Ableism – Swadesh Sistla

Ableism, broadly defined, refers to the marginalization of individuals with disabilities. This concept relates directly to time: normative conceptions of time management and productivity often privilege certain groups over others. This may result in devaluing the experiences and contributions of people with disabilities in relation to time.

Central to this is the notion that the ultimate competence or worth of an individual results from their ability to conform to rigid temporal expectations. However, due to a variety of factors, including cognitive impairments, limitations to physical mobility, and chronic illnesses and pain, such a framework of worthiness overlooks many — whose contributions on any given metric might span far beyond ableist expectations.

That people like John Nash — celebrated mathematician, game-theorist, and Nobel-winning thinker, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 30 — exist is but an anecdotal testament to a general truth. That is, a first-glimpse understanding of someone’s abilities or disabilities may not capture all the possibilities that they may contain. This does not imply that someone has to be a Nash to be worth valuing — only that they can be, and that shallow, first-contact impressions often leave out much of the picture.

There are many examples of the intersections of time and studies of ability/disability. For example, individuals with ADHD may have a different relationship with traditional time management techniques than ‘neurotypical’ minds — itself a highly loaded concept — that may conform more easily to predetermined schedules. Another example is individuals with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), who may require time for rest and deliberate self-care activities that peers without CFS may not.

Without systems that recognize and support these individuals, ableism exists in everything from early education to employment and beyond, placing barriers in the way of those who may deviate in some way from so-called “normal” temporal standards.

References:

Bell, David. “John Nash.” Living With Schizophrenia, 1 July 2017, livingwithschizophreniauk.org/john-nash/.

An account of John Nash’s life, both summarizing his academic achievements and describing his experiences as a result of his paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis, as well as related and other medical challenges.

Samuels, Ellen. “Six Ways of Looking at Crip Time: Disability Studies Quarterly.” Six Ways of Looking at Crip Time, Disability Studies Quarterly, 2017, dsq-sds.org/index.php/dsq/article/view/5824/4684.

Reference material on the closely linked concept of “crip temporality”, which centers and asks questions from the perspective of individuals with disabilities, rather than focusing overmuch on ableism as a phenomenon.

“Understanding Ableism and Negative Reactions to Disability.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psychology-teacher-network/introductory-psychology/ableis m-negative-reactions-disability. Accessed 19 Feb. 2024.

A general body of frameworks and ideas pertaining to ableism and the particular ways in which it may manifest in the lives of those whom it affects.