What is ableism?
"The practices and dominant attitudes in society that devalue and limit the potential of persons with disabilities" - 'What is Ableism?' . Ableism operates at all levels in society e.g. structural, systemic, institutional, and interpersonal. It's based on assumptions about whose lives are worth living and whose body-minds need to be controlled, protected, or improved.
Harms of ableism
Ableism is a system of thinking and doing that harms disabled people. It results in devaluing disabled and Neurodivergent people in favour of abled people. It results in disability discrimination. It causes oppression of the marginalised group, just as other types of discrimination such as racism, sexism, transphobia. It places productivity and achievement as the ultimate marker of a successful human being. Disabled people absorb messages that they must improve their competence and capability. IQ tests for example continue to feed discriminatory attitudes and practices that limit disabled / Neurodivergent students' opportunities to access the same learning opportunities as their non-disabled peers.
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Why isn't Ableism talked about?
The dynamics of privilege and power are the reasons why ableism is the lesser known of all the 'isms'. Those in education who have the power to write the policies, design the buildings, design the school rules tend to be the privileged, non disabled professionals and they don't tend to see how their system policies and rules don't work for the disabled students.
Privilege is defined as a special right, advantage, or immunity granted to a particular person or group. Typically, those with privilege take their own advantages for granted and don't see how those without the same privilege are impacted by the actions by the privileged group.
Choosing our own comfort over hard conversations is the epitome of privilege, and it corrodes trust and moves us away from meaningful and lasting change.” ― Brené Brown, Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations.
Talking about Ableism requires a willingness to have tough conversations and get uncomfortable. People avoid such topics as it often requires self-reflection and recognising their own privilege. But, we are living and breathing ableism everyday. Interpersonal ableism shows up in the 'well meaning' things that people say to and about disabled and Neurodivergent people e.g., "You've done so well!", "I don't see his autism - I just see him". Statements like these reveal the person's implicit bias.
30 Examples of Ableism in education:
Students are grouped according to ability e.g. Top, Middle, Low group
Academic achievements are more celebrated than strengths in other areas e.g. strengths in dancing, writing poems, drawing, making figurines out of modelling clay, playing the keyboard, completing 1000 piece puzzle jigsaws, singing, making jewellery,
School rules and behaviour policies cannot be adjusted to accommodate individual needs
A refusal to make an adjustment for one student because of how it might affect the majority non-disabled students.
The individual must continuously seek ‘reasonable’ adjustments because the environment design defaults to designing for the abled students.
A focus on the disabled student’s resilience and ability to ‘cope’ as justification for not providing additional support or adjustments or removal of supports.
Inflexible options for uniforms
Class Dojo points reward a certain type of proficiency and achievement.
Disabled toilets are locked and accessible only via a nominated key-holder.
Language being used is NOT in-line with what the disability community prefers e.g. Child has autism, child with autism, special needs, challenging behaviour, impairments, high / low functioning, mild / severe autism
Social Skills Training used to enforce neurotypical social skills on neurodivergent students.
Class rules enforce one way of sitting, moving, and working e.g., students are not able to get up from their seat when they need to, fidgeting is discouraged.
Classroom design does not consider the sensory needs of all learners. Those with sensory needs must tolerate unpleasant or distressing stimuli e.g., fluorescent lighting, room temperature, smells, bold colours, cluttered wall displays.
Use of non-trauma informed behavioural methods – ‘Quiet’ rooms, seclusion, rewards for ‘good’ behaviour, planned ignoring, leaving a distressed individual alone to calm down by themselves, use of aggressive postures, any form of restraint, locking children in rooms, punishment, taking away comfort / regulation activities / items
Sensory strategies are not available at all times - fidget toys are locked in cupboards and only brought out at certain times of the day
Tone-policing of the neurodivergent student e.g., demands to be polite rather than honouring self-advocacy, mis-interpreting direct communicators as rude.
Heightened sensory distress is treated with desensitisation therapy - making the individual sit in a noisy classroom so they will get used to the noise, discouraging noise-cancelling headphones, forcing a student to try a new and unfamiliar food.
IEP goals target neuronormative communication e.g. to use appropriate facial expressions and gestures to terminate conversations by using appropriate behaviour, to maintain eye-contact, to provide compliments to others
A focus on productivity and completing work rather than wellbeing
Neurodiversity and disability is not explicitly taught.
Resources, topics and books do not include a broad diversity of cultures and disability.
Alternative methods of recording information are not provided - A focus on handwriting rather than providing a laptop or a scribe
Teamwork is considered more valuable than individual solo activity - Placing value on being a good team member, turn-taking
Using strategies which deliberately cause the child frustration e.g. withholding their favourite snack until they perform a behaviour or make a verbal request
Lack of environmental supports for physically disabled people e.g. stairs but no lift, no disabled parking spaces
Negative attitudes about the use of Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)
Fading supports to achieve independence
Students with communication disabilities must request basic needs (toilet, help, food) verbally, creating barriers to accessing necessaries.
Situational Mutism (Selective Mutism) is viewed as the student choosing not to speak
Trying to make a student become tolerant to change by purposely making a sudden change to their schedule, and being rewarded in surviving that distress
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