Tag: Ableism

About Limits

Posted on by Jen

Note: Originally posted on https://jenrohrigdesign.com/

When it comes to disabilities there are two kinds of limits:

The ones that actually exist in our bodies. And external ones that others place on us.

Because of ableism others will insist that there are things we can never do. Proving them wrong is always the goal.

Because that’s how we survive.

At the same time we need to figure out the real limits that exist and respect those. Because pushing too hard against the real limits can cause more harm than good.

It’s up to us to figure out and manage both of them. Because of ableism, it’s easy to get the two mixed up.

That’s the challenge.

I posted the above on my Instagram a while ago and I want to expand on it a bit. There’s so many examples of this out there.

There’s more than one person with Down Syndrome who has run a marathon for the first time. That’s an example of the first. People assumed that a person with Down Syndrome couldn’t possibly run a marathon, obviously some can. Just like anyone else, and it’s not really a surprise. But the problem is some of the language around it includes wording like “overcoming disability” or “despite their disability” which only adds to the problem. It’s not overcoming a disability, it’s overcoming ableist assumptions about that disability. It’s also important to remember that not everyone can run a marathon no matter who they are. Saying “if they can do it anyone can” is dangerous. It also downplays the person’s accomplishments because running a marathon is hard. They worked hard for it and they deserve to be praised for that hard work.

Knowing your own personal limits is important for your health and safety. It’s true that some people, disabled or not, will always push themselves and take risks. That’s fine for them if they know the risks but at the same time they should be asking themselves if it’s worth it. There are some things that just don’t seem worth it, like doing permanent damage yourself. And in this case I’m speaking of all kinds of people in all kinds of situations. I get that for some people playing sports is a way out of the situation they’re in but it still seems like in some cases the outcome wasn’t worth it.

I’m hard of hearing and people assume that because I wear a hearing aid my hearing is normal. What they don’t realize is that being hard of hearing means I don’t have the ability to filter out background noise like other people do. Everything is amplified with the hearing aids so in order to not be bothered by things like air conditioners running I have to turn my hearing aids down. It also means my ability to hear someone depends on where they’re standing and how close. I’m not going to hear someone behind me or facing away from me. These are real limits that actually exist for me. Ignoring those limits means I don’t hear things. If I don’t make someone turn around and face me and/or repeat things I miss out. I have to remind people that I am in fact hard of hearing.

Some might say that I should just keep my hearing aid up all the time so that I can hear everything and not make other people responsible. Well I’ve tried that and you know what happens? I get a headache and I still don’t hear everything anyone says because I’m mostly just hearing the background noise because it’s so loud. I have no choice but to advocate for myself and tell people what I need.

Dealing with both types of limits is hard – learning which ones are the fake ones placed on us and learning which ones are real will always be complicated. Sometimes the ones placed on us by others are also real ones – and sometimes what we thought were real ones turn out to be ones we were told by others years ago and didn’t realize it. Sometimes the limits are only limits until we are given the tools to figure out alternate means of doing things and everyone around us accepts those modifications. We don’t need to be like everyone else to accomplish things, we need to be allowed to accomplish things in our own way.

The Language of Disability

Posted on by Jen

Note: Originally posted on https://jenrohrigdesign.com/

Person First or Identity First Language

A while ago I took some courses in accessible design related to the Americans with Disabilities Act. One thing I noticed is the emphasis on person first language. Person first language is well intended and is still preferred by many people with disabilities – most often people with intellectual disabilities. But there is also a growing number of disabled people who prefer identity first language – most often autistic or deaf people. There’s a lot of debate over which is preferred and why people prefer one over the other.

I’m aware a lot of teaching manuals for accessibility and disability still push person first language. I’m also aware that it can be hard to adjust when you’ve been told by those in authority which to use. In the end what really matters is the preference of the individual. One of the issues that comes up with person first language is the tendency of non-disabled people to insist that it must always be used while ignoring the voices of disabled people who say otherwise. Disabled people or people with disabilities have the right to make their own choices. That’s the point that seems to be overlooked in the instructions.

The blog post “Identity First Language” by Lydia Brown goes into further discussion about identity first language vs person first language. There are also several links at the bottom of the post three different preferences including using both interchangeably which I’ve been trying to do with this post. Note that many of the links now link to the web archive as the original blogs have been deleted.

A Brief Mention of Disability Euphemisms

My opinions on the use of euphemism in place of disability could be a whole other post. The short version is I believe euphemism are another well intended thing that ends up feeling condescending more often than not when non-disabled people use them. Others may disagree but that’s how I feel. Again it’s important to listen to others about how they want to be referred to. If another disabled person prefers a euphemism use it. I’m aware some of them were in fact created by people with disabilities which is why I’m not completely against them. It’s the way they’re used, not that they exist that’s the problem.

What Does Ableism Mean Anyway?

Something I’ve also noticed over the years is the lack of awareness about ableism and what it means. I can mostly understand the average person not knowing about it, but it bothers me that anyone who works in disability or accessibility related fields doesn’t know what it means. There are different ways to explain what ableism means:

From Access Living’s “Ableism 101” article:

Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require ‘fixing’ and defines people by their disability. Like racism and sexism, ableism classifies entire groups of people as ‘less than,’ and includes harmful stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalizations of people with disabilities.

I also like Talila A. Lewis’ or TL’s “Working definition of Ableism“:

able·ism /ˈābəˌlizəm/ noun A system of assigning value to people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, desirability, intelligence, excellence, and fitness. These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in eugenics, anti-Blackness, misogyny, colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism. This systemic oppression that leads to people and society determining people’s value based on their culture, age, language, appearance, religion, birth or living place, “health/wellness”, and/or their ability to satisfactorily re/produce, “excel” and “behave.” You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism.

TL’s poist “Longmore Lecture: Context, Clarity & Grounding” provides more detail about TL’s working definition and the connection to racism.

Final Thoughts

The language of disability can be tricky because different people will tell you different things and you will see conflicting messages. My hope is that people start taking the time to figure out where the message is coming from and respect individual choices. I also hope that people start learning more about ableism and how it impacts disabled people. Learning never really ends and there’s always changes.