Working Definition of Ableism

Here, I provide English text and audio as well as a rough ASL transexpansion (quasi translation with a lot of expansions) of the 2022 edition of my living definition of ableism.

Spoken English of full Jan. 1, 2022 blog post including definition (audio-visual): 00:00 - 02:31
ASL transexpansion: 02:45 - 11:36
Spoken English with text only: 11:37 - 13:10

Visit my blog at bit.ly/ableism2022 to access the links mentioned for 2019, 2020, 2012, and for other resources.

Transcript & video description:

[Talila A. Lewis, a dark skinned Black person is seated speaking+signing. Lewis wears a navy blue top with a red camisole peeking under, a red durag, with a paisley printed scarf overtop and a goucho style navy cowboy hat. Lewis has multiple chains, rings and pulseras/bracelets of many colors]

Non/responses to the pandemic have painfully and chillingly illustrated how people, systems, society, etc., use purported "fitness/health/wellness," as well as age, location, and other factors to make decisions about worthiness and value.

This year, my living ableism definition modifications explicitly name birth place and living place. I removed the term "nationality" to avoid feeding into settler-imperialist conceptions of space/place and invite people to consider "living place" very expansively so as to include people who have pathological/criminal labels that invite surveillance, incarceration, institutionalization, etc., and for people who are transient, nomadic, non-possessory in how they exist, and more.

Previous definitions and additional context can be found here (2021), here (2020), and here (2019). Here is my updated living definition for this year:

A system of assigning value to people's bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, desirability, intelligence, excellence, and fitness. These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in eugenics, anti-Blackness, misogyny, colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism.

This systemic oppression leads to people and society determining people's value based on their culture, age, language, appearance, religion, birth or living place, "health/wellness", and/or their ability to satisfactorily re/produce, "excel" and "behave."

You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism.

working definition by Talila A. Lewis, updated January 2022, developed in community with disabled Black/Indigenous & negatively racialized people. More info: bit.ly/ableism2022.