Ablism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. This term defines the social discrimination experienced by individuals with disabilities, highlighting attitudes that privilege those without disabilities, leading to inequality in treatment and opportunities
2. A form of prejudice where people with disabilities are treated unfairly due to beliefs in the superiority of able-bodied individuals
3. The practice of favoring non-disabled individuals, resulting in exclusion and disadvantages for those with disabilities

Etymology: "Ablism" is a modern coinage built on "able," the English adjective meaning capable, and the suffix "-ism," a formation from Greek "-ismos" that forms nouns for doctrines, practices and systems. It is formed by analogy with words such as "ableism" and "sexism," and its precise pattern is a deliberate back-formation of the opposite-sense pairing: the word names the favouring of the non-disabled, rather than the reverse. The term is a recent one, with its use in print dating to the late twentieth century, and it is generally treated as a variant or near-synonym of the more widely used "ableism." Because the word is not part of the historical record of older English, the earlier stages of its formation are straightforward and need no further tracing. Its usage is best understood as a deliberate lexical choice made within discussions of disability rights.