Ableism is the belief that people with physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities are inferior to people without disabilities. Ableism encompasses discrimination against people with all kinds of disabilities. Ableism intersects with other domains of oppression such as racism and classism. For instance, people with disabilities are often devalued based on sometimes limited ability to provide monetary value in the economy.

Ableism is often present in educational systems which center the needs of students who are considered “normal “and provide lower educational quality for students with disabilities. Gender transformative education is accessible, inclusive and accountable for all learners’ needs, including learners with disabilities. It challenges negative assumptions that students with disabilities are not able to benefit from and are less worthy of quality education.