The everyday discrimination against disabled people (ableism) can be driven away with inclusion.

Discrimination against the disabled or ableism is when non-disabled people, also known as able-bodied people, exclude the disabled from most activities such as school and work.

Let’s start in workplaces around America. According to the US Census Bureau, people with disabilities make 1 million dollars less than people who don’t have disabilities. That’s alot of cash that does not go to the disabled. If they don’t get equal pay how will they ever feel as wanted and accepted in the community as their non-disabled alternates? On top of that, 13.3 million people ages sixteen through sixty-five with disabilities experience difficulty finding jobs. Also, In 2010, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported that 25,165 charges of disability discrimination were filed. That’s fellow employee disrespect, unfair pay, and unfair working hours!

Now, let’s venture into the public schools of America. In public schools, kids with disabilities are often treated with disrespect. As our schools struggle with the inclusion of students with disabilities, ableism may play an influential, but overlooked role, in which students with disabilities are often excluded. This leads to that feeling of worthlessness, which eventually can lead to suicide. Bullies will often target disabled people. Often times, disabilities will be looked at negatively rather than positively. Kids will often stop and stare at their disabled peers.

The problem is here, that we as individuals are not used to diference, change, of anything out of the ordinary. We think that they are slowing us down in the human race. We think that if we just leave them in the dust everything will progress at a greater rate. It doesn’t work that way though. We are actually slowing ourselves down by discriminating against our fellow humans. The reason that is, instead of listening to the fascinating, wonderful, ideas the disabled might have, we are shutting them down, thus, we are unable to hear the thoughts and speeches that just might put the human race at the top of the world.

That bring us to the solution of this problem. The next time we feel uneasy or even hatred toward these people, just think about the things that will be affected if you try to discriminate against them. Their families, friends, acquaintances, and everybody that loves and cares for them. Just think about the possibilities that surround us if we actually listen to them. If we just include them rather than discriminate against them. That will open open up many opportunities for us and the disabled. When we do that, our possibilities will be unlimited. Until then, we have some work to do.

Overall, we discriminate against disabled people because we think they are weak, uneducated, and limited by whatever their disability may be. If we include them in work areas, our schools, and even our homes, then we all can be one big happy family. If we accept them for who they are rather than what they’re limited by, we can all chip in. Our future years will be the best to come; and our possibilities will be limitless.