"The Insider" - December 2023 - Flipbook - Page 9
RIGHTS COMMITTEE AWARENESS
Promoting Rights
Committee
ABLEISM CAN DENY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF THEIR RIGHTS.
WHAT IS ABLEISM?
Definition: “Ableism is the discrimination or prejudice against people who
have disabilities. Ableism can take the form of ideas and assumptions,
stereotypes, attitudes and practices, physical barriers in the environment, or
larger scale oppression. It is oftentimes unintentional and most people are
completely unaware of the impact of their words or actions.”
EXAMPLES OF ABLEISM:
- When we forget to let someone answer questions on their own.
- When we make decisions for people without their participation.
- When we just do it for or to someone instead of supporting them through
the process.
With each of these examples, we “intend” to be helpful, but actually, hijack
their right to participate in decisions and processes that affect their lives.
WORDS MATTER
November 2022
Our ideas, assumptions, and attitudes show up in our language,
intentionally or not. When derogatory terms are used toward anyone, this
may lead to feelings of worthlessness and leave a lasting impact on the
persons' quality of life.
Take some time to consider how you may have accidentally participated in
any of these things and what you might choose to do differently the next
time.