After recent discussions and changes to the Code of Conduct, the Disabled community would like to give some clarification on the use of ableist language. There has been a lot of debate on what is and isn’t ableist, and we would like to clarify some key points and offer some considerations for users when communicating here and elsewhere online. This is not a guide to what to say or how to speak. We merely wish to educate and provide examples around some of the language-related issues that impact people with disabilities, with the hope that we can encourage mindfulness when interacting with your fellow users, who may or may not be disabled.
"Language is inherently political. Both as individuals and as larger social and cultural groups, it is self-evident that the language we use to express all sorts of ideas, opinions, and emotions, as well as to describe ourselves and others, is simultaneously reflective of existing attitudes and influential to developing attitudes.
The terms that are listed below are part of an expanding English-language glossary of ableist words and terms. I have chosen to include words or phrases that I know of or that are brought to my attention that meet two criteria: 1) Their literal or historical definition derives from a description of disability, either in general or pertaining to a specific category of disability, and 2) They have been historically and or currently used to marginalize, other, and oppress disabled people."
-from Ableist Words And Terms To Avoid
For those looking for examples of generally ableist terms/phrases, the article linked above is a semi-comprehensive list the Disabled community refers to, linked under #9 in our community sidebar. There, you’ll find a list of words that are ableist in origin, but not necessarily slurs or insults. If you're looking for alternatives, we'd suggest trying to be more precise in your language and clarify your meaning. One of the examples provided is "blind to / blinded by", which is by no means a slur, but can be ableist in context. You can, of course, say you were blinded by the light of the sun/ headlights/ a flashlight and not be ableist, because this is what happens when you look into bright light. However, if someone misses an obvious detail and you say "You’d have to be blind not to see it", it is ableist. Note that in the ableist context, you could also call that person "stupid" for missing a detail, when all you meant to say was "You missed this detail." Using the phrase "You’d have to be blind not to see it" normalizes the idea that blindness is a bad thing that should be avoided. Blind people should have agency over the connotation of the word blindness and not be influenced by our negative usage of it to think that their condition is inherently bad.
Ableist slurs and expressions are commonly used to convey frustration and outrage. If a person is thoughtlessly hurting you and is seemingly not paying attention to how you feel, you would be rightfully outraged. Some people would call that person a psychopath, or sociopath. As most of us are not medically trained professionals who can tell the difference between a cruel person (or merely a cruel act committed by a person) and an actual psychopath/ sociopath/ etc., the disabled community would argue that terms like these, which pathologize certain behaviors, are ableist outside of a medically diagnosed context. Calling someone who commits something evil a psychopath/ sociopath/ etc., or using a descriptive word like insane/ crazy, assigns an inherent evil to anyone suffering from such associated conditions. Using it in this way implies that all people with these disabilities are evil. If someone is treating you cruelly, call them out on this, as is your right, but be mindful of how you interact with others. Some people are cruel, and some things happen by accident and/or with no ill intent.
Similar to how you wouldn’t mock or bully a blind person for their blindness, you also shouldn’t do this to someone who has a hidden disability. ADHD, autism, diabetes, Crohn's disease, and a multitude of other physical and mental disabilities have an array of issues that are not always obvious to non-affected people. Some of us are sensitive to noise or bright lights, others are so restricted in their diet that they can’t eat vegan or vegetarian. The point of being less ableist both in deed as well as in word is to not judge someone for needing special accommodations, may that be offline or online. We as a community ask you to be mindful of each other’s boundaries and needs, our seen and unseen struggles.
It is on us to communicate, learn, and resolve conflicts amicably instead of using ableist insults or terms as a default. It takes effort, and no one is naturally good at this, but as human beings, we are able to learn, adapt and overcome our differences. The disabled community would appreciate if we made a collective effort to try and be less ableist towards each other, to make both the site but also our everyday lives more accommodating for everyone, whether we are ourselves disabled or not. If you find yourself using ableist language, please take a moment to examine how your perspective has been informed by ableism. We've all participated and been subject to ableist structures, and now more than ever it is essential for us to unlearn our conditioned acceptance of ableism.
If you are interested in learning more about ableism and the use of ableist language, we have a small, non-comprehensive list of reading materials you may want to check out. The last three links lead to external websites, the ones before to Anna’s Archive:
Constructing Ableism - Stephanie Jenkins
Mothers of children without disabilities’ conceptions of inclusive education: unveiling an exclusionary education system privileging normality and ableism - Sultan Kilinc
The Relationships Between COVID-19 Anxiety, Ageism, and Ableism - Amanda A. Arcieri
Counteracting Dysconscious Racism and Ableism Through Fieldwork: Applying DisCrit Classroom Ecology in Early Childhood Personnel Preparation - Christine L. Hancock; Chelsea W. Morgan; James Holly
Ableism in the medical profession - Neilson, Shane
Ableism (The Causes and Consequences of Disability Prejudice) || Contending with Ableism from Internalized Ableism to Collective Action - Narioâ Redmond, Michelle R.
Hostile, Benevolent, and Ambivalent Ableism: Contemporary Manifestations - Nario‐Redmond, Michelle R.; Kemerling, Alexia A.; Silverman, Arielle
The Ableism of Quality of Life Judgments in Disorders of Consciousness: Who Bears Epistemic Responsibility? - Reynolds, Joel Michael
Ableism (The Causes and Consequences of Disability Prejudice) || Justifying Ableism - Nario‐Redmond, Michelle R.
Cultural and Impairment‐Specific Stereotype - Michelle R. Nario-Redmond
Online Othering (Exploring Digital Violence and Discrimination on the Web) || Othering Political Women: Online Misogyny, Racism and Ableism Towards Women in Public Life - Lumsden, Karen; Harmer, Emily
#MeCripple: ableism, microaggressions, and counterspaces on Twitter in Spain - Eva Moral; Agustín Huete; Emiliano Díez
Ableism, racism, and the quality of life of Black, Indigenous, people of colour with intellectual and developmental disabilities - Carli Friedman
Structural Ableism — Essential Steps for Abolishing Disability Injustice - Rupa Sheth Valdez; Bonnielin K. Swenor
The Association for Health Care Journalists (AHCJ), Identity-first vs. person-first language is an important distinction - Tara Haelle
Ly Xīnzhèn Zhǎngsūn Brown (Lydia X. Z. Brown) Ableist words/terms list as mentioned above
Language Style Guide - National Center on Disability and Journalism Disability
Lately, I've been thinking about the ways people use the idea of others lacking empathy, and I'd be interested to hear takes on this. On one hand, there are societal factors that cause one group to have less empathy for another, but on the other hand, people definitely also use the idea to say "those who disagree with me on this must have a mental disorder". The language used for these is basically the same, and I don't want to silence voices when they are not academically correct enough, but also don't want to good-faith interpret my way into spreading ableism.
I’m not sure if a lack of empathy should be considered a disorder. But I think saying that someone lacks empathy should be evaluated similarly as any psychiatric diagnosis: you can not look into someone’s brain so you shouldn’t use it lightly. However if you know what you’re talking about and have good reason to believe it might apply to someone and it is valuable to mention as it can explain certain behaviours then it should be fine to do it. Obviously it shouldn’t be done to insult or belittle someone.
I'm focusing on your second point, because I think the first one applies to a lot more groups than just disabled people and people with disabilities.
If someone disagrees with you and is not academically correct-ish, and is not ableist in the way they do it, you should make sure to engage in good faith and mindfully try to educate them. (That's the easy one.)
If someone is ableist while they disagree, make sure to point it out to them, in an understanding but not overbearing fashion. There's ableist statements that will immediately stick out to you, and others that won't, but you can't know them all, so don't worry about it too much. The point is to keep it in mind and question both what others say, and what you say, which brings me to the last point.
If you find yourself disagreeing with someone and have that impulse to say something ableist, consider what you actually want to convey with your statement. Are you upset? Are you in disbelief over your conversation partner's lack of knowledge on the topic? Are you just surprised to hear their take? Try to phrase this sentiment precisely, or, if it's the other person who says the ableist thing, ask them what they actually want to convey with that statement.
The point of empathy, at least to me in the context you're describing, is that you should just let it pass. It's such a prominent part of modern day communication that most people don't even know how their statements are or can be ableist. The empathetic point is to try and educate them in an understanding manner without being condescending or overbearing. It's an useful but difficult to learn skill, and it isn't one I have mastered myself either.
I feel like I went off topic, but I hope the take kind of helps you with your question.
Wanted to emphasize this point and elaborate on it.
It's always best practice to assume good faith or, at worst, ignorance in person who says something ableist (except in cases where it's patently obvious what they're doing.)
There are people who use outdated terms or even deprecated, bigoted words who have their heart in the right place and they have good values. You've seen it, I've seen it. Jumping down someone's throat over minor indiscretions just alienates people who are well-meaning. On the other hand, I'm sure you've experienced people who use pitch-perfect 100% woke language to communicate bigoted ideas as well.
Words matter but intent matters more in this case imo. It's easy enough to correct well meaning sentiment that is worded in an ableist way but it's much harder to work on someone's values, especially if you're the marginalized group they're targeting.
Personally, I try to refer to my own experience rather than labelling the other person. "You are ableist and you are a bad person because of that fact" doesn't win people over and it doesn't open up opportunities for dialogue and introspection and learning so it's counterproductive.
On the other hand, if you focus on your experience then I think it works a lot better. For example: "When I hear people say the word 'neurodivergent' as a placeholder for the term 'autistic' it sits uncomfortably with me because it feels like my diagnosis of autism is a taboo that must be avoided and that it's a shameful thing to be autistic or to even speak the name of the condition. I completely understand why people do this and I know that it's not your intent to make me feel this way but it's okay to say that I'm autistic and, just like with the topic of mental health, if we make room for discussions on it and we are comfortable with speaking its name then it makes a big difference in tackling stigma. We don't say 'those who are insulin-challenged' because that's silly and we can just say 'diabetic' which is totally fine. In the same way, I don't want be spoken about in hushed words and euphemism while people tiptoe around it. I'm okay with being autistic and I would like others to be okay with it too."
Let me know when you do because I could use mentoring in this.
Thank you for that addition, Fanon, I appreciate it a lot!
Wanna make a little club to practice this in a safe environment?
Sure! I'm pretty inconsistent with how I'm able to engage with things so I can't make any promises to regular commitments but it sounds like a great idea.
Trust me, I'm just as inconsistent in that regard, don't worry about it :) it's something to keep in mind and maybe expand upon when we have time and feel like it. Life is busy, this is not a high priority, but a nice thing we could go for