You’ve probably heard the term ableism floating around blogs or social media, but many are uncertain about what it means.
In short, ableism means any prejudice, bias, or discrimination directed towards people living with a disability. It can manifest itself in many forms, including:
- Hostile ableism - openly aggressive behaviours or policies such as bullying, abuse and violence.
- Benevolent ableism - this views disabled people as weak, vulnerable, or in need of rescuing. It is patronising and undermines a person’s autonomy and individuality, which reinforces an unequal power dynamic.
- Ambivalent ableism - a combination of hostile and benevolent ableism, exemplified by individuals starting a social interaction by treating someone in a patronising way and being aggressive if the person at the end of it objects to their behaviour.
I particularly want to focus on “subtle” ableism, which can be missed by teachers and staff, but is something that disabled students experience daily. Raising awareness about this type of ableism will help to create a safe and inclusive education environment.
Here is an example of subtle ableism. When assigning group work to students, the disabled student may end up isolated and forced to work alone. This can be because of students’ reluctance to work with disabled students - they may ignore or complain about the disabled student being paired with them.
They may also subtly react to the disabled student, perhaps by laughing or whispering in the direction of the student, who as a result can feel as if they have done something wrong and feel increasingly isolated. In this scenario, when the disabled student engages with the class discussion or answers a question, other students roll their eyes. If the disabled student notices this reaction, they may become disengaged within the classroom.
So how can you prevent this?
If a teacher ever does hear snide remarks being made towards the student, or within a group, they must use their judgement to decide whether to immediately point it out and question what is wrong with the group’s behaviour, or start by asking the student affected if they would rather be put in another group.
It’s also important to note that students may believe they are subtle and good at hiding their ableism or bullying - but if the disabled student can tell it is happening, then so should the teacher.
Mainstream secondary school environments will not always be perfect for disabled people as they are surrounded by able-bodied students who simply don’t understand their situation or have no desire to learn more. Often, these students who make fun of these minorities are trying to impress their mates and don’t mean any harm by it, but are trying to fit into a friendship group that clearly dislikes the disabled student.
We need to create a more progressive environment where we can challenge this bias. We also need to implement disability education to help students understand and empathise with peers who may have a variety of disabilities or support needs.
Ciara McCarthy is an 18-year-old disability activist in Scotland who writes a blog about her experiences of education as a disabled and deaf person
