Are we truly fighting ableism? Digressions for a complex society

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Disability Studies
• Critical Theory

Background:

• Ableism is a pervasive structure of oppression influencing perceptions of disability and normalcy.
• Existing frameworks often treat ableism singularly, overlooking its systemic intersections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To interrogate the complexities of ableism using an interdisciplinary approach.
• To analyze the intersections of ableism with homophobia, medicalization, and epistemic injustice.
• To deconstruct the epistemological and institutional foundations of ableism.

Main Methods:

• Interdisciplinary framework integrating complexity theory, Queer theory, and critical disability studies.
• Analysis of social constructions and regulations of blindness, schizophrenia, and paraplegia.
• Engagement with biopolitical and necropolitical mechanisms in neoliberal societies.

Main Results:

• Ableism functions as a control mechanism, determining the value and expendability of bodies.
• Socially constructed disabilities are regulated through biopolitical and necropolitical means.
• Reductionist views of disability as individual deficit are challenged by complexity theory.

Conclusions:

• Ableism is reproduced in societal narratives, policies, and interactions.
• A reconceptualization of diversity is needed, moving beyond accommodation to deconstruction of ableism.
• Reframing disability as a site of richness advances a more inclusive understanding of human diversity.