Ableism at Stuyvesant

After a difficult biology test last year, my friend, frustrated by the marks all over his scantron, complained, “I can’t believe I misbubbled a few questions.” Someone nearby laughed, commenting, “You’re so autistic.” Although my friend’s grade was later fixed, the implications of the comment still stuck with me. The way my classmates were able to use autism as a joke made me wonder how the experiences of my actually neurodivergent friends were casually thrown around as insults. 

This is not an isolated incident at Stuyvesant, and these comments are certainly not uncommon in society. I frequently hear similar remarks where a neurodevelopmental disorder, usually autism, is casually thrown around as an explanation for a mistake. Although such comments aren’t intended to directly insult neurodivergent students, they can have an equally undesirable effect. 

Ableism—any form of discrimination against people with disabilities—presents itself in two primary forms: systemic and personal. Systemic ableism includes policies that try to exclude people with disabilities from society. For instance, until the passing of acts such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, it was legal to exclude many individuals with disabilities from employment and even from entering stores as consumers. Personal ableism refers to discrimination on an individual level, such as stereotyping or avoiding people with disabilities. This form of ableism is the type we see more often at Stuyvesant, usually through offhand comments.

Ableist mentalities are caused by a variety of factors. For example, many nondisabled individuals don’t know how to act around people with disabilities, causing them to avoid interactions with them. Within Stuyvesant, this can be seen when people avoid or don’t make eye contact with students from P226M when passing them in the hallway. Although the intention of such interactions is rarely to demean others, it can come off as rude—by hiding from a community we’re mostly unfamiliar with, we imply that we aren’t accepting of them.

Another major reason for such ableist comments is a lack of awareness about disabilities. Many assume that people with disabilities can’t be as successful or live as happy lives as those without, and implicit assumptions can lead well-intentioned comments to come off as hurtful. For example, commenting that a disabled person’s success is impressive “for a disabled person” may give the impression that one thinks disabled people aren’t capable. Regardless of the different needs or support systems disabled individuals may require, it is important to recognize that incessantly emphasizing their disabilities is not helpful. Instead, shifting our tones to converse with disabled individuals in the same way we would converse with someone without disabilities can be more positively impactful. 

By making remarks implying that careless mistakes and forgetfulness are characteristics of neurodivergence, we normalize the ableist idea that neurodivergent students are unintelligent. Even though many students justify these comments, saying they “wouldn’t actually say that to someone with autism,” the normalization of such ideas creates implicit bias, which refers to subconscious prejudices, and they become stronger as they are repeated. The normalization of these stereotypes or assumptions allows students to grow comfortable with hearing insensitive comments and even slurs that are used on a daily basis. Implicit biases are often regarded as difficult to wipe from society because of their prevalence and people’s lack of awareness that they hold such biases. However, that doesn’t mean implicit biases against neurodivergent students are impossible to remove from Stuyvesant.

In order to combat ableism at Stuyvesant, we need to make efforts to increase awareness about neurodevelopmental disorders and the negative impact of ableist language. Beyond rude comments about disabilities, the r-slur is also very commonly used in conversation. In my chemistry lab, students use the r-slur when somebody messes up their lab or doesn’t understand the instructions. Though the word is used in the same way that “idiot” might be used, it is a slur historically used to stigmatized those with intellectual disabilities. It’s important to point out the harm it has when we hear someone use it.

Making people recognize their own implicit biases is crucial to change attitudes. Social movements such as Black Lives Matter have had critical roles in altering people’s mentalities because they bring implicit biases to the forefront of our attention. If similar efforts were taken at Stuyvesant, even on a small scale, such as having guidance push-ins focused on increasing awareness of ableism, students would be more conscious of their actions and attitudes. 

Many ableist ideas stem from a lack of exposure to diverse sets of people. Spending time interacting with and understanding individuals with disabilities can be beneficial in trying to tackle ableism. Communicating with people with disabilities by treating them the same way we treat nondisabled people can help change the stereotype that disabled people aren’t as intelligent or don’t have as complex personalities. One method entails integrating students from the P226M into Stuyvesant—a promising step has already been taken with their inclusion in morning announcements, but this still isn't sufficient. 

On an individual level, it’s important to examine and try to combat ableist rhetorics we may subconsciously have. Identifying the root sources of negative thinking regarding disabilities—whether it be the media, friends, or cultural beliefs—and finding ways to change our own thinking is vital. Finding ways to gently point out when others, even our friends, make a comment that may come off as offensive may help reduce ableism. When someone makes a mean comment or uses the r-slur in conversation, although they may not be intending to be hurtful, express to them that their behavior is demeaning. Making small changes in our behavior like avoiding “jokes” about neurodevelopmental disorders can help slowly shift our attitude about disabilities throughout Stuyvesant.