Discrimination comes in many forms. Most people are familiar with discrimination in the form of racism or ageism, but very little people acknowledge one of the most prominent forms of racism: ableism.
Ableism is discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities. Ableism may not seem like that big of a problem in our society, but it is one of the most prominent and socially accepted forms of discrimination.
To believe people with disabilities are inferior to able-bodied people in anyway is ableist. When people talk down to individuals with disabilities or behave as if they are children regardless of their age, this is an example of ableism. Ableist language can target people with mental illness, physical illnesses or disabilities of any type.
Calling someone “slow” because they do not grasp a concept as fast as you or acting like someone is “bipolar” or “crazy” just because you do not agree on a topic are examples of very ableist language that is socially acceptable. While most people do not mean to do this intentionally, they are invalidating and being insensitive to anyone who suffers from these very real mental or physical disabilities.
Not only is ableism a cultural struggle, but it also affects educational equity of disabled people. A DeLand local who lives on a house off Minnesota Avenue says that every school day at 6 a.m., there is a van pick up for students with physical disabilities for a school designated for disabled children.
While on a surface level, it is good that these students have been provided the resources to be driven to school, they are still not given educational equity. Forcing someone with a physical disability to be awake and ready for school before 6 a.m. is not at all equal to the students who wait for their bus to arrive around 7:30 a.m., just an hour before school starts.
This is just one of many ways in which schools everywhere provide children with disabilities with educational resources that seem to be equal but in reality, do not provide these students with educational equity.
Although Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1979, which ensures that disabled children receive a Free Appropriate Public Education, parents of children with disabilities still must fight for this.
Things like only having one elevator on a large campus or not having enough teachers with a special education degree in a public school are just some examples of how discrimination is still occurring in the public education system.
For the most part, this leads to parents opting for putting their children in private schools that can better accommodate their student’s needs. However, many people cannot afford private school tuition, which leaves them with either enrolling at their nearest public school or homeschooling their child.
With a lack of affordable special education programs and a lack of special education case workers, it becomes more and more apparent just how unfair the school system is when it comes to children who need accommodations.
How do we combat ableism? We start changing the status quo. Educate yourself on what ableist language looks like so that you can stop using insensitive and harmful verbiage in your everyday life.
Stop the stigma around disabilities. Instead of accepting what society has taught us about what disabled people are like, educate yourself and befriend your peers who have disabilities. This will give you so much more understanding.
While as students we cannot fundamentally change our school system, we can work together to advocate for positive change in favor of disabled students. The best thing we can do is educate ourselves and start making changes within us.
Photos by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels
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