J is for jokes. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ableist jokes told every day. This can be everything from making fun of your friend for not being able to keep up and calling them “lame” to making jokes about burnt toast smells and saying you had a stroke. If it has to do with someone’s intelligence, that’s another joke to steer clear of as well. Later this month we’ll talk about slurs that are no longer acceptable for anyone to use.
I am DEFINITELY guilty of still making jokes that I shouldn’t. In the last week, I’ve used the word id*ot when I know I should not. I’ve chastised myself for my body being “stupid” that day or joked about my mental health or the mental health of others. It is a process to unlearn. Unlearning is one of the most difficult tasks we face as humans, but one of the most important by far. In this article by Harvard Business Review, you’ll learn more about “jokes” that we should all stop making. I’ll be your accountibilibuddy on this one too. When I see or hear ableist language, I try to call it out. Even if I’m the one who did it. I hope you will too.
J is for Judith Heumann. A disability rights activist, Judith Heumann had polio as a baby and used a wheelchair throughout her life fighting the education system, government, independent living, and more.
Judith first had to fight for her right to even have an education after the local school district claimed that her wheelchair in a classroom created a fire hazard. Later, she went on to become a teacher—but not before having to fight the Board of Education of the City of New York to be allowed a teaching license as it the board did not believe that she could safely get herself or her students out of the building in case of fire.
Judith was also a part of the 504 Sit-in, a protest for the passing of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which set requirements for educational programs to offer federal financial assistance for people with disabilities as well as required any federal or state government-funded organization must comply with reasonable accommodations for education and employment. Any early adopter of the independent living movement, Judith Heumman has continued her work through many changes in power in our state and federal governments.
Check out Judith Neumman’s TED talk here.