THE PROBLEM IS: SENDism
It is the unjust treatment, disadvantage or exclusion of people with special educational needs and disabilities, not because of their ability, but because systems were never designed with their differences in mind.
Why it happens:
The systems we use today were built around one idea of normal. They assume all people learn, communicate, experience, behave and respond in similar ways. Anyone outside of that is expected to adapt, comply or be corrected. That expectation is where discrimination begins.
Who it affects:
People with SEND are disproportionately affected across systems as well as services. When needs, behaviour responses and differences are not properly recognised or understood, unequal experiences and unfair outcomes inevitably follow.
Where it's found:
SENDism is embedded throughout education, healthcare, justice, employment, and other public services; it is found in procedures, policies, expectations and everyday decision-making. Not always visible, but repeatedly experienced across these systems.
Why it matters:
Experiences are dismissed as isolated. Support remains inconsistent, and systems remain unchanged. Naming SENDism helps expose repeated patterns across systems & experiences that are often unseen, unrecognised or treated as one offs rather than part of a wider problem.
If this feels familiar, you are not alone.
These experiences are shared across a whole community of people
but without collecting them here in one place they remain invisible: