Ableism
Discrimination and social prejudice against disabled people.
Ableism, also known as ablism, disablism, anapirophobia, anapirism, and disability discrimination, is discrimination and social prejudice against disabled people. It characterizes people as being defined by their disabilities and classifies disabled people as inferior to non-disabled people, perpetuating false ideas about individuals and groups with disabilities.
Lore & Background
Ableism characterizes people as being defined by their disabilities and classifies disabled people as inferior to non-disabled people. Stereotypes associated with disability include 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 justify discriminatory practices and reinforce discriminatory attitudes and behaviors. 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. Discrimination on the basis of mental disorders or cognitive impairments is known as sanism.
Reader's Guide
Ableism has been codified into law in various nations. In the United States, until the 1970s, so-called 'ugly laws' barred people from appearing in public if they had diseases or disfigurements considered unsightly. In Canada, discrimination has included inability to access important facilities, restrictive immigration policies, involuntary sterilization, barriers to employment, insufficient wages, and institutionalization in substandard conditions. The United Kingdom made disability discrimination unlawful through the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005, later superseded by the Equality Act 2010, which prohibits direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and failure to make reasonable adjustments. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified in May 2012, establishes the inadmissibility of discrimination on the basis of disability, including in employment.
Did You Know?
- The eugenics movement of the early 20th century is considered an expression of widespread ableism.
- Discrimination on the basis of mental disorders or cognitive impairments is known as sanism.
- In Japan, the concept of 'Wa' (和) emphasizes conformity, and disability is seen as a break in that conformity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ableism?
Ableism refers to the systemic bias and social stigma directed at people with disabilities. It reduces individuals to their impairments and treats them as lesser than those without disabilities.
What are Ableism's other names?
The concept goes by several labels, including ablism, disablism, anapirophobia, anapirism, and disability discrimination. All of these terms point to the same underlying prejudice against disabled communities.
How does Ableism operate in society?
It functions by defining a person entirely through their disability rather than their full identity. This framing reinforces the false notion that disabled individuals are inherently inferior to their non-disabled peers.
Why does Ableism matter in the Crime and Deviance series?
It is catalogued as a form of social deviance because it perpetuates harmful stereotypes about an entire group of people. Understanding it helps readers recognize how prejudice operates as a structural force rather than just individual cruelty.
More in Crime And Deviance 1-24
Elsewhere in the Crime And Deviance universe
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