Effects Of Ableism
The Harmful Effects of Ableism
When left unchallenged, an intuition’s ableist practices are internalized and accepted by the students with disabilities (Hodge & Runswick-Cole, 2013). Ableism creates the belief system that “disability not only affects what people can do, but what people can be” (Hodge & Runswick-Cole, 2013, p. 314). The perception that people with special needs are not worthy of friendship or “worth the effort” affects peer and teacher relationships, which affect a student’s psychological well- being. This can in turn affect a student's academic success (Storey, 2007; Hodge & Runswick-Cole, 2013).
Parents of students with disabilities often feel unwelcome at the school or in the community, and thus will often segregate their
students by making the decision to place the student in alternative classrooms or having the student attend group activities that are designated for the particular “label” of the student. Parents feel like they are better understood and their child’s needs to will be better met by the teachers (Storey, 2007; Hodge & Runswick-Cole, 2013). Students with special needs are not always be able to explain their experiences with ableism. This can lead the student to feel like it is his or her fault that they have a disability and not caused by the structures within their environment (Hodge & Runswick, 2013).
In post-secondary education and in their adult lives students often have “private identities” meaning that students only privately identify themselves as someone with a disability in order to keep their identity “normal”. When ableist notions continue into a student’s adult life it may keep them from achieving their post- secondary goals, due to experiencing repeated expectations from society that will are not “able” to accomplish as much as someone without a disability (Hutcheon & Wolbring, 2012; McLean, 2011
When left unchallenged, an intuition’s ableist practices are internalized and accepted by the students with disabilities (Hodge & Runswick-Cole, 2013). Ableism creates the belief system that “disability not only affects what people can do, but what people can be” (Hodge & Runswick-Cole, 2013, p. 314). The perception that people with special needs are not worthy of friendship or “worth the effort” affects peer and teacher relationships, which affect a student’s psychological well- being. This can in turn affect a student's academic success (Storey, 2007; Hodge & Runswick-Cole, 2013).
Parents of students with disabilities often feel unwelcome at the school or in the community, and thus will often segregate their
students by making the decision to place the student in alternative classrooms or having the student attend group activities that are designated for the particular “label” of the student. Parents feel like they are better understood and their child’s needs to will be better met by the teachers (Storey, 2007; Hodge & Runswick-Cole, 2013). Students with special needs are not always be able to explain their experiences with ableism. This can lead the student to feel like it is his or her fault that they have a disability and not caused by the structures within their environment (Hodge & Runswick, 2013).
In post-secondary education and in their adult lives students often have “private identities” meaning that students only privately identify themselves as someone with a disability in order to keep their identity “normal”. When ableist notions continue into a student’s adult life it may keep them from achieving their post- secondary goals, due to experiencing repeated expectations from society that will are not “able” to accomplish as much as someone without a disability (Hutcheon & Wolbring, 2012; McLean, 2011