Stop calling Able-bodied people "Normal"
Ableism -
Ableism refers to discrimination, devaluation, misconceptions, stereotypes, and prejudice—conscious or unconscious—of and against people with disabilities, the chronically ill, and people with chronic health conditions. As a culturally-based structure that often intersects with other oppressive “isms,” systems of privilege, and “-phobias” (such as racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, white privilege, cisgendered privilege, class/economic privilege, and transphobia) ableism assumes that able-bodied people are the “norm” in society, and as a result, culture, various institutions, attitudes and social mores are formed in accordance with the needs of able-bodied people
[ via disabled femenists.com ]
I've seen it far too many times even in disability positive images. "Im not a normal person, I'm not an average person, What normal people do, Normal activities" What ever type of disability you have we need to stop this internal ableism and stop contributing to the idea that anyone who is not Able bodied is abnormal (and therefore wrong). Just because your body looks or works or doesnt differently than an abled person doesn't mean your abnormal for it. It just means you have "X" condition. Think of all the people who have that condition, are you abnormal then? No. Especially with so many conditions numbering communities in the millions and hundreds of thousands, and even if it's rare your STILL not abnormal okay? If society saw that a substantial part of society consists of disabled people and normalized our existence our needs would be recognized and catered to just as much as theirs. There would be jobs for those with severe chronic illnesses, ASL would be taught alongside in English classes, Those with Intellectual disability would be included more often than secluded in schools, Buildings would have more ramps and elevators, and more diversity in clothing options for those with structural variations,paraplegia, arthritis and so on amongst many many other things. We need to stop saying "normal" because in that same positive swoop we are also furthering our own oppression. If we normalize our disabilities some of us wouldn't even be considered disabled, because disability is both medical and societal.
Ableism refers to discrimination, devaluation, misconceptions, stereotypes, and prejudice—conscious or unconscious—of and against people with disabilities, the chronically ill, and people with chronic health conditions. As a culturally-based structure that often intersects with other oppressive “isms,” systems of privilege, and “-phobias” (such as racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, white privilege, cisgendered privilege, class/economic privilege, and transphobia) ableism assumes that able-bodied people are the “norm” in society, and as a result, culture, various institutions, attitudes and social mores are formed in accordance with the needs of able-bodied people
[ via disabled femenists.com ]
I've seen it far too many times even in disability positive images. "Im not a normal person, I'm not an average person, What normal people do, Normal activities" What ever type of disability you have we need to stop this internal ableism and stop contributing to the idea that anyone who is not Able bodied is abnormal (and therefore wrong). Just because your body looks or works or doesnt differently than an abled person doesn't mean your abnormal for it. It just means you have "X" condition. Think of all the people who have that condition, are you abnormal then? No. Especially with so many conditions numbering communities in the millions and hundreds of thousands, and even if it's rare your STILL not abnormal okay? If society saw that a substantial part of society consists of disabled people and normalized our existence our needs would be recognized and catered to just as much as theirs. There would be jobs for those with severe chronic illnesses, ASL would be taught alongside in English classes, Those with Intellectual disability would be included more often than secluded in schools, Buildings would have more ramps and elevators, and more diversity in clothing options for those with structural variations,paraplegia, arthritis and so on amongst many many other things. We need to stop saying "normal" because in that same positive swoop we are also furthering our own oppression. If we normalize our disabilities some of us wouldn't even be considered disabled, because disability is both medical and societal.
We need to stop contributing to concept that Able-bodied = Normal.
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