ableism and disability

What is Ableism?

means unfair treatment, discrimination, or prejudice against people with disabilities.

What is Disability (political definition)?

Disability is framed as an individual problem, not a social one — meaning society blames the person instead of the environment.

What is the “Peculiar Politics of Disability”?

Disability is treated as if it is both a personal issue AND a political issue, but the political side gets ignored — which helps keep the status quo.

What is a Pharmakon (in disability politics)?

A concept that means something can be a remedy, a poison, and a scapegoat at the same time.

Disability is treated like all three.

What is Eugenics?

A movement that wanted to control who can reproduce, often targeting disabled people, Indigenous people, and poor people.

What is Cultural Genocide (in disability context)?

Policies aimed at erasing a group’s identity or way of life (e.g., Deaf culture, Indigenous knowledge).

What does the transportation example show?

Governments blame disabled people for not traveling instead of fixing inaccessible infrastructure like washrooms, seating, or stairs.

What does the library example show?

Students with disabilities must go through tests/registration to access basic services, showing design is the problem, not the person.

What does “Accessibility is design” mean?

Environments — not people — create disability. Good design removes barriers.

What does “Travelling as ability” mean?

Being able to travel is treated as a sign of “normal functioning,” so those who can’t travel are blamed.

What is the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)?

A global agreement meant to support inclusion, but it still treats disability mostly as a medical/individual issue, not political.

What does the “World Bank / DALY” critique mean?

Disability is measured as lost productivity, making disabled people seem like economic “burdens.”

What is “Racial capitalism” in disability context?

Systems that combine racism and economic exploitation to create disability and inequality.

What is “The Oppressor in All of Us”?

Everyone can reproduce ableist ideas, even unintentionally, because society normalizes them.

What is “Official Knowledge”?

Knowledge created by institutions that seems neutral but actually supports hierarchy and control.

What is “Scientific Forestry” an example of?

When governments simplify complex systems (like forests) to control them — shows how oversimplification causes harm.

Who is included in “Universally Valid Knowledge”?

Traditionally only white, male, able-bodied experts — excludes others’ experience.

What is ableist language?

Everyday phrases that use disability words negatively (e.g., “crippled economy,” “blind to the issue”).

Why is ableist language harmful?

It reinforces the idea that disability = bad or broken.

What does “Asocial-social character of disability” mean?

Disability is shaped by society, but society pretends it’s just personal biology.

What is the “Absent Subject” in disability politics?

Policies talk about disabled people without giving them voice or power.

What is Medico-bureaucratic Management?

Systems that require proof, tests, and assessments before giving support, reinforcing disability as an individual flaw.

How does policy make disability a “scapegoat”?

Instead of fixing barriers, policies blame disabled people for not being “normal.”

What is “Illusory Inclusion”?

Policies pretend to include disabled people but actually keep barriers in place.

What does “Universal Design” mean?

Creating environments that work for everyone, not just “normal” bodies.

Why is disability considered ‘political’?

Because access, design, resources, and rights are controlled by policy and institutions, not biology.

Why does the prof call disability “peculiar”?

Because it’s treated as personal AND social but mostly blamed on the individual.

What is the “Problem of Future Generations”?

A moral idea used in policy that says we must protect future, imagined people, which is often used to justify excluding disabled people today.

What is the “Empire of the Normal”?

A world where everything is built for “normal” bodies/minds, so disabled people must adapt instead of society adapting.

What is “Biopolitics of Disability”?

Ways governments control which lives are seen as valuable, productive, or worth protecting.

What is the “Medical Model of Disability”?

A perspective that sees disability as a medical problem inside the individual, not a social barrier problem.

What is the “Social Model of Disability”?

The view that disability is created by social barriers, not just bodies.

What is “Epistemic Injustice” (in disability)?

When disabled people’s knowledge or experience is not believed, respected, or included in decision-making.

What is “Scientific Ordering”?

Systems (like medicine or policy) simplify complex realities into categories, which often erases disabled people’s actual experiences.

What is “Objectivity as Neutrality” myth?

The idea that science is neutral, when in reality it hides power and bias that help maintain ableism.

What is “Administrative Violence”?

Harm caused not by people but by systems — like forms, waitlists, tests, denials — that block access or support.

What is the “19th-century Origin of Normal”?

Normalcy came from statistics in the 1840s–50s, when societies started measuring “average bodies” and calling deviations “abnormal.”

What happened with Early Genetics & Disability?

Genetics was used to justify sterilization and control who reproduces.

What is “Governmentality” (in disability politics)?

How institutions guide people’s behavior by controlling access, classification, and regulations.

What is “Human Capital” logic?

Seeing people only in terms of how productive or useful they are to the economy — harmful to disabled people.

What is “Duty to Accommodate”?

Legal rule requiring institutions to make changes for accessibility unless it causes “undue hardship.”

What does “Undue Hardship” mean?

A legal limit where institutions can refuse accommodation if it’s too costly or difficult — often used against disabled people.

What is the “Accessibility vs Accommodation” difference?

Accessibility = built into the design (universal).

Accommodation = added later for individuals.

What is “Deinstitutionalization”?

Movement to close large institutions for disabled people and support community living — but many supports were never built.

What is the “Time Tax” on disability?

Disabled people spend extra time navigating forms, testing, appointments, and proving needs — unpaid labour created by bureaucracy.

What does the “Good vs Bad Disabled Person” contrast mean?

Society rewards “inspirational” disabled people and punishes those who need support, creating a moral hierarchy.

What does the “Parking, seating, ramps” example show?

Accessibility failures are design problems, but institutions blame individuals instead of fixing environments.

What does the “Test Centres” example show?

Students need proof of disability to get accommodations, showing how support is controlled by bureaucracy.

What does the “Campus buildings” example show?

Universities prioritize historic buildings over accessibility, showing ableism in planning.

What is “Inspiration Porn”?

When disabled people are used as feel-good stories for non-disabled people.

What is “Overcoming Narratives”?

Stories that frame disabled people as inspiring because they “beat” disability — reinforces the idea that disability is tragic

What is “Metaphorical Disability Language”?

Words like “lame,” “blind,” or “crippling debt” used as insults or metaphors — normalizes disability as negative.

What is “Fixing vs Supporting”?

Ableist society wants to fix disabled people instead of supporting them by improving environments.

What is “High Modernism” (in disability context)?

A belief in big, engineered social plans that ignore real human needs — often makes environments worse for disabled people.

What did Scott’s “Seeing Like a State” teach?

Governments simplify reality to control it — but this harms people who don’t fit the system, like disabled people.

What is the “Legibility Problem”?

Systems demand people fit into categories (forms, diagnoses). Disabled people often don’t fit, leading to exclusion.

What is “Risk Management Society”?

Modern states treat disabled people as risks to manage, not citizens to include.