I heard someone use ableist language. What should I do?

What is ableism ?

Ableism has a dual nature between a societal perspective and an individual perspective. Ableism from a societal perspective is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior (Access Living, 2019). The central focus is the idea that disabled individuals need to be “fixed” and defined by their disabilities. As with other forms of bias, Ableism includes harmful stereotypes and misconceptions about disabled individuals.

The other side of Ableism is internalized Ableism within individuals both disabled and non-disabled.

What is considered ableist language?

Ableist language can include both outright harmful statements and microaggressions that are prevalent in society such as:

“That’s so lame.”
“You are so retarded.”
“That guy is crazy.”
“You’re acting so bi-polar today.”
“Are you off your meds?”
“It’s like the blind leading the blind.”
“My ideas fell on deaf ears.”
“She’s such a psycho.”
“I’m super OCD about how I clean my apartment.”
“Can I pray for you?”
“I don’t even think of you as disabled.”

Ableist language can also include statements that said alone would not seem ableist, but when used in certain contexts can be seen that way: i.e inclusion of a driver’s license in a job ad for a position that does not require driving as a minimum requirement for a position and/or being able to lift/push/pull x amount of weight for a role that requires either little to no amount for daily work requirements.

What should I do?

There are a few different approaches depending on the incident in question.

You can confront the individual in a respectful way if it is safe to do without serious repercussions. It is possible due to internalized Ableism that an individual did not know, and in some situations could be given the benefit of the doubt and be able to move forward when confronted.

This situation is dependent on exactly what happened and who said it, and also how the individual has handled any constructive feedback in the past. If you have a good relationship with somebody and they were the perpetrator, discussing it in a healthy way and having steps moving forward to not happen again can work. This is dependent on the individual and exactly what happened and tact should be considered. There are instances of “Abled Fragility” and how people respond to constructive criticism concerning disability and if not open to a healthy dialogue, then approach two may be a better route to follow.
In cases, where an established relationship is not ideal with the perpetrator of the incident or unlikely to take constructive feedback in a way it is intended then tact should be considered. In some cases, reaching out to a colleague who you have a good rapport with to strategize steps moving forward if you don’t feel comfortable confronting head. It is also useful to include supervisors and management. In some cases, if available, it may be appropriate to report the incident to an organization Ombuds Office or Human Resources Department. In this case, the approach does matter so you are not scapegoated in the situation. Provide evidence including written documentation, screenshots of chats (where applicable), and meeting notes so that all parties have the relevant information. Document interactions
In a case of a document language being used, if there is the ability to be active in the revisions of a document is to suggest other turns of phrases or language instead of the ableist terms. Also, suggest resources such as ableism in writing and everyday language to make sure content writers are aware of how some expressions can be interpreted. Also, many organizations have language compliance with communication materials, marketing, and Human Resources and the kind of language used .

Scenario

Melody’s department is writing a job description for a vacant position. The Hiring Manager has asked the department for feedback on the draft before finalizing and sending it off to HR. Melody is familiar with the needs of the position. When Melody reviews the document, she is stunned at one of the required job description bullet points knowing full well that what is being asked is not part of the position and is ableist. The position does not need a driver’s license. Melody reached out to the hiring manager and inquired about the bullet point.

When Melody heard back from the hiring manager, an explanation was given that the driver’s license meant reliable attendance for on-site work. Melodies department moved to a hybrid environment since the start of the Pandemic and added it in their contracts afterwards in order to retain and recruit top staff. They have to be in the office 2-3 times a week, but the office was located within a short walking distance of a major public transit hub that connected to commuter rail, heavily used bike and walking paths, and they did have limited garage space as well since some staff members had to get reimbursed for paid parking in a building down the block. There were different ways to access the office outside a personal vehicle and mentioned to the hiring manager alternate transportation methods and did know some staff carpooled as well from areas that were farther out. Mentioning that the driver’s license would be exclusionary given that they were close to public transit, bike pathways, carpools, and walkable distance did seem a stretch to be necessary.

Other colleagues also agreed that the description wasn’t inclusive and not in-line with the larger organization’s DEIA values and mentioned the bullet point should be cut since the above points were brought up about the issue of reliable transit. The hiring manager mentioned public transit doesn’t run on the same schedule for holidays. Others did speak up that’s when they would flip their hybrid schedule to accommodate the change and this had been dealt with in the past by those who do use public transit on the team. If there are issues with transit and a candidate, then it would be handled at a later point but has never been a problem in the past. Another colleague of hers had mentioned having a personal vehicle didn’t always mean it could be reliable with cars not starting, engine issues, electrical problems, traffic, and/or a flat tire that these did cause issues for those who had personal vehicles, while the transit did have delays and didn’t run on certain holidays there were plenty of reasonable workarounds.

After others brought up similar points, the hiring manager did relent and realized that although they did want to make sure the new employee would be able to come into the office when requested, even on short notice but realizing from all members of the team that this has never been a problem in the past and unlikely to be a problem in the future.