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The impact of ableism on people living with disabilities

Ableism, the assumption that disabled people have less value in society, leads to bias, prejudice and discrimination, often preventing those with disabilities from reaching their full potential. Sometimes this bias is unconscious. An article in The Harvard Gazette says that current trends suggest it could take more than 200 years for unconscious disability bias to reach zero.

This trend may be due to a strong, unconscious preference toward people without disabilities that can emerge through a variety of microaggressive behaviors, such as:

  • Arguing with a disabled person about their lived experience because it does not align with your own
  • Using language that mocks people with disabilities, such as “You’re such a retard,” “The weather is really bipolar,” or saying something “fell on deaf ears”
  • Asking invasive questions about a person’s disability or how it affects their personal life

Check your unconscious bias

To provide culturally responsive care to patients with disabilities, you can check your own views on disability and possible unconscious bias by considering:

  • Do you think “disabled” is a negative word? If so, which words should be used instead?
  • When you think of a disabled person, do you have sympathy or feel pity toward them?
  • Have you described a disabled person as brave, courageous or inspirational and, if so, why?

You may hold an unconscious bias if these questions revealed some ideas, thoughts or perceptions you did not realize you had about people with disabilities.

There is no shame or blame in having unconscious bias. Our biases are formed by experience, culture and our perceptions – all aspects of life that contribute to our worldview and the people within it. Checking our biases takes work and a strong effort to realize our assumptions and challenge them.

July is Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month is observed in July to commemorate the Americans with Disabilities Act. In honor of this celebration, here are three things you can do to explore your thoughts on disability:

  • Meet and engage with disabled people. Get to know people with disabilities, as these meaningful relationships can help build new, more positive associations.
  • Educate yourself. Participate in trainings, educational programs and community events aimed at raising awareness of disability-related issues.
  • Hold yourself accountable. If you have bias against people with disabilities, own it. Reflect on how this bias may have influenced your perceptions, judgment, behavior and actions.

For more ways to check your unconscious bias and challenge any assumptions you may have, read through these suggestions from the American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights, and consider taking the Disability Implicit Association Test from Project Implicit.

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