As of late, there’s been a comeback of microaggressions and negative rhetoric against people with learning disabilities (LDs) and intellectual disabilities (IDs). A good example would be President Trump’s recent comments about the Democratic Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, who may be running for president in 2028. Trump claims that Newsom is unfit to be president because he has dyslexia, and, according to him, no president should have a learning disability. The Trump administration has previously also made attempts to tackle the “issue” of autism in the US, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Secretary of Health and Human Services, stating that people with autism will never work, pay taxes, play baseball, date, or even be able to write poems.
Claiming that people with LDs and IDs will never be able to participate in everyday life is a common microaggression. This infantilization and refusal to acknowledge the capabilities of people with LDs and IDs leads to real harmful behaviors, such as speaking in a higher pitch to or using a “baby” voice with people with disabilities.
After Moving Forward, We’ve Been Pushed Back
As we see ableist rhetoric being normalized in the highest office of the land, we are also seeing a resurgence in the use of certain slurs. “Retard,” euphemistically referred to as “the R-word”, was once a very common slur wielded against people with LDs or IDs. A word that was once thought dead after years of campaigning for more inclusive language in the early 2000s has unfortunately returned on the internet, a backslide that only further harms the disability community.
Many of the obstacles people with LDs and IDs face aren’t from their disabilities. They are a result of how we have chosen to structure our society. From an early age, children with LDs and IDs are failed by schooling systems and educational norms. 1 in 5 children have learning or attention problems in class, but only 1 in 50 are receiving formal accommodations to enable them to participate meaningfully. Oftentimes, the lack of accommodations is due to a lack of resources and training for educators on LDs and IDs, which creates an environment that can foster discrimination against students. For those in school systems with limited funding, getting these accommodations is even harder.
Credit: The State of Learning Disabilities Today via Learning Disabilities Association of America
Not Inferior. Just Different.
Equitable educational and even work systems are possible through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Rather than sticking to one teaching style or expecting all employees to function the same way, UDL aims to include everyone, no matter their learning style or ability. Various ways of learning can be accommodated with simple format changes, such as the use of color-coded charts and accessible designs like sans serif fonts. UDL in the workplace looks like flexible hours, low physical demands, and dividing and simplifying needlessly complex tasks. Without inclusive design, the workplace culture can hold these employees back through stigma, lack of support, or negative employer attitudes. Designating quiet break areas can also be empowering, giving everyone a chance to take a moment away from the challenges of the day. In the end, UDL makes life easier for everyone, not just people with LDs or ID.
With the Right Conditions, Everyone Can Grow
People with LDs and IDs’ failure to thrive is not rooted in their disabilities. Many simply haven’t been given a chance. There are countless examples of people with LDs and IDs achieving great success after finding their niche, such as Jack Horner, a famous paleontologist with dyslexia who struggled in reading and writing yet excelled in science, or Pablo Pineda, an actor and also the first person with Down syndrome to receive a university degree in Europe. In a society that includes them, clearly, people with disabilities are able to work, pay taxes, and even be president.
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