Ableism
Day 12 of a 30-day series originally published for Facebook April 2021
Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against those with disabilities based on the (often subconscious) belief that “typical” abilities are superior.
This one is less so about understanding the many parts of autism, and more directed at us, the “neurotypicals.” I think most of us want to try and do our best when it comes to educating ourselves on disabilities and disorders, both physical, and neurodivergent (also known as invisible disabilities.). We will likely never ALL agree on the terminology, but sometimes in our effort to educate ourselves, we can inadvertently hurt those around us by engaging in outdated thinking, that... even with the purest of hearts, we didn’t even realize was a problem!
It’s a complex issue so I’ve included an article that says it far better than I could, along with comparison images and a comic that I think, captures it pretty perfectly.
