Day 2: Ableism & Disability Rights

| CHALLENGE | DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8 | DAY 9 | DAY 10 |

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In Day 1, we developed our understanding of disability as a social identity, challenged our conceptualization of disability, covered some bases of the disabled community, and considered ways in which individuals with disabilities may experience their own identity. In this challenge, we discuss ableism, the system of oppression that marginalizes disabled people, and movements against this oppression, including the Disability Rights Movement and the Disability Justice Movement.

Ableism

Ableism is generally understood to be discrimination and prejudice related to disability. Ableism hinges upon the belief that typical abilities are superior and the assumption that disabled people require “fixing.”As a system of oppression, ableism inherently groups people into categories and assigns value-based meaning to these categories so that entire groups of people are “less than.” The most basic categories created by ableism include “normal/non-disabled” and “disabled,” but more nuanced categories exist as well such as “more disabled” and “less disabled.”

Ableism: a system of assigning value to peoples’ bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, desirability, intelligence, excellence, and fitness. These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in eugenics, anti-Blackness, misogyny, colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism. – working definition of ableism by Talila Lewis

This definition emphasizes the intersectional nature of systems of oppression, including ableism, and recognizes that actual and perceived disabilities impact individuals’ experiences with ableism. This systemic oppression leads to people and society determining peoples’ value based on their culture, age, language, appearance, religion, birth or living place, “health/wellness,” and/or their ability to satisfactorily  re/produce, “excel,” and “behave.” You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism.

Like other types of discrimination and prejudice, ableism can be explicit or implicit. In the early 2000s, ableism was identified as one of the strongest and most common forms of explicit and implicit bias among types of bias studied, including race, gender, sexuality, and weight bias. This explicit and implicit bias in favor of people without disabilities was present and significant even among people with disabilities. This is one manifestation of internalized ableism.

Disability Movements

Ableism is woven throughout US history and current society. For decades, disabled people have been leading coordinated efforts against ableist oppression. These include the Disability Rights Movement and Disability Justice. 

The Disability Rights Movement gained momentum in the 1960s and led to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. Prior to this movement, there were no legal repercussions when disabled people were mistreated. Establishing civil rights for disabled people increased opportunities for disabled people to participate in society.

Recognizing the need for coordinated efforts against ableist oppression to be intersectional, center the most impacted, and honor the diversity within the disabled community, a collective of disabled queer women of color, including Patty Berne and Mia Mingua, began to discuss a ‘second wave’ of disability rights. These discussions led to Disability Justice being coined in 2005. Disability Justice builds on the approach from the disability rights movement by taking a more comprehensive, intersectional approach to securing rights for disabled people.

Disability Justice offers a vision for the future and a pathway to get there. “There has always been resistance to all forms of oppression, as we know in our bones that there have also always been disabled people visioning a world where we flourish, a world that values and celebrates us in all our beauty.”

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if you HAVE…

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15 Minutes	and	20 Minutes	and	45 Minutes
	and		and
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO to briefly learn the history of the Disability Rights Movement & why it still matters today.	and	CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE about confronting ableism as a critical step toward achieving social justice & fostering inclusivity.	and	CHECK OUT THIS PODCAST to understand the intersections of ableism & racism in the US, & the historic civil rights legislation governing both.

 

Additional resources:

YWCA USA Disability Justice Report

Glossary

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take action

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• Write your senators and representatives to encourage them to make a stand for marriage equality for people with disabilities and ensure that people with disabilities do not lose benefits when they get married. (Find your Washington state districts, precincts, and elected officials here.)
• Contact your state senator or representative and encourage them to expand access to mail-in voting and ensure that polling locations are accessible to ensure that people with disabilities can make their voices heard at election time.
• Use this Ability Privilege Checklist as a starting point to evaluate how you can improve your company/organization’s policies to make them more inclusive for people with disabilities.

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REFLECT

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Take a moment to reflect today’s challenge and any insights you experienced.

• Download and complete the full Racial Justice Challenge Reflection template here.
  • Questions to consider:
    • What feelings or emotions did I notice while completing today’s challenge?
    • What did I learn? (This could be a new concept, idea, or word.)
    • Why is this topic/subject important?
    • What behaviors and beliefs do I want to let go of?
• Consider sharing any parts of this challenge with a friend or group to help deepen your understanding of the information.
• Join us Friday, 9/22 at noon via Zoom for a Week 1 debrief session.

  Meeting link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84927226372?pwd=MFV6dDgrOTVGSFhGYm9UWWZ5UWFHZz09

  Meeting ID: 849 2722 6372

  Passcode: letmein

• Continue the conversation online and connect with others by joining our Racial & Social Justice Facebook group.

Just joining the Racial Justice Challenge? Register and find the previous days here. Please take the pre-challenge survey – it will help prepare your mind and body to dive into these racial and social topics and provide us valuable feedback for future challenges.

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Sources:

_{American Psychological Association [APA]. (2021). Understanding ableism and negative reactions to disability. https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psychology-teacher-network/introductory-psychology/ableism-negative-reactions-disability.}

_{University of Cincinnati. (2023). Racial Justice Resources for Activists, Advocates & Allies. University of Cincinnati Research Guides. https://guides.libraries.uc.edu/racialjusticeresources/ableism-disabilityjustice.}

_{Harrell, E. (2014). Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009–2012 – Statistical Tables. Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/capd0912st.pdf.}

_{Harrell, E. (2021). Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009–2019 – Statistical Tables. Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/capd0919st.pdf.}

_{Hire Me SC. (2021). Benevolent ableism: Why “helping” is not always helpful. https://www.hiremesc.org/news/2021/5/5/benevolent-ableism-why-helping-is-not-always-helpful.}

_{Hudson, H. (2023). Moving from disability rights to disability justice. https://wid.org/moving-from-disability-rights-to-disability-justice/.}

_{Lewis, T. A. (2022). Working Definition of Ableism – January 2022 Update. https://www.talilalewis.com/blog.}

_{Luterman, S. (2020). There is nothing loving about killing disabled people. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/01/01/there-is-nothing-loving-about-killing-disabled-people/.}

_{Nosek, B.A., Smyth, F.L., Hansen, J.J., Devos, T., Lindner, N.M., Ranganath, K.A., Smith, C.T., Olson, K.R., Chugh, D., Greenwald, A.G., & Banaji, M.R., (2007). Pervasiveness and correlates of implicit attitudes and stereotypes. European review of social psychology, 18(1), 36-88.}

_{Sins Invalid. (2020). What is disability justice? https://www.sinsinvalid.org/news-1/2020/6/16/what-is-disability-justice.}

_{Soyer, H. (n.d.). The high cost of disability: The inaccessibility of the cost of access. World Institute on Disability. https://wid.org/the-high-cost-of-disability-the-inaccessibility-of-the-cost-of-access/.}

_{Rajkumar, S. (2022). How to talk about disability sensitively and avoid ABLEIST tropes. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/08/08/1115682836/how-to-talk-about-disability-sensitively-and-avoid-ableist-tropes.}

_{Villines, Z. (2021). What is ableism, and what is its impact?. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ableism.}

_{Weiss, T. (2021). People with disabilities and suicide awareness. https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/awareness/suicide.php.}

_{Willison, K. (2023). Don’t forget people with disabilities when you talk about suicide prevention. The Mighty. https://themighty.com/topic/disability/suicide-prevention-disability/.}

_{Young, S. (2014). I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/stella_young_i_m_not_your_inspiration_thank_you_very_much/transcript?language=en.}

Day 2 is authored in collaboration with Mia, a disabled community member. Graphic design by Lara Estaris.

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Racial Equity work is consistently underfunded. Make a powerful statement in the fight for racial and social justice. Your contribution directly supports initiatives that promote equality, combat discrimination, and empower individuals and communities. Together, we can create a more inclusive and just world for all. Join us in making a difference today!

SUPPORT THIS WORK

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Special thanks to our mission partners

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If you would like to learn more about partnering with YWCA Spokane in support of this Racial Justice Challenge, please contact Erica Schreiber, Director of Community Engagement via email ericas@ywcaspokane.org or via phone at 509-789-8275.

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| CHALLENGE | DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8 | DAY 9 | DAY 10 |