Inclusive Education Project Podcast

Today’s guest takes us on a fascinating and educational journey into ableism,  the study of disabilities and prejudices of disabilities. Dr. Michelle Nario-Redmond, a social psychologist at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, joins Amanda and Vickie to discuss changing people’s perceptions about disability. Michelle is the author of Ableism: The Causes and Consequences of Disability Prejudice, and the mom of a 23-year old daughter with spina bifida, who was raised to be a proud, disabled woman. Show Highlights: Michelle provides an overview of the origins of ableism, and of which literature can be found in political science, psychoanalysis, psychology, and disability studies. There are several distinct sources of prejudice that impact individual thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, such as: an evolutionary/biological basis for fear: humans have a need to feel safe and secure, and might have avoided those who signaled poor health, even in those instances where there was no contamination factor.  the fear of