Ableism or ablecentrism is prejudice towards disabled people. The first known use of the word was in 1981, which makes it relatively new. However, the concept of ableism existed before this. 'Disablism' can be used to mean the same thing. Ableism can be intentional or unintentional. People can be ableist (prejudiced towards disabled people) unintentionally because ableism is so common that people may not notice that it exists. A person who holds such a prejudice is called an ablecentrist.[1] Some people say that ableism is a form of oppression. Not everyone who talks about ableism agrees about what things are ableist. Disabled people can be ableist, to other disabled people or to themselves, which is called internalized ableism. Some people deny that ableism exists.
In some countries, there are laws that are made to protect disabled people from ableist discrimination and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also prohibits such discriminations.