It’s not good enough to say we will modify, adapt, and accommodate.

Standards were never built for all learners. Period.

For decades, we have twisted ourselves into knots trying to force equity into a system that was never equitable to begin with. We’ve called it “unfair,” when what it really is is discrimination.

Ableism is discrimination in favor of non-disabled people.

It marginalizes disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent folks by expecting them to fit into norms they had no say in creating.

When my son fell off the growth chart in the second week of life, I was made to feel like he was failing, and like I was failing him. Doctors continued to use the standard height and weight charts, even though they knew he’d never fit on them. It wasn’t until much later that I found there was an entirely different chart made for children with his diagnosis.

How many parents have experienced shame or confusion around feeding simply because standard charts didn’t reflect their child’s reality?

How much feeding trauma has been caused by a system that refuses to recognize diverse bodies and needs?

The same is true in education.

Conventional school systems uphold ableism by comparing children to arbitrary, age-based academic benchmarks and labeling those who don’t meet them with IEPs, as if they’re somehow broken.

They are standards.

How many children have endured academic trauma not because they couldn’t learn, but because the system didn’t understand how they learn?

Standards shouldn’t be the default.

Every child should have a truly individualized plan that they help shape.

Let’s name it clearly:

• Milestone charts are ableist.⠀
• Age-based expectations are ableist.⠀
• Grade-level objectives are ableist.⠀
• Mandatory standardized assessments are ableist.⠀

So,⠀

Avoid them.

Resist them.

Expose them.

Replace them.

With systems that honor every body and every mind.

Related articles:

• Meeting a Learner Where They’re At: Progress Versus Performance
• Tools for Meeting a Learner Where They’re At: Using Educational Continua Instead of Standards

If you enjoyed this essay, I invite you to subscribe to read more.