Ableism (; also known as ablism, disablism [in British English], anapirophobia, anapirism, and disability discrimination) is discrimination and social prejudice against disabled people. Ableism characterizes people as being defined by their disabilities and also classifies disabled people as being inferior to non-disabled people. On this basis, people are assigned or denied certain perceived abilities, skills, or personality traits. Ableism perpetuates false ideas about individuals and groups with disabilities.
There are stereotypes which are either associated with disability in general, or they are associated with specific impairments or chronic health conditions (e.g., the presumption that all disabled people want to be cured, the false belief that wheelchair users also have an intellectual disability, or the assumption that blind people have some special form of insight). These stereotypes, in turn, serve as a justification for discriminatory practices, and reinforce discriminatory attitudes and behaviors toward people who are disabled.Wüllenweber, Ernst; Theunissen, Georg; Mühl, Heinz (2006). Pädagogik bei geistigen Behinderungen: ein Handbuch für Studium und Praxis (Education for intellectual disabilities: A manual for study and practice) (in German). Kohlhammer Verlag. p. 149. . Retrieved January 17, 2012. Labeling affects people when it limits their options for action or changes their identity."Geistige Behinderung Normtheorien nach Speck und Goffman". Heilpaedagogik-info.de. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
In ableist societies, the lives of disabled people are considered less valuable or worth living, and sometimes even expendable. The eugenics movement of the early 20th century is considered an expression of widespread ableism.
Ableism can be further understood by reading literature which is written and published by those who experience disability and ableism first-hand. Disability studies is an academic discipline which is also beneficial when non-disabled people pursue it in order to gain a better understanding of ableism.
Discrimination on the basis of mental disorders or cognitive impairments is known as sanism.
Etymology Originating from (in disable, disabled) with influence of (ultimately from Latin ) and -ism (in racism, sexism); first recorded in 1981.
In nations
Canada The specific types of discrimination that have occurred or are still occurring in Canada include the inability to access important facilities such as infrastructure within the transport network, restrictive immigration policies, involuntary sterilization to stop people with disabilities from having offspring, barriers to employment opportunities, wages that are insufficient to maintain a minimal standard of living, and institutionalization of people with disabilities in substandard conditions.
Austerity measures implemented by the government of Canada have also at times been referred to as ableist, such as funding cuts that put people with disabilities at risk of living in abusive arrangements.
United Kingdom
In the UK, disability discrimination became unlawful as a result of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, and the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. These were later superseded, retaining the substantive law, by the Equality Act 2010. The Equality Act 2010 brought together protections against multiple areas of discriminatory behavior (disability, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age and pregnancy the so-called "protected characteristics").
Under the Equality Act 2010, there are prohibitions addressing several forms of discrimination including direct discrimination (s.13), indirect discrimination (s.6, s.19), harassment (s.26), victimisation (s.27), discrimination arising from disability (s.15), and failure to make reasonable adjustments (s.20).
Part 2, chapter 1, section 6, of the Equality Act 2010 states that "A person (P) has a disability if (a) P has a physical or mental impairment, and (b) the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on P's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities."
United States Much like many minority groups, disabled Americans were often segregated and denied certain rights for a majority of American history. In the 1800s, a shift from a religious view to a more scientific view took place. Public stigma began to change after World War II when many Americans returned home with disabilities. In the 1960s, following the civil rights movement in America, the world began the disabled rights movement. The movement was intended to give all individuals with disabilities equal rights and opportunities. Until the 1970s, ableism in the United States was often codified into law. For example, in many jurisdictions, so-called "ugly laws" barred people from appearing in public if they had diseases or disfigurements that were considered unsightly.
Japan Society and culture in Japan are influenced by the culture of conformity represented by the character Wa (和). Central to Wa is the integration of individuals into a harmonic system that treats societies not as a collection of individuals, but as a singular entity. Individuals are expected to conform to this concept for the benefit of society, even if it means sacrificing individuality. As a result, disability in Japan is seen as a break in conformity and therefore faces challenges in terms of acceptance into Japan's homogenous culture. For example, children in Japanese elementary schools are subject to the concept of mimamori; the practice of watching over children protectively while granting them autonomy in their actions, specifically interactions with other children and their physical activities. This approach to education leaves children with disabilities subject to peers who are more socially adept than them, with no attempt made by teachers to interfere because of mimamori's stance on autonomy. Japanese educators emphasize protecting disabled children from social stigma, along with following the guardian's wishes for how to guide their child.
On July 26, 2016, 26-year-old former care-home worker Satoshi Uematsu drove to the Tsukui Yamayuri-en care facility in Sagamihara, Japan, and killed 19 residents and injured 25 others, all of whom possessed disabilities. Uematsu later drove to the Tsukui police station, where he was detained by law enforcement. Uematsu's motivations for the attack were later released to the public by police in a letter he had written to the speaker of the lower house of parliament, where Uematsu wished for the euthanization of disabled people if unable to contribute to society. Although not representative of Japan's attitude towards disabled people, Uematsu's stabbings are an example of how strong attitudes toward conformity in Japan are towards disabled people.
Despite these attitudes, Japan has taken legislative action in the past two decades delineating the definitions and protections for disabled people. In 2012, Japan ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities which laid the groundwork for an official definition of disability and equitable treatment in Japan. In 2013, Japan added two core principles of the UN convention into law, prohibition of discrimination (sabetsu kinshi) and reasonable accommodation (gōriteki hairyo). Japan's addition of reasonable accommodation was based on the U.S. model of reasonable accommodation, which furthered efforts for equity for disabled people by adapting environments and situations for individual needs. In April 2024, Japan's amendments for the Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities took effect, mandating that all government, public, and private companies must provide reasonable accommodation for those with disabilities.
International law In May 2012, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was ratified. The document establishes the inadmissibility of discrimination on the basis of disability, including in employment. In addition, the amendments create a legal basis for significantly expanding opportunities to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, including in the administrative procedure and in court. The law defined specific obligations that all owners of facilities and service providers must fulfill to create conditions for disabled people equal to the rest.Дискриминация инвалидов запрещена в России с 1 января — РИА Новости (Discrimination of disabled people is prohibited in Russia since January 1 - RIA News)
Workplace In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was put in place to prohibit private employers, state and local government, employment agencies and labor unions from discrimination against qualified disabled people in job applications, when hiring, firing, advancement in workplace, compensation, training, and on other terms, conditions and privileges of employment. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) plays a part in fighting against ableism by being responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
Similarly in the UK, the Equality Act 2010 was put in place and provides legislation that there should be no workplace discrimination. Under the act, all employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for their disabled employees to help them overcome any disadvantages resulting from the impairment. Failure to carry out reasonable adjustment amounts to disability discrimination.
Healthcare
Clinical settings These "disability-specific barriers" to seeking health care also expand into, "physical barriers (e.g., lack of accessible entrances and wayfinding assistance at treatment facilities), transportation barriers (e.g., shortage of accessible, reliable, and affordable transit options), and information barriers (e.g., inaccessible intake paperwork, after-visit summaries, and online patient portals)." Each of these circumstances represent ableism in the healthcare system that prevents people from getting the care they require.
In June 2020, near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a 46-year-old quadriplegic in Austin, Texas named Michael Hickson was denied treatment for COVID-19, sepsis, and a urinary tract infection and died 6 days after treatment was withheld. His physician was quoted as having said that he had a "preference to treat patients who can walk and talk." The physician also had stated his belief that Hickson's brain injury made him have not much of a quality of life. Several complaints have since been filed with the Texas Office of Civil Rights and many disability advocacy groups have become involved in the case.
Several states, including Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington allow healthcare providers, in times of crisis, to triage based on the perceived quality of life of the patients, which tends to be perceived as lower for those with disabilities. In Alabama, a ventilator-rationing scheme put in place during the pandemic enabled healthcare providers to exclude patients with disabilities from treatment; such patients were those who required assistance with various activities of daily living, had certain mental conditions (varying degrees of intellectual disability or moderate-to-severe dementia) or other preexisting conditions categorized as disabilities.