I hope you aren't becoming woke: New politicised contours of online ableism in response to disability advocacy by 2022 Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott

Ableist hate speech regularly appears in online comment-enabled articles on social media, whenever disability-related topics enter public discourse. In 2022, Dylan Alcott's appointment as Australian of the Year as a person with disability was widely celebrated. Despite this progress, we identified new forms of politicised ableism in online responses to his disability advocacy in this role. This research considers readership responses to an April 2022 Facebook post by an Australian tabloid publication. The post editorialised Alcott's Twitter response to the then Australian Prime Minister's comments on feeling blessed to have children without disability. Enmeshed within the usual ableist imaginary-why would any parent want to have a child with disability?-were new justifications for ableism associated with political wokeness. We analyse this emerging contour of politicised ableism in contemporary Australia to consider the complex patterns of progress toward social justice for people with disability.

Automated summary

Ableist hate speech is frequently found in online discussions about disability on social media. This research examines the emergence of politicized ableism in response to Dylan Alcott's advocacy for disability rights in his role as Australian of the Year. The study analyzes reader responses to a Facebook post by an Australian tabloid publication, which commented on Alcott's Twitter response to the Prime Minister's remarks about having children without disabilities.