Ableist Ideologies Stifle Neurodiversity and Hinder Inclusive Education

Abstract

This paper makes the case that ableist ideologies hinder trends towards inclusion on a broader global scale and beyond Anglo-American standpoints, as evidenced by key literature and legislations on inclusive education. I also discuss the issues, challenges, and dilemmas generated by these ableist ideologies in my professional context as an autistic speech-language therapist from the Philippines. I conclude with my reflection on how practitioners can help change the trajectory towards emancipatory inclusive practices that are informed by the neurodiversity paradigm. To respect the preference of the communities and the intersection of identities I represent, this paper uses inclusive identity-first language (American Psychological Association, 2019; Bottema-Beutel et al., 2020; The Alliance for Inclusive Education, 2021) and does not conform to divisive or Anglo-American dichotomies (e.g., d/Deaf distinction; Kusters et al., 2017; Pudans-Smith et al., 2019) when writing about pupils or learners who are traditionally identified by the education sector as needing “special education”.