The only way to dismantle ableism and build a disability-inclusive world is to be anti-ableist.
To me, anti-ableism is rooted in action. It is not enough to simply be “not ableist.” Although he speaks on racism, the author and antiracist scholar Ibram X. Kendi shares a very useful concept that we can apply to anti-ableism. In his book How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi says that the problem with being “not racist” is that it signifies neutrality: “I am not a racist, but neither am I aggressively against racism.” As a result, people who proclaim that they are “not racist” do not feel the need to engage in the fight against racism. On the flip side, being antiracist means active participation in the work toward racial equity and justice.1
In the same way, anti-ableism means developing a whole philosophy and practice to combat ableism. This aligns with the definition from Salem State University: “Anti-ableism is strategies, theories, actions, and practices that challenge and counter ableism and inequalities, prejudices, and discrimination based on developmental, emotional, physical, or psychiatric disability.”2
So why should we be anti-ableist?
First, ableism affects and harms us all, as Talila Lewis says—“You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism.”3 Dismantling ableism—alongside racism, sexism, classism, transphobia, and other systems of oppression—is in everyone’s best interest and key to our collective liberation.
Second, ableism creates negative social impacts. When you exclude disabled people or make us invisible, you deny the diversity of the human experience, lose out on precious innovation and talent, and create barriers to equitable participation. Negative stereotypes and misconceptions result in social exclusion and limited opportunities in all areas of life, such as education, employment, health care, and public spaces, whereas anti-ableism allows diversity and creativity to flourish in a way that benefits everyone. As disability design advocate Liz Jackson wrote in a New York Times article, disabled people “are the original lifehackers.”4 We are simply some of the most adaptable and innovative people out there.
Third, there is a whole distinct and unique culture in the disability community that we should celebrate and be proud of—and that society should not exclude or deny. We are not invisible and should not be treated as such. Disability history matters, disability culture matters, and disability pride matters. We matter.
Fourth, it is illegal to treat disabled people as less than in the United States. When you treat people as less than, you are denying us our basic human rights, which, according to the ADA, breaks the law.
So, you ask, what actions can I take to begin practicing anti-ableism?
Throughout the rest of the book, you will learn the practical steps toward becoming anti-ableist. You’ve already started with this foundational section on owning your personal education and unlearning pre-existing ideas and myths about disability (Anti-Ableism and You). In the next sections, you will learn how to live out these lessons in your interpersonal relationships and interactions (Anti-Ableism and Your Community) and, finally, how to take actions that impact the collective and lead to lasting change (Anti-Ableism and Societal Change).