disablism
di-SAY-buh-li-zum
Definition
Discriminatory, oppressive, or abusive behavior directed at people with disabilities, including both physical barriers to participation and psychological actions that erode their sense of self-worth and security.
Etymology
Derived from the word 'disable' combined with the suffix '-ism', which denotes a practice, system, or philosophy. It emerged in late 20th-century sociopolitical discourse to describe systemic prejudice against disabled people, paralleling terms like 'racism' or 'sexism'.
In the news
The article uses the term to frame how psychological domestic abuse functions as a form of prejudice, specifically highlighting 'psycho-emotional disablism' as the erosion of a disabled person's self-worth and ontological security.
Invisible harm and constrained response: a conceptual analysis of psychological domestic abuse against disabled people in China
Read the full article ↗Frontiers