Internalised ableism is a psychological construct that refers to the internalisation of negative beliefs, stereotypes, and prejudices about disabilities that are prevalent in society.
It involves self-stigmatization and the development of a negative self-concept based on one’s disability and onboarding negative beliefs said to us by parental figures, teachers, grown-ups and society in general.
Internalised ableism can lead to various negative psychological outcomes, including reduced self-esteem, increased rates of mental health disorders, and impaired social and occupational functioning.
Believing ourselves to be “naughty”, “bad”, “abnormal”, “stupid”, “slow”, “broken”, “crazy”, “irresponsible” or “lazy” is part of internalised ableism.
Related terms
neuroaffirming
Neuroaffirming or neuro-affirmative refers to practices, approaches, or environments that recognize and affirm the neurodiversity of society and the neurodivergence of individuals.
unmasking
Unmasking is when you slowly learn to allow your neurodivergence to present itself and you don’t try to hide yourself. However, to unmask is a privilege, as you need a safe space to do it.
spiritual bypassing
Spiritual bypassing is a dismissive behaviour, meaning the use of spiritual explanations to dismiss, diminish or avoid dealing with complicated emotions, uncomfortable experiences or facing the complex and often harsh realities of life. It’s part magical thinking and part toxic positivity.
penguin pebbling
In a neurodivergent context, the expression is used to describe a common neurodivergent behaviour of people collecting and giving loved items to others – "this made me think of you, I think you’ll like this, I thought this was pretty and I want you to have it".
double empathy
The double empathy problem is a concept in neurodiversity studies that suggests a mutual misunderstanding between neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals.
curb-cut effect
The curb-cut effect refers to the phenomenon that policies initially created to serve a marginalized group end up serving a much more significant portion of society, benefiting even more people than it was originally designed for.
“How many people are neurodivergent?”
Around 15–20% of the population is neurodivergent, which is roughly 1 out of 5 — whether they know it or not.
“Don’t people grow out of ADHD?”
People don’t grow out of ADHD. Symptoms change from external hyperactivity to internal restlessness, and life transitions often unmask previously hidden ADHD.
