Ann.Stalnaker@p0.f14.n385.z1.fidonet.org (Ann Stalnaker) (04/15/91)
Index Number: 14866
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
I thought this article might be of interest to all - it was published
in the Disability Reporter which is published every other month by
Oklahoma Office of Handicapped Concerns, 4300 W. Lincoln Blvd.,
Suite 200, Oklahoma City, OK 73105.
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. . . CALL ME BY MY NAME . . .
Portraying People with Disabilities
Language has the power to shape our perceptions and attitudes about
people. Attitudes, in turn, affect our behaviors toward people. Call
a man a patriot or a zealot, and the reader or listener usually has an
automatic response that is admiring in the first instance, and suspicious
in the latter. But describe that same individual as a man with convictions,
and we must look deeper before framing the attitude about him that will
guide our behavior towards him.
People with disabilities have historically been described through use of
labels and phrases which actually depict society's fear of disability.
Many of the catch-words typically used to reference a person with a
disability are comforting to use, because they emphasize how distant the
state of disability is from the experience of the person who has no
disability. For instance, referring to someone as an "invalid" will
certainly trigger pity and the image of helplessness, but seldom elicit
a sense of relationship, understanding or value of the individual.
Over the years the words and styles used to portray individuals with
disabilities have affected the ways in which the public thinks about
these individuals. Words like "cripple", "victim", and "invalid" stress
the most negative and distressing aspects of disability. A society
which regards people with disabilities as objects of pity, as essentially
different from non-disabled persons, has produced public policy which
segregates, neglects and underestimates the potential of a significant
human resources - 43 million Americans with disabilities.
Fair and accurate reporting about individuals with disabilities can
eradicate many of the fears and misconceptions which have tended to
keep this population poor, underemployed and segregated. Following
are some tips on avoiding use of language which stereotypes or offends
individuals with disabilities, and some information on terminology that
is considered acceptable.
- PEOPLE FIRST. Individuals with disabilities are people
first. Avoid referring to them by label. Draw attention
first to the humanity of the individual, not to his/her
disability.
- Avoid use of terms and phrases which de-emphasize a person's
individuality while stressing the negative aspects of
disability. For example, don't say "wheelchair-bound",
"confined to a wheelchair", "deaf and dumb", "cripple", or
"victim of". INSTEAD, SAY "person with a disability", "man
who uses a wheelchair", "woman who has epilepsy", or "person
who is deaf".
- When the issue of disability is not critical to a story or
account, avoid mentioning it at all.
- Avoid portrayal of successful people with disabilities as
superhuman. Many disability groups also strongly object to
employing euphemisms to describe disabilities. Even though
some euphemistic terms (for example, "physically challenged",
"handicappable", and "people of differing abilities") are
in popular use today, many disability advocates agree such
terms are condescending and reinforce the idea that dis-
abilities cannot be dealt with directly. Again, the simple
phrase: "individual with a disability" is more straightforward
and less prejudicial.
The humanity and diversity of individuals with disabilities can be shown
by maintaining a focus on real lives. As do others, people with dis-
abilities work, interact socially and exercise a broad range of talents
and skills as they participate in the spectrum of life activities.
Putting disabled people "in the landscape" helps to break down barriers
and open lines of communication.
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