Ableism and Society - By: Gianna M. Rodriguez-Cerda
- MHSHS Newspaper
- Jan 19
- 3 min read
Have you ever seen a staircase with no wheelchair ramp, or an important political speech without an ASL interpreter present? You probably have—maybe without even thinking twice about it. Same with casual jokes and comments that use disability as an insult, whether it’s from friends, family, or online. For most people, these moments go unnoticed: a missing accommodation, an offhand remark. But for virtually 16% of the population, it’s a continuous reminder of disrespect and exclusion from society. These instances aren’t just forgetfulness, playfulness, or even accidental cruelty—it’s ableism, and it’s all around us. But what even is ableism, and how does our society play a part in it?
Ableism is the discrimination against people with disabilities (physical, mental, or psychiatric). This can appear in many different ways within our society, which includes, but is not limited to: holding the belief that disabled people must be “fixed,” pitying those with disabilities, failing to accommodate the needs of disabled people, and believing that being disabled is a flaw to one’s character.
The United States, in particular, has a long history of ableism. From forced sterilization to not even being allowed to go out in public due to being “unsightly.” Many of these practices were pushed due to eugenics—the pseudoscientific belief that the human race could be improved by breeding people with “superior” genetic traits while eliminating those with “inferior” genetic traits. In fact, eugenic practices were quite popular in America during the 20th century until their ethicality was called into question once the horrors of the Holocaust and Nazi human experimentation were discovered.
Although—due to the hard work of disability rights activists— numerous ableist practices have been outlawed in the United States, there's still lingering eugenic and ableist sentiment within the nation. Take, for example, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current Secretary of Health and Human Services for the U.S.A.. Earlier this year, he gave a speech to the nation about how autism was in fact an “epidemic” that could be prevented and “cured.” In reality, nothing RFK Jr. stated was backed up by any real scientific evidence, but instead steeped in the idea that: 1) there is something fundamentally missing with autistic people, 2) autism is a disease instead of being a neurological and developmental disability, and 3) autism is something that can and should be “cured.” Autistic rights groups are now left to fight back against this discrimination while the nation ignores them.
Ableism within society is so much deeper than people are willing to realize—especially when they’re an active participant. Using disabilities, outdated medical terms, and modern support labels as insults all fall under ableism. Asking if someone is r-slur, or “SPED”, or calling someone a “sch**o,” may seem like harmless “jokes” to the non-disabled. However, words carry real-world consequences that reinforce stereotypes and alienate disabled people from the rest of society.
If we as a society want to start making a change, we should start by acknowledging how inaccessible life is for those with disabilities and give them a seat at the table when it comes to discussing what they personally need. Ableism thrives only due to a lack of care and knowledge. Recognizing it—especially within ourselves—is one of the many steps we need to take if we want to create a society where disabled people don't need to be “fixed,” but instead are just allowed to live.