Anti-Ableism educational resources
Ableism reflects systemic biases that marginalize individuals with impairments, diverse abilities, and neurodiversity by treating non-disabled perspectives as the norm. Education is an integral part of our strategy to address these systemic barriers and to promote equity and inclusion across our community.
Definitions and foundational concepts
This section offers learning opportunities at multiple levels and in various formats, for those looking to build a foundational understanding and for those interested in exploring the topics in greater depth.
What is Disability?
The UN definition states: “Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.”
Two common approaches to disability language are known as person first and identity first:
- Person First: ‘Person with a disability’ literally puts the person before the disability, emphasizing that society must see the person first and their disability second.
- Identity First: ‘Disabled person’ emphasizes a disabled identity. This language articulates that the person does not have a disability but rather is disabled by an inaccessible and exclusionary society.
Neither approach is best. Individuals will have their preference depending on their views and experiences of disability. Whichever language we use, it is important to understand the implications and meaning. Critically, people should not need to provide medical proof of disability or publicly claim a disabled identity in order to access support.
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Learn about Critical Disability Studies (PDF)
Models of Disability
Medical Model: The medical model equates impairment and disability, asserting that it is someone’s mind or body that excludes them from society or jeopardizes their health. It believes the solution to disability is to treat, cure, or restore cognitive, emotional or physical function to a supposed ‘normal’ state.
Professional Model: Closely related to the medical model, the professional model considers medical, rehabilitative, and health professionals as the experts, knowledge keepers, and decisional authorities regarding disability and related concerns. This decentralizes, ignores, and invalidates lived experience of disabled people themselves who are often expected to relinquish their autonomy and be passive recipients of care.
Social Model: The essence of the social model, originally put forward by Micheal Oliver in 1983, lies in its distinction of disability from impairment. Whereas impairment is the non-normative function of the body or mind, it is societal exclusion of this functionality which disables people. Barriers enforce this exclusion through societal attitudes, physical environments, policy, and structural inequities.
Charity Model: The charity model frames disabled people as survivors of tragedy and unfortunate circumstance. Social responsibility is then reduced to charitable donations which do not engage with structural inequities. It encourages societal attitudes of pity rather than striving for equal recognition and equal opportunity.
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Common Misunderstandings
Disability as Deficit: Disability is often perceived as a deficit, deviance, or brokenness rather than nuanced functioning aligning with the body or mind’s natural diversity.
Physical Disability and Cognitive Disability: Physical disability is often misunderstood as a signifier of neurodiversity.
Disability as Illness: Disability is often regarded as illness or injury rather than valid nuanced function.
Disabled People as Passive/Patients: Disabled people are often seen as passive recipients of care in both medical and daily living contexts.
Disability as Binary: Disability is often considered a binary; one is thought to be disabled or nondisabled. Functionality is a diverse range; disability is a continuum.
Disbelief: Neurodiversity and chronic health conditions are often questioned or denied. After self-identifying, comments such as “You don’t seem disabled” or “You don’t seem autistic” are common. Masking or passing – deliberately hiding or minimizing symptoms – can amplify this misunderstanding. Episodic and contextual manifestation of symptoms also call disability, neurodiversity, and chronic health conditions into question.
Disability and Sexuality: Disabled people are often considered to be asexual or hypersexual.
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Learn more about common misunderstandings of disability
What is Ableism?
Ableism is the social, attitudinal, environmental, and structural exclusion of neurodiverse or disabled people.
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What is Normalcy?
Normalcy is a collection of standardized values, appearance, and behavior that devalues and excludes those who do not reproduce what is currently accepted.
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