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Let’s talk about words. Words are like seeds. They have a creative power, but they also can have a destructive power.
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A careless word can shape someone’s reality for years to come.
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The language you use – even in your mind - determines your attitude and how you perceive things.
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Just as some well-known four letter words are offensive, so are some words used to refer to people with disabilities.
Disability Etiquette
These terms are words to avoid (they are offensive):
Afflicted,
Cerebral Palsied
Confined to a Wheelchair
Courageous
Unfortunate
Burden
Deaf and Dumb, or Deaf Mute
Handicapped
Incapacitated
Deformed
Crippled
Poor or Pitiful
Wheelchair Bound
Retard
Spastic
Victim
Suffering
Hearing Impaired
Abnormal
Normal vs. Abnormal: I am normal. Normal varies to each individual. I have a new normal compared to before my spinal cord injury. Like Aimee Mullins says very simply, “Normal means “commonplace.”
Proper Terminology:
In your mind, frame someone as “Person” has a disability. Like "Mauree" has a disability with mobility. I am not my disability – although it does affect me, for sure.
Focus on the Person! Make your language about the person.
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A person who is
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Blind, or has Vison loss
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Deaf or Hard of Hearing
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Non-Disabled
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Physically Disabled
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A Person who has:
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Cerebral Palsy
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Low Vision
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Multiple Sclerosis
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Muscular Dystrophy
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Polio
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A Spinal Cord Injury
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A Mental Illness
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Appropriate Phrases
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A woman who uses a wheelchair
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An employee with arthritis
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A child who uses a communication device
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Remember to always put the person first. Let’s make the words be helpful - not offensive or limiting.
Make friends with people with disabilities; be helpful in public, advocate for them. Let’s all make safer, more accessible and welcoming communities.