Disability and Ableism: What Are They?
Trigger Warning: Mental disability and anxiety
By Jade Fraser DWC Blog Contributor
Disclaimer: In this article, I chose to use the word “people” before “disability” because some people prefer “person with disability” rather than “disabled person” to show that they are a person before their disability. I generally don’t do this when writing or speaking because, being disabled, I am a person before my disability. That should be obvious, regardless of what language I use. Many people with disabilities use “disabled” before “person” for those reasons, and also for grammar issues. However, individuals may have their own preferences for how they wish to be referred to, and those should be respected. I chose to use “person” before “disability” here only because I want to avoid feedback and questions about my word choice.
In this article, I will dive deeper into the topics of disability and ableism. I understand that these topics can be sensitive and triggering to some folks. However, I think that these subjects need to be brought to more people’s attention because I don’t hear nearly enough said about them. I also hear a lot of incorrect information around these issues, so my goal is to advocate and educate.
I’ll start by explaining what the words disability and ableism mean, and then dive deeper into the complex realm of ability versus disability. I want to share my perspective as a person who spends their life trying to navigate their way through this seemingly endless maze. Additionally, I will discuss ableism and why it is damaging to society, as well as what people without disabilities can do to help break the cycle of misinformation, frustration, embarrassment, fear, and hurt. Finally, I will show how this information relates to the dance world.
You may be wondering, “what is a disability?” That’s a good question. Often, the word “disability” makes someone think of a person in a wheelchair or missing a limb. Others may think of anxiety disorders or developmental conditions. Chronic conditions like diabetes, POTS, or epilepsy might also come to mind. All of these thoughts and views are valid; however, it pays to seek perspectives from other people.
Humans define things differently depending on their distinct life experiences. For example, if you ask ten different people what the definition of education is, you’ll get ten different answers. “Education is when you go to school to learn things.” “Education is when you sit on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and binge-watch The Bachelor for the tenth time this week.” “Education is ‘Hell on Earth.’” I could go on and on.
I personally can see some amount of truth in any of those definitions. If you go to school, you are bound to learn something, whether it be how to solve algebraic equations or what the best (or worst) lunch option is. Binge-watching reality television could make you realize that you like plain butter better than butter and salt on your popcorn. Maybe you’re dreading your next educational opportunity. You could look at any of these explanations and find them valid, in a way. However, you can always gain new insight from listening to the perspectives that differ from your own. (This nugget of wisdom is adapted from the ingeniously hysterical book by Hilary Smith, Welcome to the Jungle: Facing Bipolar Without Freaking Out.)
It’s the same with disability: every person you ask will give a different answer. Nevertheless, the definition of disability outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.”
The ADA’s definition of disability appears complete and thorough, but it can also be confusing to think about what it means to be impaired in a way that fits the definition of the law. What does that mean, exactly? Do I fit that definition? If I do, what do I do now?
I have asked myself all of these questions and have always been confused about them! There are many long and fancy words in these definitions and explanations, which can make them daunting to look at. That’s why I like to describe “disability” more simply, as it can make it easier to understand, not only for myself but, hopefully, for other people as well.
I think of disability as a difference with somebody’s brain or physical body that makes it harder to live their life. This description puts it into simple terms so that it doesn’t sound as daunting and clinical. When I think about the ADA’s definition of disability, I feel separated and tainted with the feeling that I’m “abnormal” or “wrong.” It might make someone appear more limited than they actually are. When I think of it as just a difference that makes life harder, I know that my brain and body function differently, but I don’t feel like I am completely different from those around me.
“Disability” is a frustratingly broad term, which makes it challenging to think about more specifically. Disability is also a spectrum, meaning that a person living with one condition will experience it completely differently than another person living with the same condition. This occurs due to differences in severity, symptoms, etc. An example is an easily manageable OCD that isn’t disruptive, versus OCD that needs to be mitigated with medication.
Further, some disabilities affect the brain’s functioning rather than the physical body. Often called mental disorders or mental illnesses, these impairments can be more common and extensive than many may think.
Take anxiety, for example. I experience multiple anxiety disorders, but mainly Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). For me, experiencing this chronic condition means enduring frequent anxiety episodes, usually without a reasonable or known cause. I might have an episode when watching a funny animal video, or even when I’m just relaxing on the couch. Anxiety is considered a disability when it disrupts a person’s daily life. My anxiety disorders are debilitating every single day – it’s not just situational anxiety – which is why I am considered a person with a disability.
Now that we’ve tackled the definition of a disability, what is ableism?
To me, ableism involves having certain beliefs or doing certain actions that deprive people with disabilities of opportunities. A viewpoint that could be considered ableist is believing that people with disabilities aren’t intelligent people and aren’t capable of living successful, independent lives. Actions that could be considered ableist are talking to a person with a mental illness like you’d talk to a five-year-old or pushing someone’s wheelchair when they don’t need or want you to push it. Judging a person by their disability alone is an ableist thing to do, no matter what. There is so much more to a person than their disability, and you certainly do not know their whole story and therefore are not in any place to judge them.
For example, I have a friend who has Down’s syndrome. She is in her twenties but hasn’t developed as quickly as others her age in certain areas of her life. She goes to a school for people with similar conditions to her’s and has a habit of giving her Barbie dolls extremely short pixie cuts. I will never know the full extent of what it’s like to live with her condition, but, as her friend, I know that I don’t need to treat her differently than I would anybody else just because of her Down’s syndrome. I treat her the way I would treat any of my other friends, meaning I don’t talk to her differently and I don’t treat her like a baby, because she isn’t one. Her condition does not define who she is. I see her just as I would see any of my other friends. She is not “my friend with Down’s syndrome;” she is “my friend.”
Many things can be considered ableist by people with disabilities, and we might be hurt by something a person says or does even if they mean well. You might not think completing a simple task for us or trying to make life easier for us in some way could be hurtful. But, we might get confused as to why you’re doing something for us that isn’t difficult to do ourselves. You might think you’re helping us, but often what you’re doing is frustrating and confusing at best, and communicating that we can’t be independent and must always rely on others at worst. It would be a different story if we actually needed help with something when we’re unable to complete a task without support.
Due to ableism, people with disabilities can experience discrimination from educators, potential employers, and others judging them based on their disabilities and not their skills. People who would be fantastic in a certain position could get overlooked or fired based on them having a disability. Additionally, people with disabilities have historically been paid less than others that don’t possess disabilities.
Further, there are many misconceptions about disabilities out there. For example, some misconceptions include that everybody who uses a wheelchair is unable to walk or everybody who uses a service animal is blind. People with mental illnesses may be considered unintelligent and incapable of being independent or successful.
If these misconceptions are spread widely, then they will be widely believed. If they are widely believed, an entire society can become misinformed. These false beliefs then become the foundation of how our society thinks and operates, and it will become much more difficult to re-educate people.
“One misconception that bothers me a lot is the belief that people with mental illnesses are not intelligent and capable people. That is about as far from the truth as you can get.”
One misconception that bothers me a lot is the belief that people with mental illnesses are not intelligent and capable people. That is about as far from the truth as you can get. I have multiple mental illnesses, and I am capable of excelling in a difficult and high-powered career if I chose to go that route. It's no wonder that many people with mental conditions become talented visual artists, musicians, dancers, actors, and more. Here are just a few examples of celebrities with mental illnesses:
Park Jimin (Jimin of BTS) has struggled with disordered eating and has become a crucial part of the Korean pop band BTS with his vocals, dance skills, and his ability to show empathy and love.
Min Yoongi (SUGA of BTS) has dealt with debilitating anxiety disorders and depression, and he uses his personal experiences and extreme pain in his work as a beatmaker and songwriter, aside from being a phenomenal pianist.
Carrie Fisher struggled with addiction, which is hereditary in her mother’s family. She became one of the most celebrated actresses out there with her work as Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies.
Ludwig van Beethoven is thought to have had a mood disorder, likely bipolar depression. This caused him to create much of his music to reflect his mood, which is one of the reasons his music speaks to so many people.
It’s not only intelligence and success though. People with mental illnesses are not the unstable, crazy people that much of society sees us as, and how we are often portrayed by the media. Some of the most sensitive and in-tune people I know have mental disorders. Some people with mental illnesses may be so in touch with the emotions of others that they seem psychic, or extremely sensitive to nature. Others might be loved so much by animals that they will bypass everyone else just to approach them. For me specifically, I have always had a gift with horses. I can bond and communicate with them in a way that’s different from everybody else.
These unique parts of myself and others are true strengths and gifts. However, they pose potential challenges. For example, somebody attuned to nature might feel most at peace in natural settings, but could be driven to depression – or even suicide – by the fact that the earth is being harmed by humans, potentially beyond repair. As someone who is attuned to horses, I didn’t know what to do with myself when the horse I learned to ride on and who taught me so much was put to sleep. Her loss was devastating for me. (That’s another nugget of wisdom adapted from Welcome to the Jungle: Facing Bipolar Without Freaking Out by Hilary Smith.)
Part of why debunking misconceptions is so important to me is that youth with disabilities are at a “high risk” for self-harming and suicide. When I was in 8th grade, I was almost driven to suicide because of what was happening in my life. What saved me was the knowledge that I have people around me that need me, love me, and care so much for me that losing me would destroy their lives. Through all my self-hatred, I still knew that people cared. And they cared for me. If I died, so many people would die too, emotionally if not physically. That is what kept me going in the darkest point of my life.
I choose to publicly share personal details of my struggles so that I can raise awareness of the reality that I was living. There was so much more going on beneath the surface than you ever would have known by just talking to me on a daily basis. I laughed, I socialized, and I went away from home, but I was truly suffering. I am living proof of why it is hurtful to judge and make assumptions about people with disabilities when you don’t have all the information. People not believing my struggles and gaslighting me almost caused me to end my life.
At this point, you may be wondering “how does this all relate to the dance world?” Earlier, I mentioned how people with disabilities are affected by discrimination in education and employment. The same issues happen in the dance world - people with disabilities can miss out on dance-related education and employment opportunities. We also need to re-consider the accessibility of dance programs and facilities. If a person with a disability is denied an opportunity to participate in a program because of an accessibility issue, there are problems on multiple levels. For example, if a dance convention is being held at a location that is inaccessible to a wheelchair user, the facility is liable for being inaccessible, but the convention is responsible for not choosing an accessible location. If a dance camp or intensive program refuses to admit a dancer based on their disability rather than their dancing, that’s also ableist.
Situations like these can be classified as legal issues, ethical issues, or both. In a school setting, a student might be denied based on accommodation issues on campus, which is mainly a legal issue and can be fixed with structural modifications. But if the student is denied based on the staff’s unwillingness to support a student with a disability, that’s mainly an ethical issue. In the case of a dance convention, intensive, or even just a class, it’s both a legal and ethical issue. Therefore, in the dance world, there’s a need to solve all of these issues by implementing both structural changes in facilities that need them, as well as shifting attitudes with re-education.
I really hope everyone enjoyed reading this article and learned something new. The world might become a little less biased with people becoming more aware of the realities people with disabilities live with every day.