Critique of Ableist Economic Logic

Zera Yacob used reason to critique accepted beliefs that contradicted justice. Today, ableist economic logic tells us that disabled people are unproductive, expensive, and economically burdensome—and therefore less entitled to resources. This reasoning justifies poverty wages, exclusion from employment, benefit caps, and denial of accommodations as 'too costly.' A rational critique exposes the falsehoods: disabled people contribute substantially when given access; the 'cost' of inclusion is often exaggerated; ableist systems themselves are expensive (segregation, institutionalization, incarceration). Furthermore, an economy's value should not be measured only in narrow productivity metrics, but in how it supports all members' dignity and flourishing. This concept calls for systematic deconstruction of the ableist assumptions undergirding disability poverty, and construction of economic logic that values disabled people's full participation and counts their needs as legitimate claims on resources.