(n) Discrimination in favor of able-bodied people.

In this model, we see that ableism is a combination of power, control, exploitation, and oppression of able-bodied people over those with disabilities. Not only is ableism a hurtful and offensive mindset; it can have very real, dangerous repercussions when people with disabilities either have no other option, or are made to think they have no other option, than to rely on able-bodied people who have greedy, unhelpful intentions.

In visual culture, the medical-industrial complex might look like a popular celebrity being paid to promote a certain medication or prescription drug regardless of its actual health benefits or the potential dangers it may cause. This is likely to make the vulnerable viewers want to try it for themselves, increasing profits for the advertisers and medical companies who made the drug, though it might not actually work.

Eugenics: trying to erase the prevalence of "undesirable" genetic characteristics through controlled breeding

Security: seeing disabled people as "dangerous" and therefore trying to control them

Charity: seeing disabled people as incompetent and in need of intervention from able-bodied people, as if they are property

While some of these models can be beneficial, such as charity or medical, the assumption that people with disabilities are in need of being rescued or controlled inherently gives them less value as human beings compared to people without disabilities, deeming this attitude ableism.

Carly Findlay: The Greatest Showman – upliftspirational exploitation and the able gaze

"I was annoyed that audiences would look at the characters and think’ “I’m glad I don’t look like that”/”if they can go out of the house looking like that, I’ve got nothing to complain about.” I think I even shouted at the TV. I hate that disabled people – including me – are seen as objects to make others grateful for their lives. We aren’t here to put others’ lives and able-ness in perspective."
–Carly Findlay

Visual culture in the past has represented mental illnesses and disorders negatively, falsely, and in a way that is stigmatizing to people with such disorders. The goal in the past in trying to depict these was to isolate and alienate the "other" in order to preserve a sense of normality.

“Another description that autistic people cringe at is that we ‘suffer’ from autism. We do not suffer from autism. But we do suffer from social discrimination, stigma, and ignorant misrepresentation. How about patronizing condescension? We face that a lot of the time…In truth, the autistic’s world is a rich, thriving ecology, of multi-sensorial experiences and insights, with juxtapositions of acute challenges, unusual abilities, and everything else in between.”
–Dawn-Joy Leong

Ignorance is the main drive, I think, for the perpetuation of misrepresentation and ableism in visual culture, but that is not a good reason to allow it to persist. It is our job as future art educators to bring this to people's attention.

Also, I want to be careful of the voices I am listening to. For example, one might have watched The Greatest Showman and thought it was a great representation of and inspiration to people with disabilities who might relate to the characters in the movie, but after reading the perspectives of some viewers with disabilities, it is evident that this is not the case for everyone. I want to always make sure the minorities and lesser-represented groups of people are getting the opportunity to speak for themselves, and leverage my own privileges to promote this.