Addressing Ableism in the Workplace
By Catarina Rivera, MSEd, MPH, CPACC
Ableism is one of the -isms that society doesn’t pay enough attention to. If you’ve never thought about ableism in the workplace, it’s time to do just that.
What is ableism exactly?
Ableism is the idea that non-disabled people are more worthy than disabled people, more valuable, more talented. This leads to discrimination, stigma, and prejudice. It’s a false idea that is promoted within society and reinforced throughout the media. Plain and simple, ableism keeps disabled people out of the workforce and leads to discrimination against the disabled community. Even when disabled employees are in the workforce, they can face daily challenges related to ableism like microaggressions and inaccessible company cultures.
How can we address ableism in the workplace?