Disability

Ableism

Definition

Ableism - Discriminatory belief, behaviors and institutional practices directed against people with disabilities. Continues the segregation of people with disabilities by restricting their mobility or access to mainstream culture and institutions.

The following information on ableism was provided by Andrea Neumann-Mascis

Why does this topic matter?

Oppression and inequality has a negative impact on EVERYONE
If it is okay to demean one group of people because they make us nervous, than all of us can be diminished by anyone.
Diversity is good, differences in ability teach us about ourselves. It teaches us how we value ourselves and each other. It teaches us to approach difference and issues of access and privilege on every level. It challenges us to look at our uniqueness.
OPPRESSION confines everyone and prevents everyone from being able to fully be who they are!

Scenarios of external ableism and the internal impact thereby facilitating internalized ableism:

An able bodied person talks about the expense of access - the person with a disability hears "Your presence here is not worth it, not important, not valuable, you don't belong here anyway."
An able bodied person stops to tell a person with a disability what an inspiration, special, courageous person they are - the person with a disability feels belittled, infanatlized, objectified, less entitled to the same boundaries or dignity afforded to able bodied people
An able bodied person gets anxious and short sighted around a simple reasonable accommodation - the person with a disability experience "I am already a problem, they regret hiring me, I better be perfect to make up for all the trouble they have gone through"
An able bodied person talks to a person with a disability like they are five years old - the person with a disability feels five.
An able bodied person is self-congratulatory about an inadequate or inappropriate accommodation - person with disability feels "needy" or demanding or like they are asking too much.

Medical Model vs. Social Justice Model

The Medical Model locates the problems of disability in the bodies of the “afflicted” person by defining disability as a pathological medical condition, it inevitably individualized the cause of socioeconomic disadvantage: Impaired individuals cannot function appropriately within society. Research based on this model, defines disability as an impairment in “major activities” of daily living endeavors ordinarily expected of a particular age group.

The most common form of limitation of “major activity” is work activity – a partial or total inability to perform a paid job. This definition accounts for 19 million working aged adults.

The problem is medical definitions implicitly assume that the problems associated with disability lies entirely in the medical pathology of the individual.

Medical definitions of disability fail to consider the impact of external, societally-created factors in limiting disabled peoples ability to perform “major activities” ordinarily expected for their age group.

The Social Justice Model examines the architectural socioeconomic, socioeconomic, sociocultural and policy environments within which disabled people must operate and which shape their experience of disability. This presents a markedly different explanation of the disadvantages suffered by many people with disabilities. The evidence offers a comprehensive picture of artificially created marginalization and deprivation.

Examples:

Architectural – Person with a disability approaches a flight of stairs
Medical Model: Person needs to develop motor skills and coordination to go up stairs
Social Justice Model: There needs to be a ramp so EVERYONE has access to the space

Socioeconomic – Person with a disability needs income
Medical Model: Person is unemployable and needs rehabilitation
Social Justice Model: Assess accommodations needed to make employment possible

Sociocultural – Opening ceremonies at MWMF expresses womyn’s power with the invitation “Amazon Womyn Rise”
Medical Model: People with disabilities need to stand up in order to be empowered
Social Justice Model: Celebration should be inclusive of EVERYONE

Policy – People with disabilities can only access workshop areas and acoustic stage at MWMF by requesting a DART shuttle one day in advance
Medical Model: People with disabilities should develop greater strength to manage distance
Social Justice Model: All areas of festival should be accessible by paved path

Statistics

Something to Think About

2.9% of Americans live in homes with any kind of accessible features while 29.2% of families include at least one member with a disability.

1 out of 4 Americans with disabilities cites one or more basic access issues as prohibiting travel - Hotels are largely inaccessible: The majority of hotels do not have wheelchair accessible rooms or bathrooms. They do not provide devices to alert Deaf people of fire alarms, ringing phones or a knock at the door. They do not provide raised print maps of locations within the hotel for visually impaired people.

A 1993 study done by the US Government accounting office found that many of the spaces designated for disabled parking were too narrow or on a slant. Many public parking lots have fewer spaces than required by the ADA. - Over 38% of the lots surveyed had fewer spaces than required by the ADA - 57% of spaces and aisles were too narrow - 88% lacked the required number of van accessible spaces.

70% of job accommodations cost under $500 and 1/5 of all job accommodations incur NO additional expense.

1/10 of disabled adults would be able to work with adaptive equipment but only 1.3% of those adults have the equipment they need.

Federal policy supports institutionalization over integration.

The ADA requires public transit to include lifts only when purchasing new equipment. Few cars on the light-rail, rapid transit, intercity and commuter rail systems can accommodate wheelchair users. Since access is only required for NEW stations the existing key stations are largely inaccessible.

In New York 28 out of 104 key stations meet legal access requirements while the rest of the 490 stations remain unusable.

In a 1994 survey 1 out of 4 people listed lack of affordable accessible transportation as a primary reason for not having employment.

Theatres, lecture halls, movie theatres and other public venues, when they provide accessible seating segregate wheelchair users from family friends and colleagues.

Longmore, P.(2003) Why I Burned My Book and Other Essays on Disability. Temple Press

Disability Resources

Disability Publications

Books

No Pity by Joseph Shapiro

Exile and Pride by Eli Clare

Why I Burned My Book and Other Essays on Disability - Paul Longmore

Riding the Bus with My Sister - Rachel Simon

Magazines

New Mobility

Sports and Spokes

Survey Results

As part of my undergraduate internship, I created a survey that measured MSU's perceptions of people with disabilities. I aimed to see how strongly the general population agreed with the myths that exist about people with disabilities.

Survey Information

This survey was developed to gather information about the perceptions of people with disabilities held by the MSU community. People with disabilities face many barriers on a daily basis. Two of the largest barriers are lack of education and stereotypes. This survey assisted in assessing the general public’s beliefs surrounding the main stereotypes people with disabilities face. The results of the survey may be used to guide educational initiatives designed to educate the MSU community and break down disability-related stereotypes.

This survey addresses the following stereotypes:

People with disabilities have a hard life
People with disabilities receive special treatment
People with disabilities cannot make good parents
People with disabilities have a high suicide rate
People with disabilities prefer to date other people with disabilities
People with disabilities are needy individuals
People with disabilities should not be integrated into public schools and instead should attend special education or an educational institution specific to their disability
People with disabilities are asexual beings
People with disabilities are not employable
People with disabilities are capable of overcoming their disability
People with disabilities should be protected from failing
People with disabilities cannot drive or should not drive
People with disabilities are inspirational
People with disabilities are lazy
People with disabilities should not make their own decisions
People with disabilities act like children
People with disabilities are a financial burden
People with disabilities should live in nursing homes
People with disabilities need to be cured

Believing these stereotypes can have major implications on people with disabilities such as:

Feelings of isolation
Unemployment
Discrimination
Dependence
Pity
Limited opportunities

It is important for the MSU community to understand the shared experience of people with disabilities. By doing so, equality for people with disabilities at MSU will be advanced and an equal education will be ensured. To accomplish this, educational programs need to attend to the following issues:

The reality of life for people with disabilities surrounding these stereotypes
What are reasonable accommodations and when should they be provided
How to relate to and interact with people with disabilities
The importance of not pitying people with disabilities
How to be an ally to the disability community
Ableism – What is it and how to work with able-bodied privilege
How the MSU community can be more accepting of the disability community

It is important to include people with disabilities when planning and implementing these educational initiatives. People with disabilities have a voice that needs to be heard and theirs are the most potent voices regarding the reality of the barriers they face.

By taking the information from this survey and using it to develop educational tools, MSU is taking the first step in creating an equal and opening environment for people with disabilities.

General Findings

Key: PD – Psychiatric Disability, MD – Mobility Disability, DD – Developmental Disability, LD – Learning Disability, VD – Visual Disability, HD – Hearing Disability

Myth: People with disabilities have a hard life.

Survey Data: 41-74% of respondents agreed with this myth - 74% PD, 59% MD, 54% DD, 46% LD, 43% VD, and 41% HD

Fact: Many people with disabilities feel they do not have a hard time. With the use of reasonable accommodations, people with disabilities lives are much like the lives of temporary able-bodied people. In a study, 63% of people with disabilities feel life has improved for the disability community over the past decade and 41% envision their quality of life improving in the next 4 years.

Myth: People with disabilities receive special treatment.

Survey Data: 26-41% of respondents agree with this myth - 41% DD, 33% VD, 31% MD and LD, 29% PD, 26% HD

Fact: Special treatment can mean one of two things 1) acts of pity or degrading acts such as receiving free candy, extra polite service, etc. or 2) what is considered reasonable accommodations by law such as extended time for tests and accessible parking. People with disabilities do not want the first type of treatment and the second type of treatment is their right, not an added bonus.

Myth: People with disabilities cannot make good parents.

Survey Data: 1-12% of respondents agreed with this myth - 12% PD, 8% DD, 1% LD and VD

Fact: People with disabilities can in fact make good parents regardless of their disability. Parenting skills are independent of ability status. More than 8 million families include at least one parent that has a disability.

Myth: People with disabilities have a high suicide rate.

Survey Data: 5-59% of respondents agree with this myth – 59% PD, 17% DD, 16% MD, 13% LD, 11% HD, 5%VD

Fact: Although having a disability may be emotional at times (mostly due to ableism and discrimination by society), the suicide rate has not been proven to be any higher among people with disabilities than the temporary able-bodied population.

Myth: People with disabilities prefer to date other people with disabilities.

Survey Data: 1-5% of respondents agreed with this myth - 5% DD, 3% HD, 1% PD and LD

Fact: Most people with disabilities look for the same qualities in a partner that temporary able-bodied people do.

Myth: People with disabilities are needy individuals.

Survey Data: 3-14% of respondents agreed with this myth – 14% DD and PD, 8% LD, 4% HD and VD, 3% MD

Fact: While some people with disabilities require some assistance in daily activities, many individuals with disabilities can be very independent.

Myth: People with disabilities should not be integrated into public schools and instead should attend a special education school, or an educational setting specific to their disability.

Survey Data: 1-8% of respondents agreed with this myth – 8% PD, 5% DD, 4% VD, 3% HD, 2% LD, 1% MD

Fact: Many people with disabilities prefer to go to a public school instead of special education. Attending a disability specific school can be related to “separate but equal.” Also, it continues to keep people with disabilities out of the mainstream and hidden away as though they don’t exist.

Myth: People with disabilities rarely have sex (seen as asexual beings).

Survey Data: 1-2% of respondents agreed with this myth – 2% DD, 1% PD and MD

Also, 7-21% neither agreed nor disagreed with this myth – 21% DD and MD, 16% PD, 10% LD, 9% VD, 7% HD

Fact: Although some individuals with disabilities may find sex difficult due to physical limitations, this does not mean they do not have sex. Many people with disabilities are sexually active and in fact have a healthy sex life.

Myth: People with disabilities are not employable.

Survey Data: 1-3% of respondents agreed with this myth – 3% PD, 2% DD, 1% VD

Also, 1-13% neither agreed nor disagreed with this myth – 13% PD, 7% DD, 4% VD, 2% HD and LD, 1% MD

Fact: People with disabilities are contributing members to society and are completely capable of holding a job and succeeding. Some may require reasonable accommodations to complete their job tasks, however, they should be held to the same standards as people who are temporarily able. 57% of 18-29 year-olds with disabilities who are able to work are working.

Myth: People with disabilities can overcome their disabilities if they try hard enough.

Survey Data: 19-32% of respondents agreed with this myth – 32% LD, 30% VD, 29% PD, 27% MD, 19% DD and HD

Fact: Overcome can be taken two ways 1) living successfully with their disability or 2) make their disability “smaller” or completely go away. No matter how hard people with disabilities try, they cannot make it go away with will power. Many people feel psychiatric disabilities especially are “all in your head” and that you make yourself have it. This is not the case. Also, living successfully with a disability is not “overcoming it” but in fact, is just living with the disability just as anyone who is temporarily able lives.

Myth: People with disabilities should be protected from failing.

Survey Data: 7-11% of respondents agreed with this myth – 11% MD, LD and DD, 8% VD, 7% PD and HD

Fact: People feel that because people with disabilities have a hard time and often cannot do many things, that protecting them from failing is doing them a favor. In fact, it is not protecting them but rather keeping them from reality. It is contributing to a “make-believe” world. Most people with disabilities would rather know the truth and “fail”, even if it has to do with their disability, rather than live a lie and believe they did not “fail.”

Myth: People with disabilities cannot drive or should not drive even if they have the ability to drive because their disability will hinder their driving.

Survey Data: 4-68% of respondents agreed with this myth – 68% VD, 14% DD, 13% HD, 8% PD, 4% LD and MD

Fact: Many people with disabilities are very safe drivers and many even have a cleaner driving record than people who are temporarily able-bodied. There are several forms of adaptive equipment that make it possible for people with disabilities to drive and this is an important form of independence.

Myth: People with disabilities are inspirational for living life successfully with a disability.

Survey Data: 46-65% of respondents agreed with this myth – 65% VD, 64% MD, 60% HD and DD, 55% LD, 46% PD

Fact: People who live life with a disability are not inspirational. They are just living life just as everyone else does. By saying they are an inspiration, it is putting their disability first before they are seen as a person. For example, a temporarily able-bodied golfer is not seen as an inspiration, but someone with a disability who plays golf is. The person with a disability should be seen as a golfer, not someone with a disability who happens to play golf. Most people with disabilities do not like being called an inspiration.

Myth: People with disabilities are lazy. They figure because they need help, they will just have people do everything for them or that they just sit home all the time, milking up disability benefits.

Survey Data: While nobody completely agreed with this myth, 2-9% of respondents felt neutral about this myth – 9% PD, 5% DD, 3% HD, MD and LD, 2% VD

Fact: Most people with disabilities do not like the fact that they need help and therefore, will do everything they can independently. A lot of people with disabilities are not lazy and are just as active in the community as temporarily able-bodied people.

Myth: People with disabilities should not be allowed to make their own decisions.

Survey Data: 1-5% of respondents agreed with this myth – 5% DD, 4% PD, 2% HD, 1% VD and LD

Fact: People with disabilities are very intellectual even though stereotypes may portray them as not having the mental capacity to make their own decisions. No matter what the disability, people with disabilities should be in charge of their own lives and therefore make their own decisions. Only when it is medically proven that they are incapable of making their own

decisions, should they have a designated person to make decisions for them. This person needs to make sure they include the person with the disability in making decisions that affect that person.

Myth: People with disabilities act like children or have the mental capacity of a child.

Survey Data: 2-6% of respondents agreed with this myth – 6% DD, 4% PD, 2% LD

Also, 2-25% neither agreed nor disagreed with this myth – 25% DD, 21% PD, 7% LD, 5% MD and HD, 2% VD

Fact: It is stereotypes that contribute to the belief that people with disabilities act like children. Although it may appear that the person with the disability does not have the mental capacity of an adult, more than often, they do.

Myth: People with disabilities are a financial burden either on the family or the society.

Survey Data: 1-3% of respondents agreed with this myth – 3% MD, 2% VD, PD and DD, 1% HD and LD

Fact: While living with a disability is more expensive due to adaptive equipment and medical supplies often needed, the responsibility of payment for those items often falls on the individual with the disability or is covered by insurance companies.

Myth: People with disabilities should live in nursing homes. Rather than live at home, it is better for a person with a disability to live in a nursing home so they are assured the care they need.

Survey Data: While nobody completely agreed with this myth, 1-15% of respondents felt neutral about this myth – 15 % PD, 12% DD, 6% LD, 4% MD, 2% HD, 1% VD

Fact: Many people with disabilities prefer to live at home and have a home health aid come into their home to assist with daily living activities. In many cases, this has been proven to be cheaper as well as increase empowerment and satisfaction of living among people with disabilities. Currently, thousands of people with disabilities are being held in nursing homes against their will. When in fact, it is more expensive to live in a nursing home than to receive home health care. The average expenses for a nursing home is $30,000 where living in the community averages $9,600.

Myth: People with disabilities need to be cured.

Survey Data: 40-55% of respondents agreed with this myth – 55% PD, 49% LD and HD, 47% VD and DD, 40% MD

Fact: While some disabilities are terminal and people with those disabilities would prefer a cure, many people with non-terminal disabilities are very comfortable with their disability and do not want a cure. It is an individual opinion and two people with the same disability may have different views on a cure. However, implying there needs to be a cure, states that they person with the disability is not okay how they are and that being able-bodied is the “correct” way to live.

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