DISABLIST

adjective Also written disable-ist or disableist (People and Society) Showing discrimination or prejudice against disabled people; characterized by ableism. Etymology: Formed by adding the adjectival suffix -ist to the root form of disabled, after the model of ageist (see ageism), racist, and sexist. History and Usage: The word was coined in the mid eighties as the adjectival counterpart for ableism. At first it was sometimes written disableist or even disable-ist, but disablist now seems to be becoming established as the usual form. Disablism, which represents the opposite side of the coin from ableism (discrimination against the disabled rather than in favour of the able-bodied) very rarely occurs as a term. I am not apologising for SM and believe that in itself it is neither racist, classist, disablist nor anti-semitic. Spare Rib May 1986, p. 6 Labour has promised to infuse racist, sexist, 'disablist', and 'ageist' criteria into higher education, like those that are making an academic mockery of some American institutions. Daily Telegraph 8 Nov. 1989, p. 20 See also abled