Public Health Conversation Starter About Structural Ableism

Published Online in February 2024

Some Quotes:

• “I'm really interested in trying to reframe health disparities for disabled people from this perspective of ableism and structural ableism, and to really examine how policies and health system actors and other structures in society really uphold these systems that create disability, prevent disabled people from accessing opportunities, make existing as a disabled person very costly and stressful, and ultimately through all of those things really shape the health of disabled people across the entire life course.”

• “A lot of disability justice advocates have been very clear, as I have, in speaking out on the public health crisis and genocide that is occurring in Gaza and calling for a ceasefire as a disability justice issue. Because I think people who have been impacted disproportionately by violence or who have been mentally or physically disabled by violence can understand very viscerally that bombings create a tremendous amount of physical and psychosocial disability.”

• “Reporting that many disabled and chronically ill people died from natural causes other than COVID-19 when it appears that many of these folks did die from COVID-19, has really functioned to absolve state and federal policy makers from some of their failures to really adequately protect some of these communities during the pandemic.”

• “I think art is a really powerful invitation to step outside of our own experiences and to really engage with someone else's.”

• “I would just conclude to any disabled, mad, and neurodivergent folks watching that you are valid and whole as you are, and you deserve the resources and support that you want to live your life and make an impact in the world that affirms your full personhood and dignity.

Recent Article:

Structural ableism in public health and healthcare: a definition and conceptual framework by Dielle J. Lundberg and Jessica A. Chen in The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, February 2024

Bio:

Dielle J. Lundberg, MPH (she/her and ze/hir) is a PhD student at the University of Washington School of Public Health and completing a Graduate Certificate through the University of Washington Disability Studies Program. She completed her MPH at Boston University School of Public Health and remains connected to the school as a research assistant in the Uncounted Lab where she studies unrecognized Covid-19 deaths. Ze is also a multi-media artist interested in the ways that art can foster connection, engagement, and health. Her personal and professional mission is to dismantle structural ableism in public health and healthcare and “crip” health research, practice, and education from disabled, neurodivergent, and mad perspectives. As a disabled person in public health research, ze views hir role as meeting public health and health care stakeholders where they are at and inviting everyone on a journey to divest from ableism, reduce harm, and make progress towards equity. Dielle is a white transfeminine person. She is disabled, mad, and neurodivergent. Her perspectives on ableism are informed by her experiences with physical disability (Long Covid and chronic pain), as a psychiatrized person (bipolar disorder and PTSD), and as an autistic person with ADHD (adult diagnosis ADHD and adult discovery autist). Ze currently lives in Seattle, Washington on the unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples past and present including all tribes and bands within the Duwamish, Puyallup, Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot nations.

Intentions for the Conversation:

I had 4 main intentions for this conversation: (1) I wanted to highlight why structural ableism is important for public health and health care practitioners and researchers to engage with studying and attempting to dismantle, (2) I wanted to emphasize the continued failure of state and federal public health officials to enact policies to protect disabled and chronically ill people during the ongoing pandemic, particularly after disability justice activist and writer Alice Wong was silenced for doing so, (3) I wanted to emphasize why the genocide in Gaza and calling for a ceasefire is a disability justice and advocacy issue, and (4) I wanted to offer some words to disabled, mad, and neurodivergent students and trainees who may be experiencing some of the challenges that I — and many other disabled, mad, and neurodivergent students — encounter.

This was one of my first times presenting this paper, and so I welcome any feedback.

Notes:

I will add additional notes about the talk here as any questions or feedback comes up:

• February 20: As my friends have pointed out to me, my hair is blonde, not light brown. 😂 In my defense, I have rarely opened the window or left my room since dying it, and out of the sunlight, it is light brown. I am planning to bleach it again to dye it purple or blue soon, but noted!