"People First" Language.

[Ronni]

Our words and the meanings we attach to them create attitudes, drive social policies and laws, influence our feelings and decisions, and affect people’s daily lives and more. How we use them makes a difference. People First Language puts the person before the disability, and describes what a person has, not who a person is. Using a diagnosis as a defining characteristic reflects prejudice, and also robs the person of the opportunity to define him/herself.

http://www.tcdd.texas.gov/resources/people-first-language/

Examples of what you should say.	Examples of what you should not say.
Say This	Not This
people with disabilities	the handicapped, the disabled
people without disabilities	normal, healthy, whole or typical people
person who has a congenital disability	person with a birth defect
person who has (or has been diagnosed with)…	person afflicted with, suffers from, a victim of…
person who has Down syndrome	Downs person, mongoloid, mongol
person who has (or has been diagnosed with) autism	the autistic
person with quadriplegia, person with paraplegia, person diagnosed with a physical disability	a quadriplegic, a paraplegic
person with a physical disability	a cripple
person of short stature, little person	a dwarf, a midget
person who is unable to speak, person who uses a communication device	dumb, mute
people who are blind, person who is visually impaired	the blind
person with a learning disability	learning disabled
person diagnosed with a mental health condition	crazy, insane, psycho, mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, demented
person diagnosed with a cognitive disability or with an intellectual and developmental disability	mentally retarded, retarded, slow, idiot, moron
student who receives special education services	special ed student, special education student
person who uses a wheelchair or a mobility chair	confined to a wheelchair; wheelchair bound
accessible parking, bathrooms, etc.	handicapped parking, bathrooms, etc.

I agree completely that the person is NOT their disability, and focusing on them is important. But I can't help but wonder if we're taking things a bit far. I abhor the use of "retarded" or other such name to refer to someone who is mentally challenged for example. But I have two friends who are hearing impaired, and they both routinely refer to themselves as "deaf."

It gets really nuanced too. I mean, is it actually offensive to say "she is learning disabled" instead of "she is a person with a learning disability?" I don't want to offend anyone so personally I know I'm going to be over-cautious. But I also know me, and so I'm gonna come right out and say "will it offend you if I say such and so?" or "how should I refer to you/your disability?" at least with people I know.

Have any of you run into this?

 

[Wren]

I’ve never run into this, personally I think, especially at our ages, anybody with a sense of tact and decorum dosn’t need a list to be told what to say

 

[Ronni]

I’ve never run into this, personally I think, especially at our ages, anybody with a sense of tact and decorum dosn’t need a list to be told what to say

Oh Yes!!! So this!!

 

[Sunny]

But I have two friends who are hearing impaired, and they both routinely refer to themselves as "deaf."

Not that this is in any way a disability, but it's the same point. I once asked a friend with American Indian heritage which she preferred: Native American or Indian? She said, without hesitation,
"Indian. That's what everybody calls us, and that's the way we refer to ourselves."

Bad example, maybe, as "Indian" is confusing (from India? American Indian?) and probably should be retired. But I do know that deaf people usually refer to themselves as deaf people. All these constantly shifting terms for people just add confusion, and make people self-conscious. Instead of "handicapped," say "disabled?" Instead of "Hispanic" say "Latino?" Why, for heaven's sakes?

 

[RadishRose]

No more "handicapped parking". So what should it be now?

 

[Keesha]

Perhaps I’m not as tolerant as some but I think this list is ridiculous.
Trying to keep up with political correctness these days is confusing
I think as long as someone’s intention is true then that’s what should matter most.

 

[Wren]

No more "handicapped parking". So what should it be now?

Also known as Disabled Parking it is now supposed to be Accessible Parking apparently.....

Another aspect of this is, how the hell are we supposed to remember all the new terms, I can’t even recall what I had for dinner yesterday !

Sorry but if anybody started correcting me I would have two words of my own for them, both well known and easy to decipher,
the second word being “Off”.......

 

[Wren]

 

[Aunt Bea]

I understand the concept and agree with some of it.

In other cases, the language can become enabling or used as an excuse to prevent a person from working to overcome an issue in their lives. e.g. person diagnosed with chemical dependency, person diagnosed with a learning disability, etc...

I agree with Wren it takes some tact and common sense or when in doubt be kind.

 

[RadishRose]

View attachment 63309

Good one, Wren!

 

[Keesha]

Another aspect of this is, how the hell are we supposed to remember all the new terms, I can’t even recall what I had for dinner yesterday !

Sorry but if anybody started correcting me I would have two words of my own for them, both well known and easy to decipher,
the second word being “Off”.......

:lofl: Wren :yes:

 

[SeaBreeze]

I think a lot of the stuff on that list is nonsense. Most of us have been raised to be polite and considerate of other's feelings.

As far as that chart, I would never call a person with Downs syndrome a mongoloid...I would not call someone with a physical disability a cripple...I would not call a little person a midget. I see nothing wrong with saying that someone with a mental health condition is mentally ill or emotionally disturbed, calling them a psycho, crazy or demented is just rude and hurtful.

I wouldn't call a person with an intellectual disability a retard, idiot or moron. I see nothing wrong with saying handicapped parking. I agree with you Ronni that this is taking things a bit too far, the PC people are starting to nitpick, too sensitive and looking for problems where there are none.

Treat others as you'd like to be treated, show respect and courtesy, we don't need lists and charts like this to tell us how to speak, in my opinion. I haven't run into any of that.

 

[hollydolly]

I have several members of my paternal side of the family ( including my father and one sister) who were born with little or no hearing..my sister and father could hear enough so they were able to vocalize normally but refer to themselves as hard of hearing , but my uncle and aunt , and an aunt by marriage can't make make any kind of intelligible vocal sounds, ...the latter 3 refer to themselves as Deaf & mute... and would never feel marginalized by being referred to as that..

Anyway I agree with Wren and SB..and everyone about using common sense and respect...

Disability parking is what it's called here..Handicapped hasn't been used for years.. and why I wonder is it more offensive to say confined to a wheelchair, than the other much longer description...it's all very confusing

 

[Mrs. Robinson]

I agre that some things are taken too far. But my former (recent) boss (I quit my job in January),referred to people with Down Syndrome as "Mongoloids". It shocked me the first time she did and actually,continued to shock me. I don`t think I have heard that term since the 60s. Can`t believe she is that out of touch.

 

[Tommy]

I value courtesy and kindness and would never be knowingly rude or hurtful to someone because of a clinical physical or mental condition. OTOH, I do have a few choice descriptive terms for the self appointed "PC police". They turn my stomach. (I know, I know. That's just what they're fishing for. They only espouse these things to provide their own miserable little lives with some sort of validation ... maybe I should feel sorry for them. NOT!!!)

 

[hollydolly]

I value courtesy and kindness and would never be knowingly rude or hurtful to someone because of a clinical physical or mental condition. OTOH, I do have a few choice descriptive terms for the self appointed "PC police". They turn my stomach. (I know, I know. That's just what they're fishing for. They only espouse these things to provide their own miserable little lives with some sort of validation ... maybe I should feel sorry for them. NOT!!!)

I agree ..PC people get right on my WICK!!!

 

[fuzzybuddy]

The idea was to see the humanity in those, who are afflicted with a disability, and not solely focus on the disability. For example, if someone is crippled, you don't refer to him as "the crip". Ya know, common courtesy grown ups use.

 

[JFBev]

No more "handicapped parking". So what should it be now?

Accessible parking, I think. When mother couldn't drive any more, she got one of those review-mirror things with the symbol on it so anyone who drove her somewhere could get a great parking space. She was amused to find how many friends and family were available any time at all to take her shopping (even if they just popped in "for a minute" to get something, leaving her in the car)

 

[MeAgain]

Sometimes I can't even remember what I got up to do much less a bunch of new word titles . But I have never called any mentally disabled a mongoloid or cripple person a 'cripple'.
Some things I just refuse to do and saying something is something else is one of them. I have never used the gay unless talking about happy or any slang names either. I have a close loved one who is homosexual lesbian , never said the word 'gay' for it.That tolerance goes both ways with me.