The popular Persian poet Rumi wrote, “Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” Our words are our power — a fragment of our thoughts and our form of expression — but they can also be our weapon. Intentional or not, our words may often reflect “language that is derogatory, abusive or negative about disability,” or ableist language, as explained by People With Disability Australia. This language may be characterized as microaggressions, defined by psychologist Derald W. Sue and Vox as "The everyday slights, indignities, put downs and insults that people of color, women, LGBT populations or those who are marginalized experiences in their day-to-day interactions with people,” or they can be very explicitly discriminatory. In order to comprehend how ableist language and microaggressions can be harmful, particularly against individuals who are neurodivergent, it is crucial to understand how many of those under the neurodiversity umbrella comprise marginalized groups.
The Young African Leaders Initiative describes marginalized groups as “people who, for whatever reason, are denied involvement in mainstream economic, political, cultural and social activities.” In other words, these communities, groups, or individuals are deemed powerless and their voices are often suppressed. In an article by Dr. Nathaniel Granger titled “Marginalization: The Pendulum Swings Both Ways,” Dr. Granger elucidates on this concept. He considers marginalization a “social process,” one controlled by society’s perception and one that forces individuals or groups to be excluded. In this case, the exclusion often extends from public policy to day to day accessibility to the workplace. Dr. Granger illuminates the workplace example specifically, stating, “In Dr. Wes Shera’s book “Emerging Perspectives on Anti-Oppressive Practice,” Grandz discusses an employer’s viewpoint about hiring individuals living with disabilities as jeopardizing productivity, increasing the rate of absenteeism, and creating more accidents in the workplace. Also in this publication, Cantor discusses employer concern about the excessively high cost of accommodating people with disabilities. The marginalization of individuals with disabilities is prevalent today, despite the legislation intended to prevent it in most Western countries, and the academic achievements, skills, and training of many disabled people.” This article is one of many that highlights the inherent stereotypes associated with neurodivergent individuals, frequently attempting to obstruct their ability to flourish in our society. This perception of a diminished contribution, although untrue, can bleed into everyday conversation as well.
Ableist language and microaggressions, described as “the expression of a discriminatory preference for someone without a disability”, can be presented in multiple ways (Byrne-Haber, CPACC). According to Caltech’s list of ableist terms and phrases, specific terms such as “suffers from”, “idiot” and “insane” are extremely harmful for those with disabilities and undermines their identities separate from their conditions. Specifically, by describing any particular condition as something that an individual “suffers” from devalues the strengths of neurodivergent individuals as a result of their condition despite the different skill sets that they may obtain such as a more grand perspective. Setting the mindset that society should view each condition as unwanted puts the neurodiverse community in a position where their individual talents are not recognized in a world that is trained to pity rather than embrace them.
While ableist language and microaggressions may not always be intentional, the underlying implications of the usage of specific terms and phrases hinders neurodivergent individuals from being recognized in a society that can greatly benefit from the use of their skills and strengths. According to the Harvard Business Review, although neurodivergent individuals may need accomodations in the workplace, whether that be a different office layout or noise cancellation headphones, “in many cases the accommodations and challenges are manageable and the potential returns are great”. The neurodiverse community can “bring new perspectives to a company’s efforts to create or recognize value” (Austin and Pisano, Harvard Business Review) but only if we allow their ideas to be spotlighted. It is important that we are mindful of the way we portray neurodiversity and by avoiding language that can diminish their potential contributions to the world around them. Educating yourself on respectful dialogue that uplifts the community permits society to grow more accepting and open minded to all that the neurodiverse community has to offer.
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