Disability & Employment: Why "Work Smarter, Not Harder" is a Lie.
The Myth
Disabled people, particularly those with physical disabilities, are often told to "work smarter not harder." The idea being that because we are unable to do physically demanding tasks we should instead look to derive our worth from our intellectual abilities.
The myth is that disabled people are not really excluded from meritocracy, that we are just "differently abled" and need to play to our strengths.
The opposite is applied to people with intellectual disability, particularly students with learning disabilities who are often told they "have to" work twice as hard to keep up as though their disability makes it completely reasonable to expect twice as much effort from them.
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The Lie
Of course, the problem is that both how hard and how smart you are able to work is outside your control.
Physical disabilities like fatigue make working harder simply impossible.
Intellectual disabilities like ADHD or neurological diseases make working smarter impossible.
Furthermore, lots of people with disabilities are affected in both their ability to work smart and to work hard. For example, MECFS causes both fatigue and cognitive dysfunction.
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Grain of Truth
The reason people say this and the truth within it is that it essential that disabled people work to their strengths. It is also essential that we provide the accommodations for people with different abilities to utilize their talents.
For example, my husband is great at mathematics but needs accommodation from the university of his blindness to be able to use his mathematical talents to contribute to academia.
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The Harm
When we tell people, particularly children, with disabilities to "work smarter not harder" we continue to reinforce the message that your work is what determines your value. That if you cannot "work hard" you need to make up for it by being exceptionally productive during the hours you do work.
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Most Disabled People Are Not Differently Abled. Just Disabled.
While the media loves to highlight people like my husband who have some exceptional talent despite their disability, the reality is that being blind has no relation on being a good mathematician.
Having a disability doesn't magically give you a talent. This is why disabled people generally dislike the term "differently abled."
But there are people who are "differently abled" who have both exceptional talents and extraordinary difficulties of ability. These are often the only disabled people who receive visibility.
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The Problem Advocating Disabled Employment
Many "disability advocacy" organizations, particularly those by the government are strong proponents of both the term "differently abled" and increasing disabled employment. This might not seem like a terrible thing, after all, don't we want disabled people to be seen as more valuable and employable?
The problem is when we try to paint all disabled people as "differently abled" we erase the reality of the majority of the disabled experience. We erase all the disabled people who are simply better off not working because trying to work will place undue burden on their health and well-being.
Furthermore, we tie the value of disabled people on their ability to work. In doing so we establish a paradigm where disabled lives can never be equal to able-bodied lives. Where disabled people are sorted by how "redeemable" (aka employable) they are.
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Your Value Is Not Your Productivity
The reality is that disabled lives matter because the value of human life is not defined by productivity but by our shared humanity. Your value is that you are able to experience the world, to desire things and fulfill those desires, to connect to people around you, to be a member of the human community.
We shouldn't be telling disabled kids to "work smarter not harder" we should be telling and showing them (and everyone) that they are valued members of our communities.
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Disabled People Need Accommodation Not Motivation
But if we just tell people they are valued community members regardless of productivity how will they be successful / utilize their talents? You may ask.
Recall that the reason "work smarter not harder" is useful at all is that it encourages the accomodation of disabled people with exceptional talents. When we accept and accommodate all disabled people as valued community members, disabled people with special talents do not need special accommodation. The accommodation is the norm.
As for the motivation, when people feel like a valued part of a community they are naturally driven to contribute to that community. Disabled people do not need motivation to contribute, they need accommodation and communities to contribute to.
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Encouraging Disabled Success Under Capitalism
While I strongly believe that true disabled justice is impossible under capitalism, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to encourage disabled success here and now.
However, I believe it is essential that when we encourage disabled people to pursue careers or success in society that we do not link their self-worth to that outward success.
While it is important for anyone to not value themselves based on productivity, it is especially essential for disabled people because when we fail to do so we risk pushing our already compromised body-minds into crisis.
So its okay to work smarter not harder. But remember: you don't have to work at all to be valued.
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Disabled people don't need to "work smarter not harder," we need to disconnect our self-worth from our productivity.
Disability can provide some benefits to character. It can increase empathy for the marginalized and give unique perspectives and appreciation for life. But disability does not come paired with exceptional ability in some other area contrary to what the media might have you believe.
We choose to highlight and make visible "differently abled" people aka people who are disabled but possess some remarkable talent, because we do not want to acknowledge how ableist our society truly is.
When we tell disabled children to "work smarter not harder" or that they have to "work twice as hard to get ahead" we are telling them: what matters is your productivity. If you can't do it the traditional way you better find another way.
We should be telling them: your value is not your productivity.
I am not saying disabled people should not play to our strengths. But when we go from valuing ourselves based on ability, to valuing ourselves based on a specific subset of ability, we are not truly overcoming ableism. We are just shifting the goalposts.
It's okay to work smarter or to work harder. But your life is not your work. Your value is not your production. You matter because you are human. No strings attached.
