Disability Humor 101: Jokes That Get a Rise (Without the Elevator)

You ever stop and think to yourself, “Gee, this day sucks—I wish there was something to make it better”? While I can’t save you from meetings that could’ve been an email, unnecessary paperwork during professional development, your boss making you wear multiple hats, or even a client/customer requesting something so unrealistic you wish you could just be blunt with them (been there, trust me), I can offer a little humor to brighten your day.

These disability-related jokes were written with care. I make it a point to avoid harmful stereotypes, dehumanizing language, or anything that’s just a slur in disguise. That’s important to me—not only as a disabled person myself, but also because of what’s happening in today’s media landscape. With over two-thirds of online posts about disability being negative and nearly 29 million containing slurs (Special Olympics, 2018), or seeing the “R-word” continue to pop up more and more (Melendez, 2025), it’s honestly frustrating.

That’s why I wanted to write this blog—to offer something different from all the ableist junk floating around. I even ran some of these jokes by my disabled friends to make sure they weren’t punching down. If folks enjoy this, I might just do another round—so if you’ve got a dad joke or pun to share, send it my way! I always get a kick out of them.

Now, without further ado, let’s get started!

Jokes

• My cane is more stable than my last relationship.

• Me: I'm autistic.
  Them: Does that mean you take things literally?
  Me: No, those are kleptomaniacs.
  (Joke adapted from online)

• Why did the ADHDer go to the bar—
  Actually, wait, why am I here?

• I asked my wheelchair if it wanted to go for a spin.
  It said, “Let’s roll with it!

• Someone said, “You don’t look autistic.”
  I said, “Yeah, I hide it behind my charm 😎”

• Let’s take a moment to pray for the hearing people...
  who have to listen to their in-laws. That’s unheard of!

• Why did the accessibility consultant hate stairs?
  They always felt like they were being talked down to.

• What makes the internet accessible to trees?
  Simple: they just log in.

• I’m reading a horror novel in Braille. Something bad is going to happen — I can feel it!

• What do you call a wheelchair user who’s a supermodel?
  Hot Wheels.

• If I rehearse my phone calls numerous times...
  does that make me a method actor?

References

Melendez, P. (2025, May 9). The “R-word,” embraced by Joe Rogan and Elon Musk, inches back into the mainstream. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/r-word-embraced-joe-rogan-elon-musk-inches-back-mainstream-rcna203277

Special Olympics. (2018, March 6). The ‘R’-Word remains prevalent across social media. SpecialOlympics.org. https://www.specialolympics.org/spread-the-word/our-words/discriminatory-language-about-people-with-intellectual-disabilities-particularly-the-r-word-remains-prevalent-across-social-media