It is a fact of human life that everyone, if they live long enough, will find themselves disabled at one point or another. For some it will be a temporary situation, and they will recover their full abilities; for others, the change is permanent, and will stay with them until they die. 

Despite this incontrovertible reality of life, it is quite shocking how ableist our society is, and in particular, the parts of it that are devoted to health and wellness. Of course we want our bodies to be as well and as fit as they can be, and we celebrate athletic prowess. However, that doesn’t mean we should exclude and ignore those who, for whatever reason, do not live up to our ideals. In a world where those ideals seem to be thin, muscular, young and white, there are lots of people who are considered “less-than”. Fatphobia, ageism and racism are definitely part of the problem, but today I specifically want to talk about ableism – defined by the Oxford dictionary as “discrimination in favor of able-bodied people”.

Talk to any person in a wheelchair, and they will tell you that people seem to think they are unable to hear and speak, or make decisions for themselves, as well as having issues with walking. Pictures are often shared on social media without alt text – a means of making pictures intelligible to those who use screen readers because they can’t see. Videos don’t always bother with captions for those who can’t hear. Many public buildings are not accessible to those who can’t walk up stairs or need wider doors. Right now, many people can’t be bothered to wear a mask in indoor public places as the weather gets colder and respiratory viruses spread, thereby condemning vulnerable people to isolation, or worse.

Even more insidious, in my opinion, is the way those of us who are privileged with good health and the ability to be active and strong tend to assume that those who don’t have that privilege must be doing something wrong. If only they would drop their unhealthy lifestyle, surely they would be just as healthy as we are. We don’t know what trauma or medical issues have resulted in their disability, and to be honest, it’s none of our business and it is not for us to judge. Every person is worthy of honour and respect, because they are a human being with a spark of the Divine in their soul. 

I see those in the wellness industry, of which I am also a part, as especially guilty of victim blaming, body shaming, and disregard for people’s stories. Not everyone has to become an Adonis, and in fact worship of the perfect body is one of the hallmarks of fascism and eugenics – as someone said on Twitter the other day, don’t forget that the Nazis practiced their Final Solution on disabled people first.

Disabled people are the canary in the coal mine of societal disintegration and the slide into fascism. If we can’t care for the most vulnerable in our society, it’s only a matter of time.

I’d love to know what you think of this – am I being overly dramatic? Do you agree with my standpoint? Let me know!