Ableist language perpetuates the inferiority of people with disabilities. At its core, it is oppressive, derogatory, and hurtful, no matter the intention behind its usage.
I guarantee that you use ableist language every single day without even realizing it. It rolls off the tongue naturally because it’s hardly ever questioned.
Here on The Rolling Explorer, I am going to start questioning it.
Up until last fall, I hardly ever let my picture be taken sitting down. Part of the reasoning was my aversion to showing off my stomach rolls. I’ve always struggled with body image, and if I had nothing to block my tummy from view, I was guaranteed to be self-conscious.
The bigger and more problematic reason I avoided these types of photos, though, was my aversion to my mobility aids. I didn’t like the idea of “looking disabled.” There is such a stigma surrounding wheelchairs, crutches, canes, and prosthetics, not to mention bulkier medical equipment, that it’s hard for people who require these devices to not feel ashamed of needing them.
The Disability Power Movement is dedicated to one thing: bringing widespread awareness to the plethora of issues the disabled community faces every single day. Essentially, it is a continuation of the work I have been doing on my blog for the past year. The only difference is I am now trying to get more people to actively talk about and understand the topics I discuss daily.
Here on The Rolling Explorer, we have been celebrating the ADA’s 30th Anniversary for the entire month of July.
It’s been busy, but so, so fulfilling.
Of course, none of my efforts matter if they don’t inspire real change. I am thrilled to have a platform to speak out on, but at the end of the day, words can only do so much.
That’s why I created the list below.
Disability Pride Month is coming to an end and the ADA won’t have another significant anniversary for at least 5 years. I’ve been impressed that so many organizations have used this month to spread awareness. The real key, though, is what people do moving forward.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was only founded in 1990, specifically says the following:
“No qualified individual with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be subjected to discrimination in employment under any service, program, or activity conducted by a public entity”
Yet, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2019, “across all educational attainment groups, unemployment rates for persons with a disability were higher than those for persons without a disability.”
Additionally, only 19.3% of the disabled population was employed in 2019 compared with 66.3% of non-disabled people. – BLS
What does this mean for disability representation in the workplace?
It means that, regardless of whether or not companies are being actively discriminatory towards disabled job seekers, there is still a huge divide that needs to be addressed.
Over the past year, I have had to unlearn so many stigmas I believed about myself and the disabled community. Ableism runs DEEP in our society and I still have to correct myself now and again.
That is why I do what I do.
If I, having lived with a disability my entire life, have to unlearn the way I think about the disabled lived condition, you do too.
We all do.
So, whether you’re one of my original subscribers, or brand new to the party this week, let’s look back on the top 10 things you should have learned by following my blog and social media accounts this year.
Gastritis.
After 15 minutes with the doctor, that was the initial diagnosis. I was to take an over the counter antacid for 2 weeks and then report back if things didn’t improve.
Less than 10 days later, I was plopped down on an examination table feeling as though I could vomit at any moment.
Blood was drawn. Urine was collected. A pelvic examination was completed. Still nothing.
I do not have corona, but I am outrageously unwell. I sit in my house, and scroll through headlines on social media and instantly begin to feel nauseated and heartbroken. Each day that passes causes me such severe, physical pain that I am not sure what to do or how to move forward.
The United States may just now be facing a deadly and seemingly unstoppable pandemic, but we have been sick for a very, very long time.