When “Neutral” Isn’t Really Neutral: 12 Everyday Practices That Disproportionately Impact People with Disabilities
Car dashboard showing the car is in neutral.
Policies don’t need to mention disability to be discriminatory and ableist. Many systems, requirements, and social norms present as “equal treatment” while quietly erecting barriers that disproportionately exclude people with disabilities. This exclusion isn’t always malicious or even intentional. However, benign intent doesn’t erase impact. Equity isn’t about treating everyone the same. It’s about acknowledging that the same policy or action doesn’t have the same result for everyone.
Here are 12 examples of seemingly neutral practices that regularly block disabled people from full participation at work, in education, in public spaces, and in everyday life:
Public spaces designed without accessible restroom facilities
Parks, restaurants, and venues that lack accessible features send a clear message about who is expected to participate. If you only have one porta-potty at an event, make it an accessible one. Also, ensure that it is placed in a location accessible to people with mobility disabilities, avoiding areas such as the top of a hill, a tilted surface with a three-inch lip to access, or requiring a tight 90-degree turn before performing a cross-body reach to open the door. Speaking from experience, still a little salty about it.Job descriptions containing ableist requirements
Sitting, standing, driving, lifting? If the job actually requires those abilities, then sure, include them in the job description. Some legitimate instances might include a forklift operator or a delivery person. However, if they are merely a copy and paste of something that was included in a template 10 years ago, which has no relevance to essential job activities, definitely leave them out.
In-person-only services
When you require a person to receive services in an in-person setting, you create barriers for individuals with mobility, transportation, or energy limitations. Remote options aren’t merely a convenience. Sometimes they are the only access that people with disabilities living in rural areas have.Paperwork
I’m talking about paperwork on real paper. That can include things like registration forms at clinics or hospitals or applications for housing. Not having digital equivalents penalizes people with vision disabilities, physical writing disabilities, learning differences, and cognitive disabilities.“No pets” policies that don’t clearly state service animal exceptions
Leads to denials or confrontations, especially for people with non-visible disabilities and those who have psychiatric or medical alert service animals.Fitness programs and group classes with a one-size-fits-all structure
Programs that don’t allow modification or assistance exclude people with physical, sensory, or neurological disabilities from participating.Emergency evacuation plans that assume people can walk, run, speak, or hear
Leaves out people who use mobility devices or require assistance evacuating, thereby putting them at a higher risk. Don’t even get me started on the exclusion of service animals from evacuation planning. The whole “hide, run, fight” mantra for workplace violence training is always good for a laugh for wheelchair users.Banking or insurance that requires phone-based identity verification
Excludes people who are Deaf, have speech disabilities, or use AAC (augmentative and alternative communication).Internship programs, scholarships, or insurance that ties eligibility to being a full-time student
Disqualifies disabled students who attend part-time due to medical needs or treatment schedules.Jobs that indicate preference for specific colleges or programs
Disproportionately excludes students who had to attend schools closer to home, with disability services, or lower-cost options due to health-related constraints.Workplace benefits that require employees to prepay and then seek reimbursement
This type of policy excludes workers living paycheck to paycheck. This is something significantly more common among disabled people facing high medical costs, limited income, or both.Mandatory in-office policies with no flexibility for WFH
Creates access barriers for people with mobility, immune system, or fatigue-related disabilities who can be just as productive working remotely.
Final Thoughts
Discrimination isn’t always loud or explicit. It doesn’t even need to be intentional. Sometimes ableism wears a neutral face and hides in policy manuals, program eligibility requirements, or long-standing “standard” practices. If a rule or policy consistently filters out a marginalized group, it isn’t neutral. It’s biased by design or impact, and the intent, frankly, doesn’t matter. The solution isn’t to throw out every rule. What needs to be done is to reexamine them with a disability equity lens and ask, “Who does this leave out, and why?”
If you want to build truly inclusive environments, don’t just focus on what's said; also consider what's not said by closely examining what has been assumed. Exclusion frequently begins with assumptions.