Empathy – kultivate.au

How to avoid ableist slurs

[4 min read]

CW: ableist slurs, ableism, ignorance. Note: Slurs are censored throughout this post in respect to people who may be affected.

As a kid my classmates’ favourites slurs to use against me was crip*. This would be followed by a laugh from this kid, and sometimes those around him too.

An ableist slur is a word or a phrase used degradingly to exclude, marginalise and discriminate against disabled people.

Today I still hear many ableist slurs around me, most often used by people who are unaware of the impact this can have on us as disabled people. When any person hears derogatory language used about them or their characteristics, it is inevitable that they internalise such damaging beliefs, such as that they’re not good enough.

Why should you care?

Ableist slurs are one tool by which society deems different bodies and minds as subhuman, therefore leaving the power outside the hands of disabled people. Using ableist slurs reinforces the status quo of disabled people being marginalised, excluded, shamed and discriminated against in our society. Ableist slurs therefore, work to further disable people with bodily impairments, cognitive difference, or who are otherwise considered “nontypical.

Historically, people who have been labelled with words such as crip*, craz* or blind have been ostracised, abused, neglected and killed. Unfortunately, that still happens under our watch to disabled children and adults in Australia and beyond.

Almost one in five Australians live with a disability, many of these are invisible or dynamic, so you wouldn’t be able to tell simply by looking at a person. If you believe everyone deserves to develop a healthy sense of self and to be included in our society, then avoiding ableist slurs is a simple way to contribute.

How to avoid ableist slurs?

Ask yourself: Does this word relate to a bodily/cognitive/information processing or other impairment? Has this word been used as a negative description of something (an object, person, behaviour etc)? Has this word been historically used to shame or dehumanise people? What context am I using this word in? Would I use this word if a person with the associated impairment was in the room?
If in doubt, be cautious and choose an alternative word.
Learn from the disability community and other marginalised communities about what is considered a slur.
Find alternatives and practice using them – you can find a list of slurs and alternatives on the Austic Hoya blog here.
Reclaiming disability language is something only the disability community can do. Reclaiming happens when a marginalised group owns back a perviously degrading phrase and creates new meaning to it by purposefully using it. For instance, using the word “disabled” as a way to express one’s feeling of being disabled by society or affiliation with the disability community.
Ask instead of assume – research words you commonly use and check with the disability community and our resources if your language is considered ableist.
Reflect – if you think you may have used ableist language, reflect on your choice of words, apologise if you did, and commit to unlearning your biases.

Liel Bridgford

Psychologist, Writer, Educator

Kultivate Founder & Director

Empathy during an election campaign

By Liel Bridgford [3 min read] – the following piece was first published by Powerd Media.

There is a lot missing from this election campaign, but none more important than empathy.

You want an effective leader who will do something about the issues you care about. Whether it’s cost of living, family violence, disability or mental health, in order for our leaders to take effective action, they need to have the willingness to listen and understand others’ point of view.

Our leaders rarely live through our daily struggles of navigating public transport, or disability support services. To properly fund and direct these essential social structures, they must be able to understand what you are going through.

Even if you don’t need such services now, sooner or later government policies will affect your life – in retirement, when falling ill or starting out a business. If you want social systems to work for you when you need them most, we need empathetic leaders.

Regardless of a representative’s own background or where they position themselves on the political spectrum, they must be able to think outside of their own personal experiences. No non-disabled person will ever fully understand what it’s like to navigate the world when it’s not made for you, but they can try.

As a disabled migrant, when I heard Peter Dutton’s comments about immigration, I could tell he has not listened to the immigrant and refugee communities.

A leader who talks about your priorities but lacks willingness to listen to experiences outside of their own, is unlikely to be an effective leader.

An empathetic leader is more likely to be motivated by the greater good. They are more likely to promote policies based on what people need, because empathy is a motivating emotion. Importantly, empathy improves the effectiveness of leaders.

Empathy will also allow our society to thrive by improving life for our disadvantaged. An empathetic leader who works to meet the needs of our marginalised people, will help our entire society to thrive.

When people’s needs are met, they are far more likely to be a part of our community. Conversely, when people struggle, they are more likely to behave in an antisocial manner. When people are excluded, discriminated against and disenfranchised, they are far more likely to become antisocial, which of course hurts all of us.

Empathy in our voting, and in our leaders, will create a better society for us all. While my communities are often under attack in this campaign, I hold onto the hope that we all have capacity for empathy.

“When I cast my vote, I will be thinking of our leaders’ empathy, and I hope you will too.”