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Ableism
Speech
noun
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a system that places value on people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, intelligence, excellence, and productivity. These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in anti-Blackness, eugenics, colonialism, and capitalism.
— Talila "TL" Lewis
Impact
To paraphrase Lewis, ableism "leads to people and society determining who is valuable and worthy based on a person’s appearance and/or their ability to [...] produce, excel, and 'behave.'" You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism, and Disabled people can also reinforce ableism internally (manifesting as harm to themselves) and externally (harm to other disabled people).
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