The Distortive Impact of Ableist Labels on the Additional Needs Community
I have heard it on the sports field, in the school yard, at the office and on the worksite. I have heard strangers, friends, family and even myself say it. What’s more, I’m sure you have too.
The words of ableism are firmly entrenched in general conversation. They form the basis of jokes, insults and moments of self-deprecating humour.
When I was growing up, I was always told that if you wouldn’t say it to their face don’t say it at all. This ‘Golden Rule’ of language choice provides a tried and tested method for separating the words that we should and should not use. Yet, it is a principle that we seem to struggle to apply in relation to ableist labels.
Now, I don’t believe that much has to be said to point out the wrongs of using ableist labels in front of someone with additional needs. But it is concerning that, when the presence of a person with additional needs is not “obvious,” the use of ableist labels is tolerated.
Instead, what we must realise is that our use of ableist labels distorts our perceptions of the additional needs community. Although their presence in our conversations might seem harmless, they exist as an obstacle which prevents us from being better allies.
When we use an ableist label to describe others or ourselves we are generally saying that they performed an action so poorly that they would have to have a disability to excuse it. Contained within this, is the idea that the person failed to meet a common ‘normal’ level of proficiency. Essentially, no one wants to be called an ableist label. It is considered an insult and something to be avoided.
What we need to remember here is that words, and how we use them, are powerful. That they can do damage beyond their immediate intended use. That they have the ability to help us unlearn or further ingrain the biases that shape our views of the additional needs community.
This aligns with the work of philosopher Charles Taylor and his ‘Politics of Recognition.’ Taylor argued that our sense of self-value is heavily influenced by those in the society around us. Amongst others, this is conveyed through everyday micro-practices such as the media, culture and the language we use. This creates an environment wherein our identity is either affirmed or denied.
Importantly, the ‘Politics of Recognition’ seeks to look beyond the laws which technically make people with additional needs our equals in society. This is a claim that is already on shaky ground, given the important work of the recent Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse and Neglect of People with a Disability.
The disability rights activist Denise Sherer Jacobson observed that “you can pass a law but until you change society’s attitudes that law won’t mean much.” This correlates to the environment created by the words of ableism, which affirm the inferiority rather than validity of people with additional needs. They prevent us from seeing the importance of their voice and the role they can play in enriching our own lives. Something that I have witnessed first-hand as a support worker for the last two years.
When I began as a support worker, my opinions of what the job entailed were shaped by stereotypes of people with additional needs. I was influenced by an unspoken prejudice, assisted by the labels of ableism, that made me think that ‘looking after’ someone with a disability required being a ‘saint.’
What I quickly found was that it doesn’t. I have observed a tremendous power within all the people that I have worked with. An ability to inspire the best aspects of the human character from those they come into contact with. Amongst those I have worked with there is a unique sincerity and genuine happiness that characterises their interactions. The individuals I work with have become my exemplars for the way I should treat the people around me. These crucial lessons that we can learn are distorted and suffocated by the labels of ableism.
Today marks International Day for People with a Disability. A day which aims to raise awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with additional needs. Moreover, it seeks to remind the world of the important role the additional needs community occupies by celebrating their achievements.
Ableist labels work directly against these two aims for a fairer and more inclusive society. The conversational convenience they provide is prioritised over the deeply concerning ideas they promote.
As a society, we are better than this.
Whilst it is only a small change of habit, removing ableist labels from our vocabulary will improve our respect for the additional needs community and how we perceive them. Framed in this way we have everything to gain and nothing to lose by removing these terms from our conversations permanently.
