Practices and beliefs that assign inferior value to those with developmental, emotional, physical/ sensory, or psychiatric disabilities.
“Deaf” with a capital "D" refers to people with hearing loss who consider themselves part of the Deaf community, and share a common culture and language. Alternatively, “deaf” with a lowercase "d" simply refers to someone who’s medically deaf, but doesn’t consider deafness part of their identity or have a connection to the Deaf community. Often, people who identify as Deaf were born deaf, or become Deaf before they acquire spoken language and communicate in sign language, whereas those who identify as deaf are often late-deafened, don't have a strong connection to the Deaf community, and communicate orally.
“Disabled” with a capital "D" refers to those who are culturally Disabled - meaning they consider their disability part of their identity, and are engaged in the Disabled community whether in person, online, or through art, literature, or activism (keeping in mind barriers to access often prevent Disabled people from gathering together). Alternatively, “disabled” with a lowercase "d" refers to someone who has a disabling condition or illness, but who does not consider disability part of their identity.
Per the Mayo Clinic, Dwarfism is short stature that results from genetic or medical condition. Dwarfism is a medical diagnosis. “Dwarf” is the preferred term for many people with Dwarfism . “M-dget” is a derogatory term for Dwarfs and should be avoided. There is a new generation of people with Dwarfism who use the word Dwarf instead of "Little Person." They view Dwarfism as a culture. It should never be dwarves, always Dwarf or Dwarfs.
A term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols.
The process of managing feelings and expressions in order to fulfill the emotional requirements of a job. More specifically, when workers have to regulate emotions to shape the minds of superiors, co-workers, and customers. Emotional labor more often falls on BIPOC people, especially women (e.g., swallowing down feelings about a racist or sexist comment so as not to make things awkward for another individual, having to fake positivity to placate a customer).
The long-term psychological effects of trauma (both personal and communal) that can be passed down through generations of families and cultures. Beyond psychological, these generational effects are also familial, social, cultural, neurobiological, and possibly even genetic.
An intrinsic, embodied part of who someone is (e.g., race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability), not to be confused with the various experiences, ideologies, and preferences they identify with (e.g., careers, politics, hobbies). Identity shapes our everyday life, psychology, culture, relationships, behavior, and shared history. Identity is deeply personal and language used to describe it is ever-evolving. We must be open to new language as understanding shifts; it’s vital to use the terms, names, and pronouns others use for themselves. Note: Avoid the phrasing “identify as” (e.g. “she is a woman” instead of “she identifies as a woman”; “they are non-binary” vs “they identify as non-binary”).
There are two main types of limb difference: congenital and acquired. Congenital limb difference is also referred to as "limb reduction" or "congenital amputation" and occurs when someone is born missing all or part of their upper and/or lower limbs. Acquired limb difference is also known as "amputation" and occurs when someone has a limb removed for medical reasons, or accidentally due to trauma.
The medical model is a belief long fallen out of favor with the disabled community. It’s the idea that disability might reduce quality of life and, therefore, it should be diminished or corrected through medical intervention. The social model holds that society’s attitudes, structure, and organization causes a disability rather than a person’s impairment or difference causing it (i.e. Someone who is deaf is disabled by a lack of accessible communication, like sign language and captions, rather than their ability to hear. Someone who uses a wheelchair for mobility is disabled by stairs or lack of sidewalks).
Medicare is a U.S. national health insurance program started in 1966 under the Social Security Administration (SSA), which is now administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It primarily provides health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older, but also for younger people with SSA-determined disability status, and people with end stage renal disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).
In 2018, Medicare provided health insurance for 59.9+ million individuals — 52+ million people aged 65 and older and about 8 million younger people. Medicare covers about half of healthcare costs of those enrolled. See here for more Medicare details.
Chronically high levels of stress endured by members of stigmatized communities (e.g., BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, religious minorities, HIV+) caused by the prejudice, discrimination, and systemic oppression they face. This leads to a number of negative mental and physical health disparities among these groups (e.g., internalized racism, transphobia, homophobia; increased risk-taking behavior; anxiety; high blood pressure).
Variations in the brain regarding sociability, learning, attention, mood, and other mental functions in a non-pathological sense. Developmental and psychiatric disabilities often fall under this umbrella.
A pattern of exclusion and marginalization based on having identities that are different from the perceived “norms” of a community, social group, nation, etc. It relies on an “us vs. them” mentality.
“Person with a disability” is the term taught in academic settings and often used by non-disabled caregivers, educators, and/or medical professionals. Identity-First language, e.g., “Disabled Person” is the term often preferred by disabled people, especially those involved in or with access to disabled culture. The Autistic community overall strongly supports this language, contrary to what has been the practice of “Person-First language.”
The conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. These are shaped by the distribution of money, power, and resources at global, national, and local levels. Conditions (e.g., social, economic, physical) in these various environments and settings (e.g., school, church, workplace, neighborhood) have been referred to as “place.” In addition to the more material aspects of “place,” patterns of social engagement and sense of security and well-being are also affected by where people live.
Resources that enhance quality of life can have a significant influence on population health outcomes (e.g., safe and affordable housing, availability of healthy foods, toxin-free environments). How population groups experience “place” directly impacts the specific social components of SDoH (e.g., access to educational, economic, and job opportunities; public safety; language and literacy) and public components of SDoH (e.g., natural environments, built environments). See here for more details.
Refers to art or media that exploits the pain, suffering, and brutalization of marginalized people for the sake of entertainment. These depictions cater to non-marginalized viewers and characters rather than exploring the experience, situation, or POV of the person(s) being victimized. These kinds of depictions are harmful for all viewers as they deny the life and livelihood of those being victimized, devaluing their existence in our communities and society, granting no opportunity for empathy and deeper understanding.
The U.S. Constitution mandates that America gets only one chance every 10 years to count its population. The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States. The data collected determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives (a process called apportionment) and is also used to distribute billions in federal funds to local communities. Find more here.