Ableism in U.S. pediatric health care
A Pediatrics study published yesterday identified 145 types of ableism experienced by families of children with disabilities in health care, clustered into 11 groups.
They include withholding care like a CPAP machine or surgery ("We don't do that for children like him"); dehumanizing behaviour; inflexible policies; inaccessible environments; and dismissing families' experience.
A commentary finds these incidents alarming: citing a child's disability as evidence they've exceeded their life expectancy and as justification to withhold care; denial of heart surgery based on a disability alone; and passive-aggressive do-not-resuscitate suggestions to families.
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