Recently, I heard a friend bring up the subject of ableism.

At first, I wasn’t sure what she meant, but after hearing her definition of the word I was immediately concerned. Like every other college student who doesn’t know what they’re doing, I turned to my good friend Google.

There I was informed. There I was heartbroken.

Ableism fuels bullying. It isolates those who have a disability and tells them they are not useful, productive or significant. It teaches pupils and educators that those with a disability are below average, unimportant and peculiar.

Not only that, it is a mindset grounded in prejudice and discrimination.

Ableism in our society has been brushed underneath the rug for so long. It kills me to hear the stories of people being bullied in school, afraid to walk down the halls and dismissed as unintelligent by their teachers.

Just because someone is different does NOT mean they are any less valuable. Just because someone has a disability does NOT mean they are any less intelligent, capable or impactful on this earth. They have a vital role in this society. We all have a significant place in this world, and I am torn to see that we have demoted one another because of our differences.

Excluding those who have a disability is absolutely unacceptable. Targeting another person because they act differently is intolerable. Why does society have a need to cast out the ones who are different?

Instead, we should be fighting for them. We should be welcoming them into this world and encouraging them in life.

Although I am still learning about ableism, I do know now the importance of eliminating it in our schools and the workplace. I don’t know everything about it, but I do know that there should be more awareness centered around this issue in our country.

It breaks my heart to see people excluded and bullied for who they are. It needs to stop. We have to address the problem at hand and start respecting those with disabilities.

People are not defined by their disabilities. Their worth is not measured by their physical condition, their grade average or their social performance.

I want to better educate myself on the subject, and I encourage you to do the same. We can’t let this childish behavior affect anyone else in our society. Ableism needs to come to a full and complete stop.