from helpless, they've built the world we live in. Click below to see what they've invented.

Articles

Articles in top magazines, newspapers, and websites provide a wide coverage of disability rights and topics.
Click below for some of them.

Action Items

There are many measures of reformation being advocated for right now. You can get involved to help disabled people too!
Click below for action items and petitions.

People

People with disabilities are the best authorities on ableism, disability rights, and accessibility. It's best to learn directly from them.
Click below to learn more about activists with disabilities.

Resources

There are many organizations dedicated to providing more information and background on disability rights.
Click below to learn more about them.

Ableism

Intentional or unintentional prejudice or discrimination of disabled people: An explainer.

Intent Vs Impact

Ableism often isn't intended as discrimination, but it can still negatively impact people with disabilities even when unintentional or coming from a good place. Ableism perpetuates negative misconceptions, inequality, or harmful treatment toward disabled people.

Examples of Ableism

assumptions

• Believing ableism is less toxic, harmful, or dangerous than racism, sexism, or other forms of discrimination.
• Avoiding using the word "disabled," or opting to use euphemisms ("differently-abled," "handicapable,") in attempt to avoid the word.
• Assuming disabled people want or "need" to be fixed.
• Assuming disabled people are depressed or anxious about their condition.
• Assuming disabled people are maladjusted, have anger issues, or have resentments about their condition.
• Assuming a disabled person's anger, frustration, or sadness about their situation automatically equals sign of mental illness.
• Assuming a disabled person's mental health struggles are the cause of their physical health struggles.
• Assuming people with disabilities are unable or incompetent.
• Assuming disabled people always need assistance with every task.
• Assuming disabled people are lazy, weak, unmotivated, unproductive, or a drain on the system.
• Assuming (or saying) disabled people are better off dead or that you "couldn't live like that."
• Assuming disabled people can't or don't have normal (and equal) romantic relationships, sexual partners, or casual sex.
• Assuming disabled people are asexual or sexually deviant.
• Assuming what disabled people feel or need without asking and believing their answers.
• Assuming or treating a disabled person like they're overreacting or high maintenance.
• Assuming a disabled person can't speak for themselves.
• Assuming someone with a visible or physical disability has an intellectual disability.
• Assuming a disability or illness is non-existent, exaggerated, or "not that bad" just because you can't see it or because they "look/act fine."
• Assuming a disabled person is exaggerating, faking it, suddenly better, or finding things easier because you see them in public, presentable, enjoying themselves, or seemingly more productive at one point.
• Assuming someone with a disabled person is their helper or family member instead of friend or partner.
• Assuming you can only be poor to have a disability.
• Assuming disabled people can't work or have full-time jobs.
• Assuming a disabled worker or student is incompetent.
• Assuming disabled people can't be highly intelligent, capable of honors/advanced classes or college education, or can't have a high IQ.
• Placing or seating a disabled person on the side or corner instead of with everyone else.
• Assuming a female with a disability is less capable than a male with a disability.
• Assuming disabled people can't or don't want to participate in extracurriculars, leisure activities, volunteer activities, classes, or parties.
• Assuming people with disabilities have a Disability or illness because they "deserve it," are "paying for their (or their parents') sins," "being punished by God."
• Assuming most disabled people are old.
• Assuming mental illness isn't a disability.
• Thinking a disabled person is broken or difficult to love or have a relationship with.
• Believing someone is an angel, special, or amazing for dating a person with a disability.

behaviors

• Avoiding disabled people.
• Holding low expectations of a disabled person.
• Talking about someone with a disability about their disability (or their appearance, actions, accessibility needs, anything) behind their back.
• Relying on disabled people to be your education on disabilities without doing your own research.
• Expecting disabled people to answer your questions, or expecting them to be hostile to questions.
• "Assisting" a disabled person without first asking if they need it. Not taking no for an answer.
• Asking invasive personal questions you wouldn't ask a non-disabled person (like medical history, sexual activities, bathroom details).
• Infantilizing a disabled person like: exaggerating speech or expressions, patting their head, pinching their cheeks.
• Using the accessible bathroom stall when you're not disabled.
• Ignoring or pretending a disability doesn't exist.
• Touching a disabled person or their wheelchair, cane, mobility device, or service animal without their explicit permission.
• Using someone's wheelchair, cane, or mobility device as a foot or armrest.
• Not inviting a disabled person because they've cancelled too many times or you don't want to provide accommodations.
• Making plans a disabled person can't participate in.
• Talking about a disabled person in front of them as if they're not there, speaking for them without their permission, or talking to them as if they're a child.
• Refusing to let a disabled person complete tasks because it's been assumed "it's too difficult" for them without actually asking if it is.
• Giving a disabled person minimal tasks in school, work, etc.
• Self-diagnosing yourself with a mental illness and telling people you have it without a psychiatrist's diagnosis.
• Telling others a person has a mental illness. Mental illness should NEVER be told other than by the person who has it.
• Repeating or telling others someone's personal health issues or medical history.
• Judging someone with a disability if they request assistance or are unable to complete a task due to their disability.
• Deciding you'd never date someone with a disability.

words

• Using blanket statements about disabilities or people with them.
• Comparing disabled people, illnesses, abilities, and experiences.
• Saying or believing disabled people are awe-inspiring just for living their daily lives.
• Portraying or speaking of people with disabilities and their lives as "inspirational" or tragic.
• Concluding a disabled person is doing something wrong or "not trying hard enough" if they haven't recovered or gotten better.
• Speaking or correcting a disabled person on topics of disability or their condition.
• Blaming a disability or illness on the person, their lifestyle, or their "beliefs."
• Telling a disabled person to "change their mindset," "just think positive," or to not think of themselves as sick or disabled.
• Using disability as a punchline.
• Mocking people with disabilities, or anything resembling a disability.
• Calling a disabled person a "freak," or "monster" to their face or behind their back.
• Making plans to avoid a disabled person.
• Using the r***** word.*A note about other common types of word usage:*
• Person-first ("person with a disability") vs identity-first ("disabled person") usage: This is up to personal preference and should not be fought over. Ask for preferences if you know someone with a disability.
• Words like lame, idiot, crazy, insane, etc: While these do have some stigma, their usage has evolved past their original meanings, and don't have quite the same effect as the r* word. However if someone says they're offended by them, it's best to respect that.

accessibility

• Failure to provide captions on all videos.
• Failure to provide image descriptions on posts.
• Poorly designed rooms without enough space for wheelchairs to navigate through.
• Failure to list accessibility or accommodations on business websites.
• Failure to have ramps.
• Inaccessible websites.
• Not following disability rights laws or regulations like the ADA.
• Restraining or segregating disabled people.
• Not incorporating accessibility into building plans, street or city plans, architectural plans, or venues.
• Buildings with signs without Braille.
• Narrow doorways or corners inaccessible to wheelchairs.
• Elevators that are unworking, nonexistent, or hidden away.
• Failure to have curb cuts on street corners.
• Lack of accessible public transportation.
• Failure to continue pavement and floor upkeep.
• Failure to get an elevator fixed in a timely manner.
• Failure to have an accommodation completed or built in a timely manner.
• Failure to provide a disabled person requested accommodations for any reason.
• School/workplace failure to provide accommodation because it's "too expensive," "too hard," "not necessary," "too much effort," or for any other reason or excuse.

Disability Rights

A global movement that aims to give people with disabilities equality and accessibility.

The history of discrimination against people with disabilities is a long one.• The ancient Romans mandated executions of babies born with disabilities.
• Jesters in medieval times often had intellectual disabilities and were mocked.
• "Freaks" with disabilities were forced to join the circus or become "entertainment" acts to be mocked.
• Disabled people were driven out of cities by inhabitants and sheriffs, an act called "warning out."
• "Ugly laws" banned disabled people from appearing in public if they were considered unappealing or "gross."
• 300,000 people with disabilities were the very first victims of the Holocaust, in a Nazi program called Aktion T4.
• Project 100,000 drafted over 300,000 intellectually disabled Americans for the Vietnam War. The majority of them died.Disabled people have faced:
• Eugenics
• State-sponsored genocide
• Mass forced sterilization
• Forced institutionalization
• Marginalization
• Voter disenfranchisement
• Lack of representation

Statistics

Ableism isn't just discriminatory words or attitudes, it shows in measurable numbers.

• There are 1.5 billion people with disabilities, 20% of the population.
• 25% of Americans live with a disability. That's 61 million people. Source: CDC
• There are over 3 million children in the U.S. with a disability. Source: 2019 U.S. Census
• 40% of homeless people have a disability.

discrimination & violence

• Only 45 of 197 countries (22%) in the world today have anti-discrimination laws for disabled people. Source: UN
• 1 in 4 people with a disability will face at least one incident of discrimination every day. Source: The Law Offices of C & B
• People with disabilities are up to 10× more likely to become victims of crime than people without disabilities. Source: CDC
• Disabled people are 3× times more likely to experience violence including rape, sexual assault, aggravated assault, and robbery. Source: Quartz
• 83-90% of women with a disability will be sexually abused. Source: The Conversation
• People with intellectual disabilities are 7× more likely to be sexually abused. Source: NPR
• Only 3% of people with disabilities who have been assaulted in college report it. Source: Al Jazeera America
• Only 6% of U.S. domestic violence shelters report they can handle people with disabilities. Source: Al Jazeera America
• In the UK, 100+ hate crimes are committed against disabled people every day. The real number is much higher. America doesn't track this. Source: United Response
• Hate crimes against people with disabilities has the lowest chance of prosecution of any type of hate crime in the UK. Source: UK Government Home Office

perceptions

• 2 in 3 people admit they actively avoid people with disabilities. Source: The Law Offices of C & B
• 3 out of 4 disabled people (72%) have experienced negative attitudes or behaviour in the last 5 years. Source: Scope UK
• 38% of people believe people with disabilities are burdens on society. Source: The Law Offices of C & B
• 28% of people resent the perception of extra attention disabled people receive. Source: The Law Offices of C & B
• 38% of people believe people with disabilities aren't as productive as non-disabled people. Source: WHO

poverty & employment

• 1 in 3 employers in the U.S. say they do not hire people with disabilities.
• In developing countries, 80% to 90% of persons with disabilities of working age are unemployed, whereas in industrialized countries the figure is between 50% and 70%. Source: United Nations
• In the U.S., the rate of disabled people in poverty is more than 2× higher than the rate of poverty for the general public. Source: NCD
• People with disabilities earn 64 cents to every dollar their colleagues make. This is 37% less than non-disabled people. Source: AIR
• Job applicants whose cover letters mention they have a disability are 26% less likely to get a call back. Source: CBS
• More than 50% of people say they wouldn't work for a boss with a disability. Source: NatCen Social Research
• 214 - Number of extra days a disabled person has to work to make the same annual income as a non-disabled person. Source: AIR
• People with disabilities face on average between $1,170-$6,952 higher costs of living per year. Over a lifetime this adds up to over $150,000-$400,000. Source: The Conversation
• 22.8% of all working age adults need workplace accommodations, but less than half actually receive them. Source: PMC
• 48% of people with disabilities earn less than $15,000 per year. Source: ACLU
• Remote working increases productivity by 13% and reduces resignations by 50%. Source: Stanford University
• Only 4% of employees disclose their disabilities. Source: Forbes

accessibility

• 2.5 billion people need one or more assistive devices. 1 billion of them have been denied access to them. Source: WHO
• Best practices show that 5-7% of a program’s budget should go toward reasonable accommodations in targeted programming for persons with disabilities. Source: United States Institute of Peacebuilding
• 1 in 10 disabled parking permits are abused by non-disabled people. Source: Fox
• 60% of polling places are not fully accessible to people with disabilities. Source: Pew Research
• Less than 10% of blind people know how to read braille. Source: Wikipedia

education

• 2/3 of all schools have access barriers that are in violation of the law. Source: ABC News
• The high school graduation rate of people with disabilities is 68% compared a 85% graduation rate of nondisabled people. Source: US Education Department
• Only 34% of students with disabilities graduate with a 4 year degree compared to 62% of nondisabled students. Sources: NLTS2, National Center for Educational Statistics
• 19% (1 in 5) of undergraduates in America live with a disability. National Center for Educational Statistics
• Disabled students in higher education experience greater social exclusion, lack of support, adverse social attitudes and stigmas, and lack of inclusive understanding of the disability experience. Disability Studies Quarterly

healthcare

• 1 in 2 people with disabilities cannot afford healthcare. Source: WHO
• People with disabilities are 2× more likely to find inadequate healthcare of providers' skills and facilities. Source: WHO
• Disabled people are 3× more likely to be denied healthcare. Source: WHO
• People with disabilities are 4× more likely to be treated poorly in the healthcare system. Source: WHO
• More than 70,000 people have been forcibly sterilized in the US. This is still happening outside the US. Source: NPR

Innovations

Disabled people are technological innovators. The the most important things you use in your life were invented by and for disabled people. Here's a list of them.

• The smartphone. Touchscreens were invented by a man with a disability in his hand that made it painful to press buttons. This man, Wayne Westerman created touchscreens to replace buttons for people with disabilities like his. Apple bought the technology for the iPhone. (Source: Wikipedia)• Keyboards. The typewriter was invented by Agostino Fantoni and his blind sister in 1802 to enable her to write. That technology still lives on in our computers. (Source: Wikipedia)• Bicycles. Handcycles were invented in 1655 by
Stephan Farffler, who was a paraplegic. That very same technology was reinvented in 1817 in the form of a bicycle. (Source: Wikipedia)• Cruise control. Invented by a blind man, Ralph Teetor, who relied upon being driven by others who didn't drive at steady speeds. He invented a system to stabilize car speed. (Source: Wikipedia)• Audiobooks. Invented by the American Foundation for the Blind who recorded vinyl records of books for blind students. They're based off of the phonograph, invented by Thomas Edison to fulfill his vision of a device that would speak to blind people. (Source: Wikipedia)• Texting. Credited with inventing the technology behind texting, Matti Makkonen invented texting for deaf people to communicate with each other in replacement of the phone.• Electric toothbrush. Invented by Dr. Philippe Guy Woog for people with limited motor skills. (Source: Wikipedia

Resources

Organizations dedicated to providing more information and background on disability rights.