What is ableism?

"Disability isn't the problem, ableism is." -Kam Radlawsk

Diversity and inclusion is a popular and rapidly growing field, but often when we think of discrimination we tend to think of race, sexuality, or religion. Discrimination against people with disabilities is often forgotten.

Ableism is the term used to describe discrimination against people with disabilities. At its core, ableism is the belief that non-disabled people are superior to disabled people. Like racism, ableism is a classification of a group of people as 'less than'.

Ableism can be intentional or unintentional. It encompasses misconceptions around disability, harmful stereotypes, microaggressions, and broad generalizations of disabled people.

What does ableism look like?

This can be difficult to answer.

Some types of ableism are more obvious than others. It can be segregation, such as institutionalization, failing to incorporate accessibility into websites or buildings, using disability as joke or mocking people with disabilities, or a belief that those with disabilities are broken and need to be fixed.

More subtle forms of ableism can be failing to check a venue's accessibility for a work event and thus excluding those with access needs, creating training videos without closed captioning, making assumptions based on someone's disability, or speaking for or over a person with a disability.

In the workplace, ableism may appear in different forms:

• Making decisions about hiring or career opportunities on the assumption of an individual's abilities based on their disability.

• Neglecting to turn on captions during video calls.

• Ignoring a person's disability because of non-disabled discomfort.

• Non-disabled individuals comparing a person's disability with their own temporary illness or injury, or a pet's illness or injury.

• Failing to create a work culture where employees feel safe to disclose their disability.

• Failure to build accessibility to building upgrades, workplace strategies, or workplace policies.

• Questioning an individual's disability based on their appearance or age.

• Using microaggressions or slurs.

How can we prevent ableism in the workplace?

Ableism in the workplace is often unintentional. Education around disability and programs such as Employee Resource Groups and D&I initiatives can help build more inclusive and accepting work environments.

Some first steps to address ableism in your organization are:

• Don't be afraid to say the word!

The word disabled is not a slur. It is not a bad word or a shameful word. By not using the word disabled or replacing it with euphemisms, we actually enforce the stigma around disability.

The key to ending ableism in the workplace is to normalize disability, so start by saying the word!

• Create an inclusive hiring policy.

This includes your entire recruitment process, from bias and discrimination assessments to writing the job description, interviewing, and hiring. Start by ensuring open roles are posted and shared in an accessible format with inclusive language. When scheduling interviews include information on accessible parking and entrances, and ensure the interview space is quiet and accessible.

• Provide employee training and education at all levels.

Normalizing disability is necessary to help end ableism. Creating spaces to learn and discuss disability is essential. Some topics to consider are language, etiquette, and conscious and unconscious bias. If you're not sure where to start, the Job Accommodation Network has compiled a list of just some of the many disability awareness programs available.

• Be aware of corporate language.

When you notice ableist language or inappropriate language, use it as an opportunity to educate. Be aware of language choices during conversation and in external and internal documents. This is an area where disability awareness training can be beneficial.

• Build an inclusive culture.

There are many ways to do this, but a few ways to start include using inclusive language, providing role models, bringing disability into existing Diversity and Inclusion programs (or starting one if necessary), and staring Employee Resource Groups.