Disability Microaggressions

What is microaggression?

• Microaggressions are "brief and commonplace daily verbal or behavioral indignities,

whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or
negative slights and insults that potentially have a harmful or unpleasant psychological
impact on the target person or group" (Sue, Bucceri, Lin, Nadal, & Torino, 2007).
Microaggressions are perpetrated by the people having privileged identities towards
those having marginalized identities such as racial and ethnic minorities, LGBT people,
PWD, and women.
• They (a) tend to be subtle, unintentional, and indirect; (b) often occur in situations
where there are alternative explanations; (c) represent unconscious and ingrained
biased beliefs and attitudes; and (d) are more likely to occur when people pretend not
to notice differences, thereby denying that race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, or
ability had anything to do with their actions (Sue, Capodilupi, et al., 2007). Three types
of microaggressions have been identified: microassault, microinsult, and
microinvalidation.
• Dr. Sue Everyday Microagressions
 • Ableism is the world view that
mandates disability is
inherently negative and any
form of impairment should be
ameliorated (Campbell, 2009).

Ableism Thus, ableism is a system of

beliefs, practices and processes
of defining a standard perfect
human body and self, where
having disability becomes a
diminished way of being
(Campbell, 2009)
Ableist microaggressions

• Ableist microaggressions are the reflections of ableist worldviews

• Can be expressed in different domains:
a) Denial of personal identity,
b) Denial of disability experience,
c) Denial of privacy,
d) Helplessness,
e) Secondary gain,
f) Spread effect,
g) Infantilization,
h) Patronization,
i) Second-class citizen,
j) and Desexualization
Denial of Personal Identity

• Occurs when any aspect of a person's identity other than

disability is ignored, for example people assumes that
you cannot be a good musician and blind, a mam and
blind, or a teacher and blind.
• "I can't believe you are married."

• Message: “There is no part of your life that is normal or

like mine. The only thing I see when I look at you is
your disability.”
Denial of Disability Experience

• Occurs when disability-related experiences are minimized or

denied
• "Come on now, we all have some disability.“

• Message: “Your thoughts and feelings are probably not real

and are certainly not important to me.”
Denial of Privacy

• Occurs when personal information is required about a

disability by random people in random occasions.
• Someone asks what happened to you.

• Message: “You are not allowed to maintain disability

information privately.”
Helplessness

• Occurs when people frantically try to help

• Someone helps you onto a bus or train, even when you need
no help.

• Message: “You can't do anything by yourself because you

have a disability.”
 Secondary gain

• Occurs when a person expects to feel good or be praised for

doing something for a PWD
• "We're going to raise enough money tonight to get Johnny
that new wheelchair.“

• Message: “I feel good and get recognition for being nice to

you.”
Spread effect

• Occurs when other expectations about a person are

assumed to be due to one specific disability
• People talks to a blind person loudly or assumes that you can
not take stairs.

• Message: “Your disability invalidates you in all areas of

life.”
Infantilization

• Occurs when a PWD is treated like a child

• "Let me do that for you.“

• Message: “You are not really capable. I know better than

you how to do this.”
Patronization

• Occurs when a PWD is praised for almost anything

• "You people are so inspiring.“

• Message: “You are so special for living with that.”

Second-class citizen

• Occurs when a PWD's right to equality is denied.

• Occurs also when a PWD is ignored or overlooked.
• People work hard not to make eye contact or to physically
avoid a PWD.

• Messages:
• “PWD are considered to be bothersome, expensive, and a
waste of time, effort, and resources.”
• “PWDs are disgusting and should be avoided.”
 Desexualization

• Occurs when the sexuality and sexual being is denied.

• "I would never date someone who uses a wheelchair.“

• Message: “PWDs are not my equal, not attractive, and not

worthy of being with me”
 • The clash of realities between the
dominant group and socially
devalued group members
Psychological • The invisibility of unintentional bias
dynamics of and discrimination
microaggressions • The perceived minimal harm of
microaggressions
• The catch-22 of responding
 • Maintain their innocence (guilt-
How does keeping free)
silent serve for the
oppressors? • Leave inequities from being
challenged
 • Defining microaggressions.

• Recognizing microaggressions.
How to address
microaggressions? • Self-monitoring, being open to
exploring the possibility that you
have acted in a biased fashion, and
controlling defensiveness