Module Glossary

Language and terms shape how we think, interact, and include one another. Words can carry multiple meanings, and the way a term is defined can vary depending on context. The definitions provided below have been carefully crafted to reflect the principles and goals of this anti-ableism training. While some terms (for example, disclosure) may be used differently in other contexts, here they are defined to support understanding, encourage inclusive communication, and foster awareness of ableism in everyday language.  

Able-bodied

A term often used to describe people without disabilities. 

Note: This term is increasingly avoided because it can suggest that disability is only about the body, or that disabled people are less “able”. Non-disabled is often preferred.  

Ableism 

A system of beliefs, values, and practices that assigns greater value to certain bodies and minds over others, based on socially constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, intelligence, and worth. Ableism operates at individual, cultural, and systemic levels. 

Access Needs 

What someone needs to fully participate. This can include things like extra time, quiet space, captions, sign language, mobility supports, or flexibility. Everyone has access needs, we just don’t always name them. 

Accessibility 

Proactively designing spaces, programs, and experiences so more people can take part from the start. 

Accommodation 

A change or adjustment made in response to an individual’s specific access needs, often after a barrier has been identified, allowing them to participate. Accommodations are typically reactive (made in response to a request) but remain an essential support. 

Accountability 

Taking responsibility for how one’s actions, assumptions, and decisions impact others, and making changes in response to that impact. 

Alt-Text

Short text that replaces an image and communicates its essential meaning or purpose for screen reader users.For example, the Rates of Disability image from Section 4 – Understanding Disability: Beyond a Checklist uses the following alt text:

Infographic showing disability rates in Canada: 5.4 out of 20 adults and 4 out of 20 youth are represented as having disabilities.

Note: Web and document accessibility practices are evolving quickly.

Anti-ableism 

An active, ongoing practice of noticing, challenging, and changing ableist attitudes, behaviors, systems, and environments. It involves continuously questioning and improving how we think, work, and design. 

Apparent Disability 

A disability that may be visible or noticeable to others. 

Note: Not all disabilities are apparent—and you can’t always tell what someone is experiencing just by looking. 

ASL (American Sign Language) 

A visual language used by many Deaf people that includes hand signs, facial expressions, and body movement. It is a complete language with its own grammar and often a Deaf person’s first or primary language. 

Note: There are over 300 distinct sign languages used globally. American Sign Language (ASL) is one of the most widely used in English-speaking parts of North America, though it is not universal. 

Assumptions 

Unexamined beliefs or expectations about people, often based on stereotypes or past experiences, that shape how we interpret roles, identity, ability, and behaviour, and how we make decisions. 

Audism 

Discrimination against Deaf people, the Hard of Hearing (HOH) community, and Deaf culture, often by privileging hearing, spoken language, or “normative” communication. It can include dismissing their needs, assuming hearing-centered solutions are best, or minimizing the value of sign language and other access needs. 

Auto-captions 

Captions generated automatically by technology. Helpful, but not always accurate, especially for names, specialized and technical terms, accents, and poor audio. 

Barrier 

A feature of an environment, system, or expectation that limits or prevents full participation. 

Belonging 

The experience of being valued, respected, and able to participate fully as oneself within a space or community. 

Burden of Proof 

When individuals experiencing barriers are expected to prove their needs, experiences, or right to access. 

In practice: Having to justify why you need an accommodation instead of being trusted. 

C.A.R.E. Framework (Challenge, Ask, Redesign, Embed) 

A practical, iterative approach to anti-ableism that supports noticing assumptions, understanding needs, making changes, and sustaining inclusive practices over time. 

CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) 

A live captioning service provided by a trained professional. Often more accurate than auto-captions and used for meetings, events, and presentations. 

Chronic Illness / Episodic Disability 

Conditions that may fluctuate over time, with periods of stability and periods of increased impact, often affecting energy, mobility, cognition, or participation. 

Closed-captions 

Text on a screen that shows spoken words and sometimes sounds (like [music] or [laughter]). Viewers can usually turn them on or off. 

Colonial

Related to systems, ideas, or practices shaped by colonization / Colonialism and ongoing histories of oppression connected to the colonies or systems of control being imposed on the original peoples of a territory.

Colonialism

Colonialism has been defined as systems and practices that “seek to impose the will of one people on another and to use the resources of the imposed people for the benefit of the imposer'' (Asante, 2006, p. ix). The acts of political, physical, cultural, spiritual, and intellectual occupation of space by the often forceful displacement of Indigenous populations, gives rise to colonialism, settler-colonialism, neo-colonial relations, and coloniality.

Read more about Colonialism in Canada.

Disabled People 

An identity-first term used by many to name disability as part of identity and community, rather than something separate from the person. 

Disability 

The experience of living with differences in body, mind, or senses, shaped by how environments, systems, and societal expectations include, or create barriers for people. 

Disability Justice Movement 

A movement and framework developed by disabled activists,  particularly those who are racialized, queer, and multiply marginalized. It centers intersectionality, collective access, interdependence, and the leadership of those most impacted by ableism and other forms of oppression. 

Disability Rights Movement 

A movement focused on legal rights and protections for disabled people (like access laws and anti-discrimination policies). It laid important groundwork for accessibility today. It was largely (though not solely) led by white men with acquired spinal cord injuries, which shaped whose experiences were prioritized. 

Disclosure 

The act of sharing information about one’s disability or access needs. Disclosure is a personal choice and is shaped by context, safety, and past experiences. 

Equity 

An approach that recognizes different starting points and works to ensure fair access to opportunities, resources, and outcomes.  

Equity Denied 

Describes people or groups who face barriers that limit access to opportunities, resources, or participation. 

Note: This term is used in some Canadian contexts to shift away from deficit-based language 

Equity Deserving 

A strengths-based way to describe people or groups who deserve fair access and opportunities, especially those who have been historically excluded. 

Note: This term is used in some Canadian contexts to shift away from deficit-based language. 

Expectation Gap 

A disconnect between what disabled people are capable of and what they are expected or supported to do, often created when expectations are lowered or shaped by assumptions about ability. 

Identity-first language 

Language that puts identity first (e.g., “disabled person”). Many people use this to show pride and connection to disability as part of who they are. 

Image Description

A longer explanation that provides additional detail, context, or data when the image is too complex for alt text alone. For example, the Rates of Disability image from Section 4 – Understanding Disability: Beyond a Checklist uses the following image description:

A graphic titled “Disability Rates in Canada” displays two rows of 20 person icons for each group. In the adult section, five full icons and part of a sixth are highlighted to represent 5.4 out of 20 adults with disabilities. In the youth section, four out of 20 icons are highlighted to represent youth with disabilities.

Note: Web and document accessibility practices are evolving quickly.

Inclusion 

The intentional design of environments and experiences where people can participate meaningfully, not just be present. 

Independence (Myth of) 

The belief that success or competence is defined by doing things alone, rather than recognizing that all people rely on relationships, supports, and interdependence. 

Interdependence 

The understanding that people rely on one another in different ways, and that mutual support is a natural and valuable part of human experience. 

Internalized ableism 

When disabled people absorb ableist ideas and apply them to themselves, which can shape self-perception, expectations, behaviour and willingness to seek support. 

Intersectionality 

A concept describing how overlapping identities (e.g., disability, race, gender) and systems of oppression interact to shape experiences. 

International Symbol of Access (ISA) 

The familiar wheelchair symbol used to mark accessible spaces. It’s widely recognized but doesn’t represent the full range of disabilities. 

Lateral Ableism / Horizontal Oppression 

The reproduction of ableist beliefs or behaviours within disabled communities or among people who experience marginalization. 

Lived Experience 

Knowledge and insight gained through direct, personal experience, particularly of disability or marginalization. 

Lookism (Aesthetic Bias / Facialism) 

Discrimination based on appearance, including bias toward people with visible differences such as scars, facial differences, or body size. 

Marginalize/Marginalizing 

To push a person or group to the margins of society, treating them as unimportant or powerless and limiting their opportunities or influence. 

Masking (Camouflaging)  

Ways in which disabled people and those with access needs hide or minimize aspects of themselves to fit into dominant norms or expectations. 

Medical Model of Disability 

An approach that locates disability within an individual body or mind and focuses on diagnosis, treatment, or cure often position disability as something to be fixed. 

Neuro-ableism 

Discrimination against neurodivergent people, based on expectations of how people should think, learn, communicate, or behave. 

Neurodivergence 

Natural variations in how people think, learn, process information, and experience the world, including but not limited to autism and ADHD. 

The New Disability Symbol 

A newer symbol showing a more active, dynamic figure. It aims to represent movement and agency, though not everyone prefers it. 

Non-apparent Disability 

A disability that isn’t immediately visible to others (e.g., chronic pain, learning disabilities, mental health conditions). 

Note: “Invisible” is sometimes used, but not everyone prefers that term. It can reinforce the idea that disability is something that should be hidden or concealed, which is why many people prefer non-apparent 

Non-disabled 

A term for people who do not identify as disabled. 

Note: This can be more accurate than “able-bodied,” which doesn’t reflect the full range of disability experiences. 

Ocularcentrism (Vision-Centrism) 

The privileging of sight as the primary or most valued way of experiencing and understanding the world. 

Participation 

The ways in which people engage, contribute, and take part in activities, which may vary widely across individuals. 

Performative Inclusion 

When actions or statements give the appearance of inclusion without meaningful change behind them. 

In practice: Inviting diverse participants into a space without addressing barriers that impact their experience. 

Person-first language 

Language that places the person before the disability (e.g., “person with a disability”), often used to emphasize personhood. 

Psychosocial Disability 

A term used to describe the social and functional impacts of mental health conditions, particularly in relation to participation and access.  

Reasonable Accommodation 

A legal term for adjustments made to remove barriers and support participation, up to the point of “undue hardship.” 

Note: While important, this term can sometimes frame access as conditional or negotiable rather than expected. 

Sanism 

Discrimination against people with mental health conditions or psychiatric diagnoses, often rooted in assumptions about risk, instability, or competence. 

Social Model of Disability 

An approach that understands disability as arising from barriers in environments, systems, and expectations, rather than from individual bodies or minds.  

Sphere of influence 

The areas where you have the ability to make change—your role, your team, your decisions, and your everyday actions. 

Stereotypes 

Oversimplified and widely held beliefs (often negative or deficit based but not always) about a group of people that can shape expectations and behaviour. 

STEM Identity 

A person’s sense of belonging in STEM, including whether they see themselves as capable, valued, and able to succeed in these spaces. 

Storylines 

The underlying meanings, assumptions, and narratives attached to disability that shape expectations, decisions, and interactions. 

Tokenism 

Including someone from an underrepresented group in a visible way, without giving them real influence, support, or inclusion. 

In practice: Being “the only one” in the room, without being heard or valued. 

Turtle Island 

A name used by some Indigenous and First peoples of North America to refer to the continent of North America, reflecting creation stories and Indigenous cultural perspectives.  Turtle Island comes from an Algonquian creation story (Video: Turtle Lodge - Episode 1: The Creation Story | The Seven Sacred (First Nation) Laws (4:02)), but many Indigenous Nations have their own creation stories that reflect their unique relationships to land, water, and place. Despite this diversity, many Indigenous Nations call the earth their mother, and feel a duty to honour and respect the land. Learn more about Indigenous creation stories and Indigenous ways of knowing: Actua Indigenous Worldviews Training.