4 Recognizing Forms of Harm Toward People with Disabilities

Microaggressions

Microaggressions are subtle, veiled, or unintentional expressions of Ableism such as minimization, exceptionalism, or false stereotypes. Microaggressions matter because of their proliferation in daily life for people with disabilities. This is not a person being “too sensitive” about a single comment from a stranger. The compounding of these messages results in internalized Ableism and trauma.

https://www.bustle.com/articles/186060-13-microaggressions-people-with-disabilities-face-on-a-daily-basis

https://themighty.com/2020/08/internalized-ableism-experiences/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahkim/2019/02/27/disability-microaggressions/?sh=50c5de9417d2

https://sheribyrnehaber.medium.com/disability-microagressions-aka-ableist-things-people-say-89c3fffd11a1#:~:text=A%20microaggression%20is%20an%20indirect,is%20almost%20always%20a%20microaggression.

Representation

Ableist beliefs are reinforced by the messaging we’ve heard our entire lives: in the media we take in, the spaces we occupy, and the clothing and products available and advertised. Lack of representation, and worse, misrepresentation of disability, when left unchecked and unexamined, continue to fuel systemic Ableism.

Media Representation

https://www.fordfoundation.org/media/4276/judyheumann_report_2019_final.pdf

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nothing-about-us-without-us-mantra-for-a-movement_b_59aea450e4b0c50640cd61cf

https://bittergertrude.com/2021/01/25/ten-ableist-tropes-to-jettison-in-2021/

https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/disability-in-the-media/

https://cdrnys.org/blog/advocacy/when-do-you-get-true-disability-representation/

https://cdrnys.org/blog/disability-dialogue/nothing-about-us-without-us-disability-representation-in-media/

https://www.illinoislend.org/new-blog/2021/1/29/why-disability-representation-in-the-media-matters-in-the-fight-against-ableism-by-sasha-micek-otrl

https://rootedinrights.org/the-ableist-lens-of-hollywood/

Accessible Fashion

https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/02/13/why-disabled-people-have-been-forgotten-by-the-fashion-industry

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/style/functional-fashion.html

Inspiration Porn

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2019/11/29/how-to-avoid-inspiration-porn/?sh=25bfe50e5b3d

https://ncdj.org/category/inspiration-porn/

https://medium.com/@GirlWithTheCane/inspiration-porn-once-you-see-it-you-cant-not-see-it-56296cb2fd37

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/02/19/my-disabled-daughter-isnt-your-inspiration-porn/

Cripface or Cripping Up

Note: The term “Crip” is a slur when used by non-disabled people outside of referring to the practice of Cripface or formal titles such as the film, Crip Camp (2020).

https://www.michigandaily.com/arts/examining-cripface-and-ableism-hollywood/

http://www.peoplearentbroken.com/?p=611

https://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/latest/my-left-foot-the-cripping-up-debate-by-judith-drake

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/13/eddie-redmayne-golden-globe-stephen-hawking-disabled-actors-characters

Prescriptive Practices

Rigidly enforcing social or cultural norms and punishing or removing those who do not fit within them is othering and harmful. This can be something as commonplace but impactful as re-examining your value of direct eye-contact as a signal for attentiveness.

By evaluating the roles and behaviors expected in your daily scope, you create inclusion and accessibility rather than tolerating disability.

Think of this like making a cake: if you bake it in, the salt mixes with the other ingredients and you have an outcome everyone likes. If you try to sprinkle the salt on top after the cake comes out of the oven, the end result isn’t as appealing.