ABA Inside Track – Episode 295: Ableism in Schools

Date: December 11, 2024
Hosts: Robert (Rob) Perry Crews, Jackie McDonald, Diana Perry Cruz

Overview

This episode focuses on ableism in schools—the systemic discrimination against disabled individuals embedded in educational practices, language, and policies. The hosts use recent research articles to unpack the ways ableist beliefs and structures pervade schools, reflect candidly on their own biases, and discuss practical steps practitioners and educators can take to combat ableism and shift toward more inclusive, strength-based approaches.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Reflections and the Challenge of Ableism

• Hosts’ Journeys: The team shares how they became interested in ableism, commenting on the discomfort and growth that comes from recognizing personal complicity and the pervasiveness of ableist language in education and behavior analysis.
  • “Some of the areas where these are ableist practices...I found myself with a lot of the ‘here’s some ideas or ways we could move away from that’ really struggling with...Yeah, but like, I really, yeah, butted so much of these articles...it was a little scary to think about. Oh man, ...I could be one of the people that I’ve been increasingly frustrated with in the world.”
    — Rob Perry Crews (07:38)
  • “I found myself reflected in many of the articles and what I have been writing and what I have been saying and without even thinking, right, because our language is embedded in our society.”
    — Jackie McDonald (08:32)

2. Definition and Nature of Ableism [12:20–16:51]

• Definition: Described as “a pervasive system of discrimination and exclusion that oppresses people who have mental, emotional and physical disabilities.”
  • Quoting Rauscher & McClintock: “Ableism is a pervasive system of discrimination and exclusion that oppresses people who have mental, emotional and physical disabilities... deeply rooted beliefs and... an environment that is often hostile to those whose abilities fall out of the scope of what is currently defined as socially acceptable.” (13:34–13:48)
• Embeddedness: Unlike overt discrimination, ableism is insidious, often unintentional, and normalized in both language and school structures.
• Comparison with other ‘isms’: Just as pernicious as racism, ageism, or sexism, but less discussed.

3. Historical Framing and Language [21:45–26:55]

• Medical Model Origins: Disabilities historically defined as deficiencies, with language contributing to social perceptions of inferiority.
  • “Right from the get go, when they said, okay, you have this disability, they were automatically characterized as less than because of the language that was surrounded by it.”
    — Jackie (22:25)
  • Hosts imagine: What if autism was described initially as a strength or just “another way to be”?
• Language Shift: Recognizing limits of “eliminating stereotypes.” The goal should be cultural responsiveness—listening to individuals’ experiences and needs, not assuming one can fully “know” another’s culture or identity.

4. Ableist Structures in Education [31:03–34:18]

• Special Education: Examined critically—does it liberate by personalizing learning or reinforce exclusion by aiming to ‘catch up’ or ‘normalize’?
  • "You're never going to be doing the same things as our normal students, therefore give them their own scope and sequence...The other type of special education is: you're behind and my job is to catch you up...Which again also points to why do they need to be caught up? Why doesn’t the regular ed teacher just teach better?"
    — Rob (31:03)
• Curricular Priorities: Questions the rationale of what is taught and why functional skills are reserved only for those in special ed.

5. Case Study: Ableism in School Reform Initiatives (Timberlake, 2020) [37:53–55:38]

• Educational Initiatives Reviewed:
  • Alternate Assessments: Intended for fairness, often reinforce otherness and separation; teachers express uncertainty, often removing disabled students from regular settings.
    • “A lot of real concepts about how the students in order to access these ideally equitable practices really just ended up with a lot of the students with disabilities being othered from the other groups.” (46:55)
    • "We can't just dump them in regular classes where everything's over their head..." (48:41)
  • Scripted Curricular Modules: “One-size-fits-all” approaches erase individualization and exclude disability representation.
  • Project-Based Learning: May promote inclusion but often rests on “capitalist” values, judging students by workforce readiness.
• Language as a Red Flag: Discussion reveals how terms like “dumping them in regular classes” devalue students and reflect ableist frames.

6. Inspiration Porn and Tokenism in Schools [55:38–56:54]

• Feel-good “Inspiration” Stories: E.g., allowing a student with disabilities to score a touchdown.
  • Labeled as “inspiration porn”, these stories serve the feelings of non-disabled people and reinforce otherness instead of true inclusion.
    • "That is, like you said, giving everybody else a pat on the back because they make. It makes them feel good…That's what that's called. So you're right to feel weird about it. And we don't want to do that."
      — Diana (56:18)

7. Guidance for Anti-Ableist Language (Bottema-Beutel et al., 2020) [57:15–65:45]

• Checklist for Communication (see [59:00]):
  • Would I use this language with an autistic person?
  • Does it imply autistic people are inferior or need fixing/cure?
  • Is it overly medicalized?
  • Is it based on tradition despite being stigmatizing?
  • Does it unnecessarily “other” autistic people?
• Practical Suggestions ([Table 1, 61:26]):
  • Instead of “special interests,” use “areas of expertise” or “focused interests."
  • Swap “special needs” for “specific supports.”
  • Use “targeted education” instead of “special education.”
  • Avoid “challenging/problem behavior”—describe specific behaviors.
  • Replace “treatment” with “support services” or “educational strategies.”
  • Shift from “autism as an epidemic” to “autism as increasingly recognized or diagnosed.”

8. Combating Ableism: Recommendations (Story, 2007) [66:33–78:03]

• Ability Awareness: Discuss disabilities openly, not as taboos; everyone is different, needing different supports.
• Address Classroom Norms: E.g., expecting everyone to sit still and listen may disadvantage neurodivergent students.
  • “The expectation that everyone's got to sit on the floor, crisscross applesauce...could be an ableist expectation for someone whose neurotype is different and could learn in a different way.”
    — Diana (67:03)
• Meaningful Inclusion: Avoid “buddy” systems where disabled students are treated as sidekicks; inclusion means genuine participation.
• Representation and Presumed Competence: Employ staff with disabilities, avoid talking about individuals as if they’re not present, and presume competence in all students.
• Teacher Training: Professional development should center disabled voices and lived expertise.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Reflection:
  “If you find yourself referring to a group people as ‘them,’ you probably want to pause that sentence and reflect.”
  — Diana Perry Cruz (49:50)
• On Language Shifts:
  “I think I need to change my language in order to support my actual feelings and thoughts based on what I have in the past written.”
  — Jackie McDonald (59:04)
• On Tokenism:
  “It just feels icky and it has a name...‘inspiration porn’...told at the expense of the person with the disability and makes everyone else look so great for allowing them this opportunity.”
  — Diana Perry Cruz (56:18)
• On Individualization:
  “It has to be approached individually.”
  — Diana (34:18)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Definition & Nature of Ableism: [12:20–16:51]
• Impact of Language & Medical Model: [21:45–26:55]
• Dilemmas in Special Education: [31:03–34:18]
• Educational Initiative Case Studies: [37:53–55:38]
• Inspiration Porn and School Tokenism: [55:38–56:54]
• Checklist & Language Suggestions: [57:15–65:45]
• Combating Ableism—Recommendations: [66:33–78:03]

Final Takeaways & Recommendations

• Self-Reflection: Combatting ableism begins with continual, honest self-reflection—including discomfort—among educators and practitioners.
• Change Language, Change Culture: Adjusting the way we speak about disability can help shift broader societal attitudes and behaviors.
• Push Beyond Stereotypes: Tokenistic gestures of inclusion or one-size-fits-all reforms often reinforce ableism rather than disrupt it.
• Prioritize Flexible, Individualized Supports: Move toward “targeted education” and strengths-based support for all students, not just those with IEPs or 504 plans.
• Listen to Disabled Voices: In policy, training, and curriculum—center and defer to the lived expertise of disabled individuals.

Related ABA Inside Track Episodes

• Episode 165: Quality of Life
• Episode 160: Incorporating Unique Interests (w/ Tamika Meadows)
• Episode 251: Self Determination in IEP Planning
• Episode 236: Assent and Self Determination (w/ Alex Kishbaugh & Dr. Haley Steinhauser)
• Episodes 268, 280, 281: Neurodiversity Series
• Book Club: “NeuroTribes” (1001-level episodes)

Pairings & Ending

• Snack Pairing: “Square pizza, corn and chocolate milk”—the emblem of an average school lunch, symbolizing the “one-size-fits-all” experience that the episode critiques.
• Final Thought (Diana):
  “Giving people skills and education isn’t enough... We need to really make concerted effort towards identifying [ableism], allowing people to sit with it and move, move through it, so that they can then become... anti ableism advocates and allies.” (77:33)