Disability Pride: Rejecting Ableism
By Marie Dagenais-Lewis, Diversability
Person smiling, eyes closed, with small white flowers behind them. Credit: Canva Stock Photos
As a disabled content creator with a heart for anti-ableism and Disability Pride, I can always count on there being someone who is trolling my comments and cyberbullying. Disability Pride will look different across our community — from parades, panels, and parties to lobbying, learning, and advocacy. July may be Disability Pride Month, but Disability Pride is a continuous journey that must go on throughout the year.
Disability Pride can be a form of radical self-acceptance that teaches disabled people to embrace disability as a part of our whole self. It shifts the paradigm surrounding disability, replacing the shameful stigma with a culture that honors and values the disabled experience. It helps society to understand that disability is a natural part of diversity and find strength in creating an identity where disability is a celebrated part of it. Thanks to Disability Pride, I’ve been able to replace my old self-loathing nature with one based on self-love…how could anyone find fault in that?
The answer is ableism.
Before the term “ableism” was coined in the 1960s, it was nearly universally believed that differences like disability make people inferior. Ableism has been the driving force behind many historical moments from Ancient Spartan Lawsrequiring disabled babies to be thrown into a pit off Mount Taygetus to the Eugenics Movement, which started in the 1880s and ended in the systematic sterilization and murder of millions by Nazi Germany. The devaluation of disabled people has been normalized by the masses for generations, but the Disability Pride movement challenges this status quo.
It’s important to acknowledge that finding amusement at the expense of disabled people is nothing new — history shows us that the Ableist Society has a nasty habit of using disabled people as a form of entertainment. The longstanding tradition dates back to ancient times. In Ancient Rome, the emperor Augustus displayed disabled bodies for the people to view. Enslaved disabled people were also kept on display separately from other enslaved people in “Markets of Monsters.” They were so profitable that some enslaved people were kept in special cages to deliberately cause disability. Emperors and other wealthy Romans kept disabled people, whom they would call “fools,” around them for amusement.
In Medieval Europe, disabled people were put in cages in the town centers to “keep them out of trouble.” These “Idiot Cages,” as they were called, doubled as entertainment for the townspeople. Disabled people were also exported by communities, leading to the creation of “Ships of Fools,” which would sail from port to port and charge admission for patrons to view the human cargo. Much like their Ancient counterparts, Royal Courts kept disabled people as “fools” and found amusement in their unintentional behavior/speech. The 16th century also saw “Freak Shows” rise in prominence, and these remained popular well into the 20th century.
While a number of states in the U.S. have passed laws that outlawed displaying “extraordinary” bodies as a form of entertainment, the Ableist Society has evolved to create new ways of finding amusement in the disabled. It’s still socially acceptable for comedy to poke fun at the expense of disability, which is an ableist microaggression we see go unchallenged time and time again. From the playground to worldwide televised events, we as disabled people are expected to laugh along while vulnerable parts of ourselves are made into the butt of a joke.
Social media has also become an avenue for the modern Ableist Society to taunt and attack disabled people. These platforms have streamlined access to disabled people, and anyone can utilize this content in a way that suits their needs. With no personal connection and thousands of years of social norms supporting them, it is easy for ableist trolls to become keyboard comedians. Empowered behind a screen and keyboard, they find enjoyment in minimizing disabled content creators through ignorance, insults, and invalidation.
This cyberbullying goes beyond the “innocence” of seeking entertainment — those who find amusement in harassing the disabled are unconsciously protecting systems of oppression. Trolling serves as a way of silencing marginalized voices. If disabled creators feel insecure and fearful about being teased, then we will be less likely to put ourselves out there to challenge the systems. It takes a lot of mindful self-talk to not have your confidence shaken after being subjected to unexpected hostility. In these moments, it’s critical to have enough knowledge of Disability Pride, which helps us say “no more.”
In response to the previously mentioned trolls and cyberbullies, I have created numerous video retorts to their hate. Afterward, I learned from other disabled creators that the same accounts have attacked them. It seems that some individuals have found a hobby in devaluing disabled creators. Hateful language gets spewed during the process, ironically becoming the reason that Disability Pride is essential in the first place.
Disability Pride is the strongest tool in our arsenal when it comes to dismantling the Ableist Society. The self-acceptance that Disability Pride brings to disabled people is our Mjollnir; like Thor’s hammer, it allows us to fight back against the evils of one of the World’s longest-standing generational curses. When we are proud, we know our worth and demand others around us acknowledge it, too. When we are proud, we enforce our boundaries and stop bending to the will of the Ableist Society. When we are proud, we can’t be pitied, we can’t be minimized, and we can’t be eradicated. This is a terrifying concept for those who find comfort and power in ableism — but we can’t let their discomfort prevent us from finding our power in our Pride.
This piece was originally posted in collaboration with The Datekeepers.
About the Author:
Marie Dagenais-Lewis is an anti-ableist thought leader who created @r.a.r.e.advoc8 and the Chronically Spooky Series. As a member of the Diversability team, she works to ensure the disabled experience is celebrated through community with the Diversability Leadership Collective.
As a disabled content creator with a heart for anti-ableism and Disability Pride, I can always count on there being someone who is trolling my comments and cyberbullying.