The Systemic Misconception of Disability and Intelligence
3 min read
Society wrongly equates disability with low intelligence, a misconception reinforced by ableism, capitalism, colonialism, and patriarchy. Ableism priorities “neurotypical” traits, using exclusionary criteria to define intelligence, while capitalism ties intellectual worth to productivity. Colonialism imposes Eurocentric knowledge standards, and patriarchy devalues emotional intelligence and intuition. The education system, shaped by these biases, upholds rigid hierarchies of intelligence. Yet, intelligence is diverse – encompassing creativity, problem-solving, empathy, and resilience. The assumption that disability equals unintelligence is both harmful and lazy, erasing the valuable contributions of disabled individuals. It’s time to challenge and dismantle these false beliefs.
For some systemic reason or another, people still seem to think that if you’re disabled – whether that's a physical disability, a chronic condition, an injury, a neurodivergence, a learning disability, or a medical diagnosis of any form – your intelligence must be, at best, questionable. It’s like disability and intelligence are mutually exclusive. Where the heck does this idea come from? This mix of ableism, capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, and a society obsessed with measuring intelligence through rigid, exclusionary standards.
Ableism, at its core, operates on the belief that able-bodied and “neurotypical” ways of thinking, moving, and existing are superior. It dictates not only who is deemed valuable but also who is considered intelligent. Intelligence, under ableism, is often tied to verbal fluency, academic performance, and productivity – criteria that actively exclude many disabled people. If someone’s speech pattern is different, if they process information at a non-standard pace, if they need accommodations to work or learn, their intelligence is automatically doubted. Ableism ensures that intelligence is seen through a narrow, exclusionary lens – one that dismisses disabled brilliance simply because it does not conform to an arbitrary societal standard.
This ableist notion of disability equating to some sort of lack in intelligence predates (but does not absolve) all the other systems that perpetuate it. These other systems use ableism as both fuel and fodder, and exploit these misconceptions for gain. Hence, capitalism has played a significant role in shaping these ideas, reinforcing a framework where intelligence is measured by economic productivity and conformity to neoliberal values – equating one’s worth with one’s ability to generate profit. It privileges speed, efficiency, and conventional markers of success, thereby dismissing those who think, work, or communicate differently. In framing those who cannot conform to rigid productivity standards as less capable or less competent, their intelligence, regardless of its actual level, is automatically lessened.
Likewise, colonialism has played a massive role in constructing the modern concept of intelligence by tying it to Eurocentric ideals. The colonial narratives that dismissed other knowledge systems and ways of thinking in favour of Western, white, male, and able-bodied standards means that the way intelligence is measured, celebrated, and rewarded is inherently biased, favouring those who come closest in proximity to these narrow remits and placing everyone else as inferior or “other”.
And thus, patriarchy, too, finds its part to play – long devaluing emotional intelligence, intuition, and relational ways of knowing. These qualities, often associated with women and (drumroll) disabled people, are particularly dismissed when they do not conform to rigid, patriarchal ideas of rationality and productivity. It’s no coincidence that those who sit at the intersection of being disabled women have historically been institutionalised, sterilised, and dismissed as “hysterical” for simply existing outside the boundaries of what patriarchy deems “acceptable".
So then, the education system – built on colonialist, capitalist, and patriarchal foundations – has ended up reinforcing these ableist misconceptions by privileging specific learning styles, marginalising neurodivergent thinkers, and upholding rigid hierarchies of intelligence that exclude those who don’t fit within its narrow expectations. Making intelligence, as we’ve been taught to see it, based on arbitrary benchmarks like standardized tests, academic performance, and verbal eloquence. The result? A society that continues to treat ‘disabled intelligence’ as an oxymoron while holding onto outdated, oppressive measures of intellectual worth.
But the truth is intelligence is not one thing. It is creativity, problem-solving, empathy, resilience. It is being able to navigate a world that refuses to accommodate you, finding ways to work with a brain or body that society deems “deficient”. It is the ability to understand and experience the world in ways that many non-disabled people cannot. Intelligence does not have a single definition, and it certainly does not belong solely to the “neurotypical” or the able-bodied.
The assumption that disability equals unintelligent is not just harmful – it’s lazy thinking. It ignores the fact that intelligence is diverse, multifaceted, and deeply individual. It devalues the many ways disabled people engage with and contribute to the world. And it erases the lived realities of disabled people who are constantly adapting, innovating, and reshaping the world around them.
So, for those still struggling with the idea of an intelligent disabled person – maybe it’s time to reevaluate your own EQ, AQ, and IQ.
