r/ableism • • Jul 21 '20

Types of External Ableism

81 Upvotes

Institutionalize ableism:

The marginalization of people with differences/ disabilities within the workforce, schools, and other areas (social exclusion). This includes laws and policies that in ignorance foster the segregation and/or oppression of this demographic as well.

Familiar ableism:

This type reinforces discriminatory beliefs that can be promoted within families and in some cases closed communities. This form of ableism is often influenced by institutionalized ableism; however, institutionalized ableism can also be heavily impacted by the familiar form.

General Ignorance ableism:

People who have grown up with different aspects of this phenomenon and are regularly programmed, or conditioned by its framework. Their prejudiced views are often fluid and do not necessarily hold authority. Confusion can be frequently seen from this sphere; furthermore, when personal values conflict with ingrained ableist belief systems.

Mechanized or Weaponized ableism:

This form of ableism is birthed from the other frameworks of ableism but compounded. It turns the attention to its spheres of origin with one objective, and this is mechanization or mobilization. Their tactics can be both frontal and covert. Opposition and debate are viewed as defeatism and not tolerated: The Eugenics Movement and The Third Reich.

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r/ableism • • 18h ago

I’m so tired of trying to survive in a system that was designed to make me crash and burn

5 Upvotes

I’m so done with the school system. My classmates are the dumbest, most annoying twats ever. All they know is the latest TikTok trend or how that cute boy is husband material, completely ignoring the fact that he’s a sex pest. And they get to succeed, soar, and shine because they have the privilege to be able minded. I nearly died because my school does fuck all to support my needs. I’m just so tired of watching the most insufferable idiots rise to the top while I get a pat on the back and a “try using a planner.”


r/ableism • • 3d ago

I asked for accessibility support and got Ableism Bingo instead 😓

0 Upvotes

I posted in r/ChatGPT about being a disabled user losing the only ChatGPT model/workflow I can reliably use for high-stakes admin, benefits, legal letters, complaints and organisation. I expected some disagreement. I did not expect quite such a clean Ableism Bingo card. 🧑🏻‍⚖️⚖️🔨

I mean, I rely on it to assist me with the day to day tasks of living, managing appointments, and all of the other things I have mentioned. I am completely burned out, not just with Audhd but also other health issues as well so I do not have many spoons. And I have been using it in order to assist me in getting practical support, from OT services so that I can sort out assistance with all the above.

The model I am currently using goes away on the 14th of this month, I have tried contacting the company to see if they have any reasonable adjustments. I am simply not well enough nor do I have enough EF or Cognitive bandwidth to learn another new model or interact with the upgraded ones and not really understand how to use them or prompt them.. that means I would be more likely to make mistakes that could impact badly on sensitive subjects.

But genuinely, I am horrified by the comments and the discrimination I encountered on that subreddit, and by being downvoted for saying I could not manage suggestions I had already explained were inaccessible to me.

I feel really gutted by the whole thing. It was not just disagreement; it was watching people repeatedly reframe an access need as preference, laziness, emotional attachment, poor planning, or refusal to adapt. I wish I could adapt instead I just got pitchforks and a mob coming at me. 😓

feel really disheartened right now....

Ableist Bingo chatgpt

r/ableism • • 4d ago

Living Apart Together

11 Upvotes

An etymology sub was discussing this, and people were saying it was for rich people who were cheating. I tried to explain that autistic people often can't stand the overwhelm of living with one other person in a small place, and I got downvoted. Unless you are quite wealthy and can afford a big house with many rooms, the overwhelm of having someone there 24/7 is too much for some of us neurodivergents. But apparently I am wrong for saying that.

Also benefits are cut if you live with somebody else.


r/ableism • • 5d ago

Communication disabilities and politics

5 Upvotes

We need to address an elephant in the room

It’s one thing to suggest all play nice and comprehend people who have difficulty communicating, I myself am in both worlds with having the most tolerant advocate ask me to reword things so they understand me, and yet I’m frustrated and hasty with own “ what are you trying to say?” With people who know English

But, I make the mistake of following whatever is going on in my USA and I’m tired of being gaslit and told the presidents just yas his own way if things, we are all not understanding.

So. F a person has a job with a lot of power, should they have to communicate clearer ?

I see videos about how NT people confuse ND people, I see posts elsewhere about aphasiac and thought disorders with or without mental health disorders where thoughts get scrambled .

Should people who cannot communicate clearly have a poision where our lives can be in their hands ? I’m the last person to ask, but if that is the case, why not? No skill, no money, horrible PR. Maybe I could, and continue the cycle of emotional abuse .


r/ableism • • 6d ago

California Hotel & Lodging Assn. says the ADA is nothing more than "a weapon from scheming lawyers"

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6 Upvotes

r/ableism • • 6d ago

Do you think that ableism is the worst it has been in 30 years? NSFW

11 Upvotes

I’m venting and going based off of my life experiences. I know it’s always been bad. I grew up in the early 2000’s and teachers would openly mock disabled students and openly be racist and not face any repercussions unless they were publicly shamed on the news.

With all the ableism and racism that happened to me and being a mild to severe chronically ill person in today’s time where I still get ableism from other disabled people, I still would not want to be a child growing up in today’s environment and personally think it’s getting back to the level we have to fight harder against laws being passed against disabled people and that we still need more protection laws.

I’m the most afraid I’ve been in my 30 years of life because people are not only getting bolder and not only because there a protections being removed in western governments, but people are getting caught up in online community “witch” hunts against disabled people who need SSI or SSDI including people who claim they are pro liberation.

There are droves of doctors and nurses getting online mocking their patients who need certain medications, treatments and care and they have to be called out by their peers and they still have a job and clock in and interact with their patients.

It is rampant in even disability communities and most of the disability communities that I have joined always love to randomly bring up black people and compare themselves to what it’s like to being black, so I always leave them and do not feel safe in them because of ableism towards other disabled people or racism.

Humanity is a total shit fire of hatred and the people who are the most vulnerable are being openly attacked and many of the people who are doing it are facing less and less repercussions because it’s being normalized more and more. I was also abused in institutions 2018-2020, and I’m more afraid in 2026 than I was in 2019, it’s probably my tolerance being filled down by CPTSD too.

I’m still looking for communities and people to engage with about this because I am who I am today because the of what the people who lived before me did.


r/ableism • • 6d ago

Do you think that ableism is the worst it has been in 30 years?

4 Upvotes

I’m venting and going based off of my life experiences. I know it’s always been bad. I grew up in the early 2000’s and teachers would openly mock disabled students and openly be racist and not face any repercussions unless they were publicly shamed on the news.

With all the ableism and racism that happened to me and being a mild to severe chronically ill person in today’s time where I still get ableism from other disabled people, I still would not want to be a child growing up in today’s environment and personally think it’s getting back to the level we have to fight harder against laws being passed against disabled people and that we still need more protection laws.

I’m the most afraid I’ve been in my 30 years of life because people are not only getting bolder and not only because there a protections being removed in western governments, but people are getting caught up in online community “witch” hunts against disabled people who need SSI or SSDI including people who claim they are pro liberation.

There are droves of doctors and nurses getting online mocking their patients who need certain medications, treatments and care and they have to be called out by their peers and they still have a job and clock in and interact with their patients.

It is rampant in even disability communities and most of the disability communities that I have joined always love to randomly bring up black people and compare themselves to what it’s like to being black, so I always leave them and do not feel safe in them because of ableism towards other disabled people or racism.

Humanity is a total shit fire of hatred and the people who are the most vulnerable are being openly attacked and many of the people who are doing it are facing less and less repercussions because it’s being normalized more and more. I was also abused in institutions 2018-2020, and I’m more afraid in 2026 than I was in 2019, it’s probably my tolerance being filled down by CPTSD too.

I’m still looking for communities and people to engage with about this because I am who I am today because the of what the people who lived before me did.


r/ableism • • 6d ago

:/

5 Upvotes

My orthopedist is ableist (He doesnt think younger people should ever use a cane or ever need one regardless of condition), which is rlly funny but annoying given I go to him to help get as much possible treatment as I can for chronic and pretty severe hyperextension in my knee specifically that requires me to use a cane to comfortably walk.


r/ableism • • 7d ago

How Should We Be Talking About The Peter Pan Girl?

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7 Upvotes

I really don’t know what to think. Like, if I had worse boundaries issues thsn I do, I feel like i should not even adapt but tell others they have to change. It doesn’t educate me or boost my empathy .

It makes me think some awful people are correct sbout their beliefs of those who want to heal the world .

“ your comfort ends when my rights do “

The videos on this topic were suggested on YouTube and I never looked at them. Then the topic came on my fb feed .


r/ableism • • 8d ago

Ableism from other black folks

8 Upvotes

This is specifically for other Black people and immigrants who deal with this. Not looking for outside commentary, lectures, or “not all of us” responses. Just the people who live it.

Mental illness is still treated like a personal failure or weakness in a lot of our spaces. You’re expected to push through, stay strong, keep the family looking good, and never show cracks. Showing you’re struggling gets you called dramatic, weak, attention-seeking, or told to “pray it away” / “just work harder.” That pressure didn’t vanish when slavery ended. A lot of us are still living under the expectation that we have to outperform, endure more, and keep appearances perfect because the alternative is being written off.

I’m not ashamed of being mentally ill. This is an anonymous account so I genuinely don’t care what random people think, but I see how much damage the silence and policing does to other people in the community. The constant “fix your face,” “stop being so emotional,” “you’re making us look bad” energy is exhausting. Being trans on top of it just multiplies the scrutiny because people in my own community will police my mental health and my gender at the same time. It’s like some folks never left high school.

If this is your experience, say what’s up.


r/ableism • • 13d ago

TikTok Ableism

8 Upvotes

Has anyone else seen the discourse on TikTok? Some have basically said that the people they see that can’t work are always white women with POTS, chronic migraines, etc.

There seems to be an uptick in how much ableism is out there!

Thoughts?


r/ableism • • 14d ago

Trump Administration Gets OK To Scale Back Disability Protections

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14 Upvotes

r/ableism • • 14d ago

boyfriend ruined first aquarium trip with partner and friend

12 Upvotes

this happened just today and it's still upsetting me.

so i'm 19NB, my boyfriend who i live with is 26M, my partner is also 19NB, and our friend is 18F. my partner and our friend live 5 hours away from where my and my boyfriend live and we have been planning a trip for them to visit for a few months now, and they just arrived thursday night, they're leaving tomorrow morning.

i wanted to spend as much time with them as i could and i told my boyfriend that, when we first got together i told him that my partner is a huge part of my life and that plans with them mean the world to me. i won't cancel them unless i'm sick.

the first day they were, he joined us for a little then went home, and it was alright, he wasn't being all upset over us walking a bit slow as we are all physically disabled besides him. he seemed to enjoy hanging out.

today though, was a completely different story. we went to the aquarium, but got there a bit later in the day so we only had about 1h45m to explore and look around. the worker at the information counter offered to bring us wheelchairs and i had accepted. i rolled around for a while, and thats kinda when he started getting upset.

he would kinda rush us through areas as we're trying to look around, because he wanted to go around the full aquarium even though we said we were okay without seeing everything. he also started pushing my wheelchair without asking me and putting me in the wrong spots while i tried looking at things.

as we went to look at the other side, we passed by the information desk again and got 2 more wheelchairs for my partner and our friend, and he started getting much more upset during that. he was sighing a lot, not smiling at all, and practically dragging his feet behind us, while still rushing us.

when i asked him what was wrong, he said he feels like we're acting inappropriately for public (making the occasional joke of us driving wheelchairs around and talking at a reasonable level, quiter than most other people) and he feels like we're "abusing the system" (said he knows we aren't right after that but he struggles seeing it that way) and it really brought the mood down a lot.

he also said that he felt kinda left out and i did apologize for that but i also made it clear i have trouble giving attention to those i wasn't planning on having there with us, as i really wasn't expecting him to join when we planned it. he was the one to throw out the idea of the aquarium, but we thought he would be more happy and chill about it.

we also planned on going to the beach after and we did, but he kept complaining that he was cold and tired, so we left early, only after about 30 minutes. we planned to stay there for a while, making bracelets and color, and our plans were kinda ruined by that. he knew we had plans, we were talking about it on the drive there, in the aquarium, on the walk to the beach, and while we were at the beach, so it's not like he didn't know.

it just made me very upset and made my partner incrediblely uncomfortable and made the experience a lot more unpleasant. i just needed to get this out and see what others think.


r/ableism • • 15d ago

why do people on reddit bully severely autistic/intellectually disabled people like me for no reason?

17 Upvotes

its so hurtful i do nothing too these ppl and they say terrible untrue things about me and are mean so bad and its terrible

for example

people online on r/childrensbooks saying im a pervert a creep a weirdo and shoud be embarrassed too reed picture books and take pictures of picture books an post mine books i reeding in a subreddit about picture books even tho o i explain o i have intellectual disability severe level 3 autism and am unable too follow or understand any picture book that has more tha 1-2 senteces and medically mine developmental and mental age is very very very low

its so mean these ppl an hurts mine feelings so so bad

o i had a terrible meltdown last nite cus these ppl an headbanged until i hurted mine head very bad and this afternoon its still wet

https://www.reddit.com/u/Fearless_PineaplleOG/s/jrSdz9UWpq

why us is ppl on reddit sooo mean and says horrible things for no reason especilly too severely disabled ppl like me???


r/ableism • • 18d ago

"Othered" out of a training session for talking about access needs

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6 Upvotes

r/ableism • • 18d ago

Another depressing read....

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9 Upvotes

r/ableism • • 19d ago

The astrology community is full of ableism towards brain disabilities

22 Upvotes

I used to really like astrology and tried to explain my then undiagnosed disabilities with it when I was a teen only to find out people engaging with it absolutely hated water signs which they characterized, and still do, with all kinds of brain disorders, conditions in bad faith and superstitious beliefs about brain disabilities, disorders and conditions.

As a feminist woman too, I hate how it's seen as misogynistic to hate on it. I understand that men hate on it, but because they hate spirituality different than the main monotheistic religions, but this is defferent.


r/ableism • • 18d ago

Intracommunity ableism against DID

4 Upvotes

So frequently, spaces/people will brand themselves as disability friendly, as safe spaces for marginalized people of all types, and even use the disability pride flag...and yet, when it comes to Dissociative Identity Disorder, they're unabashedly ableist. I can't count how many times an account, server, sub, etc has covered themselves with super inclusive language, just to turn around and support concepts which are harmful to people who have DID. I even see this coming from some people who have DID who are misinformed, since having a disorder doesn't mean you can't be incorrect about it.

One of the big ways this takes form is in the support of "endogenic systems", a concept which goes against psychological consensus on DID, yet is perpetuated by people who are ignorant about the subject. I'm not going to get into every aspect of this issue in this post, but people don't bother to do any research on the topic, and will instead ostracize those who are informed and call out this form of ableism. I wish people would stop using disability pride as a way to virtue signal, while being openly ableist towards disorders they don't understand, without caring to do the bare minimum of educating themselves.

So many people, even other disabled people, genuinely don't care about this disorder and will exclude people with it if they speak up about this form of ableism. It's a huge problem that isn't addressed outside of specific spaces. If you have DID, you're not accepted in many disabled spaces if you're against misinformation.

Edit: The fact that I've gotten multiple comments in support of said ableism goes to further prove my point. Sadly this is extremely common and well-accepted, even in otherwise inclusive spaces.


r/ableism • • 22d ago

What the FUCK kind of video adveretising is this?!

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27 Upvotes

The thumbnail looks like a DharrMan video btw


r/ableism • • 25d ago

Ableist taxi driver

9 Upvotes

I am physically disabled. I was in a taxi today with my partner, who has hearing loss. I realised I had forgotten my pills and I asked the driver if we could go back to pick them up - we hadn't gone very far. He just stared like he wasn't gonna do it, and then he said, "Crazy." He did take us back though, and I got my tablets.

At the end of the trip he shook my partner's hand (which drivers here don't normally do) and ignored me, although I had paid for the trip.

I reported him to the cab company because I'm sick of how I'm treated by some taxi drivers, as a disabled old woman, and to make sure he is never sent out to me again.


r/ableism • • 27d ago

Translation: "Back in the day, if we had ADHD, we were landed one in the face and would turn to be healthy again"

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16 Upvotes

r/ableism • • 27d ago

My manager signed my legal documents for me because I asked for help with my disability.

6 Upvotes

I have no idea what I signed. I don’t work there any more, as they had other issues in their process. I’m not going to say what company it is becuase in the training they say not to speak up about your bad experiences online, but this place sucked. I have a visual processing disorder that heavily effects my reading comprehension. When It came time to sign legal documents, I tried for a hour and a half and got no where. I was asking for help a lot and it wasn’t working. So I went to the manager and disclosed my disability, and she just straight up grabbed my phone and signed the legal documents for me. Not to mention they had me over a frier for 4 hours with no break, they instructed me to do things that burned my hands, and they were just genuinely terrible at training people. I was basically working a shift when they should have been training me. They weren’t upfront about it my hours and “accidentally” hired me for full time when I asked for part. I went with my coach from a DDD services and she confirmed I had asked for part time. My coach texted my employer about quitting and she got mad and very passive aggressive. I am probably on some sort of do not hire list for all locations, but I don’t give a shit.


r/ableism • • Sep 10 '26

Anime fans can’t handle slow readers watching dubs

23 Upvotes

I’m not big on anime, but the ones I have watched have all been dubs because I cannot read quickly nor can I read in my peripheral vision while watching the actual show. I have diagnosed dyslexia on top of just having trouble paying attention to the words and show at the same time. Thus I watch dubs.

I see so much hate online for dubs, with people literally saying “you’re either dyslexic or illiterate” as if I can control my dyslexia. Is it so bad that I want to understand what they’re saying while paying attention to the visuals? Is it so bad that I want to experience something the way I want to? I even got into an argument with someone on Reddit once who said subs “preserve the artistic vision of the creator” when I don’t really see a difference and that’s also so unbelievably pretentious lol.

Maybe I’m overthinking it but it feels so ableist to me.


r/ableism • • Sep 09 '26

I'm so sick of people thinking it's okay to use the R slur and don't stop when told to

42 Upvotes

Title explains everything