People-first Language
People with disabilities are just that — people. We are not ‘differently abled’ because of our disability. We all have different abilities and interests, and the fact that we may or may not have a physical or intellectual disability doesn’t change that. The disabled community may have different needs, but we are productive members of society who also happen to be husbands, wives, moms, dads, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, friends, and coworkers. People with disabilities are often disrespected and portrayed two different ways; as helpless or as heroically inspirational for doing simple, basic activities.
As a disabled author who writes disabled characters, my focus is to help people without disabilities understand the real-life disability issues we face like discrimination, limited accessibility, housing, employment opportunities, and lack of people first language. I want to change the way others see our community by writing strong characters who go after their dreams, and find their true love, without shying away from what it is like to be a person with a disability. One thing I can do to educate is to help others understand our terminology. We, as the disabled community, have worked to establish what we call People First Language. This isn’t a case of being politically correct. Rather, it is a way to acknowledge and communicate with a person with a disability in a respectful way by eliminating generalizations, assumptions and stereotypes.
As a person with disabilities, I appreciate when readers take the time to ask me what my preferred language is. Since so many have asked, I thought I would include a small sample of the people-first language we use in the disabled community. The most important thing to remember when you’re talking to people with disabilities is that we are people first! If you ask us what our preferred terminology is regarding our disability, we will not only tell you, but be glad you asked!
As a disabled author who writes disabled characters, my focus is to help people without disabilities understand the real-life disability issues we face like discrimination, limited accessibility, housing, employment opportunities, and lack of people first language. I want to change the way others see our community by writing strong characters who go after their dreams, and find their true love, without shying away from what it is like to be a person with a disability. One thing I can do to educate is to help others understand our terminology. We, as the disabled community, have worked to establish what we call People First Language. This isn’t a case of being politically correct. Rather, it is a way to acknowledge and communicate with a person with a disability in a respectful way by eliminating generalizations, assumptions and stereotypes.
As a person with disabilities, I appreciate when readers take the time to ask me what my preferred language is. Since so many have asked, I thought I would include a small sample of the people-first language we use in the disabled community. The most important thing to remember when you’re talking to people with disabilities is that we are people first! If you ask us what our preferred terminology is regarding our disability, we will not only tell you, but be glad you asked!
INSTEAD OF |
USE |
He is handicapped. |
He is a person with a disability. |
She is differently abled. |
She is a person with a disability. |
He is mentally retarded. |
He has a developmental or intellectual disability. |
She is wheelchair-bound. |
She uses a wheelchair. |
He is a cripple. |
He has a physical disability. |
She is a midget or dwarf. |
She is a person of short stature or a little person. |
He is deaf and mute. |
He is deaf or he has a hearing disability. |
She is a normal and healthy person. |
She is a person without a disability. |
That is handicapped parking. |
That is accessible parking. |
He has overcome his disability. |
He is successful and productive. |
She is suffering from vision loss. |
She is a person who is blind or visually disabled. |
He is brain damaged. |
He is a person with a traumatic brain injury. |
Take Action
Retailers often take their cues from the Book Industry Study Group's Book Industry Standards and Communications Codes—say that three times fast!—and this group is OPEN to suggestions. In fact, due to public demand, they added "FIC079000 FICTION / Disabilities & Special Needs" for 2021.
Let's use the same tactic to ensure people with disabilities are able to see themselves represented in ROMANCE. Please, join us in filling out their suggestion form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K9CH9MD
To help make sure we’re all on the same page—and because it asks some things most of us may not know off the top of our heads—we jotted down some example information: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nmFcZTe0XIk_-mMMZsNOrCGt3_0LMiwIYyGNMlFEn6g/edit?usp=sharing
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ❤
Let's use the same tactic to ensure people with disabilities are able to see themselves represented in ROMANCE. Please, join us in filling out their suggestion form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K9CH9MD
To help make sure we’re all on the same page—and because it asks some things most of us may not know off the top of our heads—we jotted down some example information: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nmFcZTe0XIk_-mMMZsNOrCGt3_0LMiwIYyGNMlFEn6g/edit?usp=sharing
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ❤
Helpful Links
- It’s important to know the correct and respectful way to interact with people with disabilities. This is an excellent resource put together by the State of Illinois to help you with person first language. While the information is useful, remember it is always important to ask what title the person prefers that you use for their disability, or, in the end, you can just ask them their name and use that title rather than any other 😊
- While this video starts out awkward, stick with it because it depicts some extremely common situations that people with disabilities run into ALL the time! The video will make you chuckle, but you will remember it the next time you decide to grab that door or speak over the top of someone.
- Tiffiny Carlson is a wonderful disability advocate for the community. I love the no nonsense way she puts together these posts to help abled people interact with people with disabilities in a human way. My favorite points on this post are 1 and 4, but also remember, interacting with people with disabilities is only as hard as you make it. Relax. Be calm. We are people first.
- I often refer friends and family to this very straightforward post about disability etiquette. It’s a wonderful little resource for everyone. It doesn’t take long to read, but the highlighted points will be easy to remember.
Talk to Your Kids
As a person with disabilities, I am often in a situation where a child is curious about my prosthetic leg or my wheelchair, but their parent is uncomfortable or unsure how to keep their child from interacting with me. I would rather they let their child ask questions because that’s how they learn! I’ll talk to any child and answer any question they ask if it means the child learns that people with disabilities aren’t scary or to be ignored. Occasionally, I will have a parent ask me if it’s okay if their child asks me a question. Even if I have someone waiting for me, I always say yes. I once held my finger up to a nurse who was calling my name because I was going to answer that little girl’s question! What did she want to know? If she could touch my special leg. I said yes, because sensory exploration is just as important as language is for kids when it comes to learning. She wanted to know what it felt like and once she touched it, her eyes lit up and the questions like, why does it have that button? And, what does that dial do? came next. At the end of the conversation she was chatting away with her mom about what she learned while I headed into my appointment. The nurse was even smiling and told me she doesn’t see that often, at work or in the community, because most parents don’t know how to talk to their kids about people with disabilities.
The first step is to talk to your kids about people with disabilities. Sounds basic, right? Trust me when I say it’s not. It might feel intimidating, but just remember, we are people first and we love an open conversation, so feel free to ask appropriate questions! Also, let your kids be curious! Let them ask the questions and try to answer them honestly. If you don’t know the answer, say, “that’s a great question! I don’t know the answer, but let’s look it up together.”
There are so many resources out there to help you make talking about disabilities with your child seamless and comfortable. I picked my top three favorites because they all have great talking points that help you navigate the conversation with your youngster. Remember that what you don’t say, matters as much as what you do say.
The first step is to talk to your kids about people with disabilities. Sounds basic, right? Trust me when I say it’s not. It might feel intimidating, but just remember, we are people first and we love an open conversation, so feel free to ask appropriate questions! Also, let your kids be curious! Let them ask the questions and try to answer them honestly. If you don’t know the answer, say, “that’s a great question! I don’t know the answer, but let’s look it up together.”
There are so many resources out there to help you make talking about disabilities with your child seamless and comfortable. I picked my top three favorites because they all have great talking points that help you navigate the conversation with your youngster. Remember that what you don’t say, matters as much as what you do say.