What do we mean?

Defining Disability/Differing Ability

“a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered.” – ADA Definition

On the UT Austin campus, Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) is included in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. Differing abilities are recognized as a diversity issue. It is also highly intersectional, and people can have multiple different differing abilities. As SSD points out, this is the only community that everyone will likely join at some point in their lives. It is helpful to think of differing abilities in these terms.

Types of Differing Abilities

There are a few broad categories under which differing abilities fall. Again, the majority of differing abilities are invisible.

- Mobility
- Autism Spectrum
- ADHD
- Learning
- Blind and visual impairment
- Deaf and hard of hearing
- Medical conditions like diabetes or epilepsy
- Psychological
- Traumatic brain injury
- Temporary conditions including things like broken bones

Defining Ableism

Like other -isms, ableism can be overt or subtle, and more than likely occurs unconsciously. Ableism is the behavioral or attitudinal marginalization of people with differing abilities. It is based on internalized definitions of “normal” abilities, and largely remains invisible to people until they are confronted with challenges to their assumptions.