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BEDI Resources

Definitions & Key Terms

Ableism: Able-ism is a form of discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities (mental, emotional, and/or physical). Able-ism maintains an assumption that people with physical and/or mental disabilities are not normal individuals. An able-ism society is said to be one that treats nondisabled individuals as the standard of “normal living,” which results in public and private places and services, education, and social work that are built to serve “standard, normal” people, thereby inherently excluding those with various disabilities. Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice

Accessibility: Accessibility "refers to a site, facility, work environment, service, or program that is easy to approach, enter, operate, participate in, and/or use safely and with dignity by a person with a disability." A person with a disability is one with "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits the function of an individual in one or more facets of life."  Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice

Differently Abled: Can refer to any person with a disability, and is usually a euphemistic phrase to avoid saying "disability" or "disabled." Consider instead: disabled person or person with a disability (referring to individuals); disability/ability statuses (referring to an identity/social category) https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html

Accessibility & Disability

"Ability" digital magazine cover spring 2023  

ABILITY Magazine is an award winning publication, for over 30 years, it's mission has been to provide new insights into our individual levels of ability. ABILITY Magazine covers the latest on Health, Environmental Protection, Assistive Technology, Employment, Sports, Travel, Universal Design, Mental Health - from Diabetes to Spinal Cord Injury and celebrity interviews to CEO profiles and much more. Writers include MDs, PhDs, JDs, best-selling authors, U.S. Senators and advocates. Cover interviews consist of Movie and TV Celebrities, Business Leaders, Sports Figures, Presidents, First Ladies and more.

DIVERSEability magazine cover Fall 2022 John Register, a Black man wearing a tan suit, sits with his pants leg rolled up to make his prosthetic leg visible.

DIVERSEability magazine raises awareness and provides educational, employment and business opportunities. Each issue of DIVERSEability Magazine celebrates the advancements and achievements and showcasing the positive images of all people with all types of abilities.

logo: able your favorite disability lifestyle magazine

Able Magazine is the UK’s most widely distributed general lifestyle magazine for disabled people. Our varied readership includes people with mobility, sensory and learning impairments; their families and carers; and the many health and social care professionals who support them.

Ableism