The Power of Language and Labels

The Power of Language and Disability Etiquette Tips

A Few Words About People First Language by Kathie Snow
Visit www.disabilityisnatural.com to see the original, full-length article.  Used with permission.

People with disabilities constitute our nation’s largest minority group.  It’s also the most inclusive and most diverse:  both genders, any sexual orientations, and all ages, religions, socioeconomic levels, and ethnicities are represented.  Yet the only thing people with disabilities have in common is being on the receiving end of societal misunderstanding, prejudice, and discrimination.  And this largest minority group is the only one which anyone can join at any time:  at birth, in the split second of an accident, through illness, or during the aging process.  If and when it happens to you, how will you want to be described?

Words matter!   Old and inaccurate descriptors perpetuate negative stereotypes and reinforce an incredibly powerful attitudinal barrier, which are the greatest obstacle facing individuals with disabilities.  A disability is, first and foremost, a medical diagnosis, and when we define people by their diagnoses, we devalue and disrespect them as individuals.  Do you want to be known primarily by your psoriasis, gynecological history, or the warts on your behind?  Using medical diagnoses incorrectly – as a measure of a person’s abilities or potential --- can ruin people’s lives.

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”  Mark Twain

Embrace a new paradigm:  “Disability is a natural part of the human experience…”  (U.S. Developmental Disabilities/Bill of Rights Act).  Yes, disability is natural, and it can be redefined as a “body part that works differently.”  A person with spina bifida has legs that work differently, a person with Down syndrome learns differently, and so forth.  People can no more be defined by their medical diagnoses than others can be defined by gender, ethnicity, religion, or other traits!

A diagnosis may also become a sociopolitical passport for services, entitlements, or legal protections.  Thus, medical, educational, legal, or similar settings are the only places where the use of a diagnosis is relevant.

People First Language puts the person before the disability, and describes what a person has, not who a person is.  Are you “cancerous” or do you have cancer?  Is a person “handicapped/disabled” or does she “have a disability”?  Using a diagnosis as a defining characteristic reflects prejudice, and also robs the person of the opportunity to define himself.

Let’s reframe “problems” and into “needs.”  Instead of,  “He has behavior problems,” we can say, “He needs behavior supports.”  Instead of, “She has reading problems,” we can say, “She needs large print.”  And let’s eliminate the “special needs” descriptor---it generates pity and low expectations! 

A person’s self image is tied to the words used about him.  People First Language reflects good manners, not “political correctness,” and it was started by individuals who said, “We are not our disabilities!”  We can create a new paradigm of disability and change the world in the process.  Using People First Language is right---just do it, now!

A Few Examples of People First Language 

For additional information on People First Language, and to view the above article in its entirety, visit www.disabilityisnatural.com  Used with permission.

More Language Suggestions

ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS – See Handicap meaning No. 1.

AFFLICTED / AFFLICTION – Connotes pain and suffering. Most individuals with disabilities are not in pain, nor do they suffer because of their disability.

ARCHITECTURAL BARRIERS – See Handicap meaning NO. 2.

CONFINED TO A WHEELCHAIR – People with disabilities are no more “confined to a wheelchair” than people with poor vision are “confined to their eyeglasses.”  Both wheelchairs and eyeglasses are tools used by the individual to increase their independence.  Try this language instead - “uses a wheelchair for mobility”, or “has a wheelchair”, or “gets around by wheelchair.”

CRIPPLED – avoid this word unless talking about an object.

DEAF AND DUMB OR DEAF MUTE – People who are deaf have healthy vocal cords. If they do not speak, that is because they do not hear the correct way to pronounce words. Try “person who is deaf” or “person with a hearing impairment.”

DISABLED – ADJECTIVE – Do not use as a noun. Bad usage: “The disabled population is increasing.” Better: “The number of people who have disabilities is increasing.”

DISABLED PERSON – Try using “person with a disability”, thus putting the person before the disability.

DISABILITY – A medically defined condition resulting from a brain injury, accident, virus, a combination of genetic factors, or trauma. Say “People with disabilities” or persons with a disability”, not “disabled people.”

DISEASE – Most people with disabilities are as healthy as anyone. Use “condition.”

DRAIN AND BURDEN – Try “added responsibility.”

GIMP – Slang used by people with disabilities to mock society’s attitudes towards them, however, can have negative connotations if used by a person who is not disabled.

HANDICAP – Do not use to describe a person’s physical condition. Persons with disabilities are not necessarily handicapped.  The term handicap refers to environmental barriers preventing or making it difficult for full participation or integration.

1. Attitudes and objects in the environment that hinder one’s functioning; examples are steps, steep ramps, condescending people.
2. An athletic event in which difficulties are imposed on the superior, or advantages are given to the inferior, to make their chances of winning equal. Some individuals with

Disabilities may call themselves “handicappers” to show that they are capable of setting their own odds and they are in control of their own lives. However, this tem is not widely accepted.

HANDICAPPED PERSON – A better description is a “person with a disability.”

INCONVENIENCE– Preferred term. This word does not have any bad connotation. It also puts the disability in perspective.

INVALID – This word means literally “not valid”.  Everybody is valid.

PATIENT – Use this term only when referring to someone who is in a hospital or under a doctor’s immediate care.

POOR – Avoid this word unless you are talking about a person of low financial status. A person’s financial status need not be related to his/her disability.

UNFORTUNATE – Adjective that describes someone with bad luck, not a person with a disability.

VICTIM – A person with a disability was not sabotaged, nor was the individual necessarily in a car, plane or train accident. Having a disability need not make a person a victim.