Ableism ep 1

This podcast episode introduces the topic of ableism and its impact on individuals with disabilities. The guest, Mursalyn, discusses the definition of ableism and highlights the importance of using respectful language when referring to people with disabilities. They also mention the negative impact of the R slur and the need for awareness and education to combat ableism. The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to promote inclusivity, advocate for change, and support disability rights organizations. The next episode will focus on the history of ableism. Hello everyone! Welcome to our new podcast, Let's Talk About Ableism. I am your host, Ella Fundas. Throughout this short series, we will cover everything we can on the social justice issue of ableism. Each episode, we will have a guest to discuss their knowledge of this issue and what information they believe people need to know. So today, on our first episode, we have special guest, Mursalyn. She is going to talk about the basics of ableism and the proper language to use that is more respectful when speaking to a person with a disability. She is also going to highlight the key details in history that led to this issue. So please welcome Mursalyn! Hi Mursalyn, how are you doing? Hi, hello, I'm doing well. Oh my goodness. Okay, thank you for coming on here today. Thank you for having me. So I believe, and I know you believe, that ableism is something a lot of people are not educated on. And today we are working to change that. So let's just get into it. Tell me a little bit about what ableism is. Yes, so ableism is often described as the discrimination that is done against those who have any kind of disability. The exact definition, according to the Center of Disability Rights, is Ableism is a set of beliefs or practices that devalue and discriminate against people with physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities. And often rests on the assumption that people with disabilities need to be fixed in one form or the other. A lot of people don't realize that some of the things we do lean towards ableism, even something as simple as using one of the handicapped stalls when you could use the smaller ones. That is a form of ableism. Ableism is not always like direct slurs or discrimination towards the individual, but it could be indirect things like the two examples I mentioned. Yes, so ableism is a problem in our community. And we really do need to talk about it in order to make a difference. Yes. So something personal about me. So my whole life I've grown up being taught about what disabilities are. My mom worked in special ed. So I've been surrounded by so many amazing people that also have disabilities. In high school, I made a huge effort to inform my peers about disabilities and how inclusion is so incredibly important. Yes. Myrcelin, can you explain for those who may not know, what exactly is a disability? What qualifies something as a disability? Yes, so a disability, it's not something you can control or change. A lot of people are born with it, and some are later on diagnosed with it. Some get disabilities by accident. Every individual with a disability faces many different struggles. These struggles can range from a physical disability, intellectual disability, a behavioral disability, and so on. Right. So a disability can present in an unlimited amount of ways. A lot of times I have even ran into people that I wouldn't even know had a disability if we hadn't talked about it. Yes. This is something that is super important to remember because a lot of times when someone is acting in an ableist way, they may not even realize what the impact it has on the people around them. So who does ableism impact and who does it impact more than others? Whether or not someone has a disability, ableism affects us all in different ways. Some of us might witness it in action, and those who have a disability often are limited to opportunities because of ableism. It impacts our society as a whole and our ability to progress to a better future and be a better version of ourselves. Ableism affects the fair chance of everyone being involved and having the right to do things. Yeah, so I think that gives us a good basis to go off of when talking about what ableism is. So when referring to a person with a disability, there is a certain kind of language that is considered more respectful than what was once acceptable. Yes. Can you talk about this? Yeah. So an example of this would be people's first language. This is used to refer to the person before characteristics. The purpose of this is to recognize that the individual is a person's first and that their disability does not define who they are. An example of this would be instead of disabled person using person with a disability, this is the same for someone who is homeless. Instead of saying homeless person, saying this person is experiencing homelessness or a person who is homeless. While people's first language is a respectful way of referring to people living with disabilities, there are also some unkind ways that were once widely used, such as the R word, which is more known as the R slur. It's no longer an acceptable term in society. It has a negative connotation because of its history and it harms people because of its offensive meaning. It is known as hate speech and it has been used to degrade and discriminate against people with an intellectual disability to stereotype them into a category of people that need to be taken care of and act as if they are a burden. This term originally stems from the medical term mental retardation. However, since medical experts have shifted to using the more respectful and less harmful term, they start to use intellectual disability instead of the R slur. Thank you for hitting on both people's first language and the R slur. A lot of people aren't educated on these things. I would be really surprised. While it is important to learn about them and educate yourself, it is also important to incorporate them into your own lives and your peers. So this means while you can go on and pledge to never say the R slur, you should also be consistent in that and say something when you hear someone else say it or when you hear someone calling a person handicapped, for example. You don't necessarily have to be rude unless you have to, but just kindly saying something that is no longer a respectful word to use and it is very offensive or saying you should say blank instead. Like a person with a disability instead of disabled. There are all kinds of ways to redirect the person. And now knowing this knowledge, you as a listener have a responsibility as a person in your community to stand up to these things. Super important if we want to make change. So on this note, why would educating people about ableism be so important beside everything we have already talked about? Educating people about ableism is super important because it helps raise awareness and promote inclusivity and equality for individuals with disabilities. By understanding ableism, people can recognize and challenge discriminatory attitudes and behavior towards disabled individuals. We can lead to a more educated and inclusive society. Yeah, I think educating people about ableism is so important for so many reasons. Many times a lot of us are not even aware of something we are saying or even doing and that it's ableist. So by spreading awareness of what this problem actually is and how each individual can play a role in contributing to decreasing these behaviors. Right. So after our listeners are done listening to this podcast and the next episode, what are some important points they should take with them that will help us as a community prevent ableism? Hopefully for our audience that is listening to this podcast, hopefully they can take the points to prevent ableism by education, being educated, and educating others. Promoting education and awareness about disabilities and ableism in schools, workplaces, and communities. This can help reduce ignorance and promote understanding and empathy. Another point is language. Be mindful of the language you are using when referring to disabled individuals. Avoid offensive terms or language that perpetrates stereotypes or stigmatizes disabilities. Number three, accessibility. Ensure that public spaces, transportation, and digital platforms are accessible to people with disabilities. Again, just like we discussed, some of these are often occurring in a direct form of ableism. Number four, representation. Encourage media and entertainment and advertising industries to represent people with disabilities, individuals in a diverse and positive manner. This can help challenge stereotypes and promote inclusivity. And finally, advocacy. Support disability rights organizations and initiatives that work towards creating a more inclusive society. By advocating for policy changes and equal opportunities, we can help prevent ableism. Yeah, those are all great points, and a lot of them don't even require much work. Yeah. So thank you so much, Marcelyn, for coming on here today. Thank you for having me. I was able to learn so much, and I think our listeners will too. I also appreciate you being vulnerable and letting us into your perspective of this issue. This is an important issue that needs to start being addressed more with increased concern. Yes. So next episode, we will have Aziti on here, and she will be talking about the history of ableism and how we have gotten to where we are today. So thank you all for joining us today on Let's Talk About Ableism. Bye!