Ableism is dynamic in American society, and the art world is supporting it. They do so by not supporting the neurodiverse and disabled communities. Ableism is a set of beliefs that devalues people who have physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities. It doesn’t need to be malicious; it can occur when the disabled are simply not acknowledged.
What Causes Ableism?
Ableism is caused by not acknowledging the neurodiverse and disabled communities. This includes collective discrimination in terms of transportation, employment, and more, including art. For example, artists building monuments to stairs is ableist. Vessel is a building that has 154 stairways created by Thomas Heatherwick. It opened in 2019, and it was designed to bring people together as opposed to creating art to look at. While Heatherwick’s intentions might have been good, one-fifth of the population is disabled and can’t participate in the exhibit, thus making it ableist.
Website Accessibility
Another ableist behavior is galleries, such as 75 in New York, that have images without tagged descriptions for screen-reading software. This excludes anyone who is visually impaired from viewing them.
Actions to Take
One action to take is protesting. In fact, protests were organized against the Vessel exhibit by the Anti-Stairs Club. They complained that Vessel has an ADA-compliant elevator, but it is not equitable to experience the structure.
Another is through lawsuits. Law firms have sued 75 New York galleries for not including the screen-reading software on their images. This helps raise awareness and seeks to force the art world to be less ableist.
Progress in Inclusion in the Arts
Despite ableism being persistent in the field, there has been some progress against it in recent years. A festival for the Disabled Arts was held in 2019 and showed art by disabled artists. It was a great example of inclusion. It was held at the Whitney, and on the second day, they had a gathering where abled and disabled artists could come together.
Other industries in the arts are starting to promote a more inclusive and neurodiverse community. These industries include television, theater, and fashion. Disabled people are writing, acting, and more. They have disabled characters playing disabled characters in films, and people with disabilities are playing all kinds of roles.