Date 2006
I was talking to someone the other day that kept using the word "handicapped." Since he worked for a disability rights organization, I thought he should know better than to use that word to refer to people with disabilities. I finally told him in no uncertain terms to stop using it. Later, I wondered why I had such a strong, almost physical reaction to that word. After all, it was just a word... right? Do words really matter that much?
According to disability activist and author Kathie Snow, "Handicapped" is an archaic term that evokes negative images of pity, and fear. The origin of the word is from an Old English bartering game, in which the loser was left with his "hand in his cap" and was thought to be at a disadvantage. A legendary origin of the "H-word" refers to a person with a disability begging with his "cap in his hand." This antiquated, derogatory term perpetuates the stereotypical perception that people with disabilities make up one homogenous group of pitiful, and needy people."
In order to understand my reaction to the H-word, you have to go back a few years, quite a few actually. I attended pre-school and kindergarten at a school for children with disabilities. Since all the children there had disabilities, we never thought about being different from one another. We were not "Handicapped Kids" we were just kids learning and having fun together.
When I started elementary school with non-disabled kids everything changed. I became the "Handicapped Girl, the "Gimp Girl", even the "Retard Girl". I was teased relentlessly because cerebral palsy made my gait irregular and caused me to lose my balance frequently. Children followed me around imitating the way I walked and calling me names as I played at recess. Needless to say, I had a lot of friends.
I did homework, volunteered for extra credit, anything to be allowed to stay in the classroom at recess. If I didn't, I knew what was waiting for me. Sometimes I cried, but most of the time I just pretended to be invisible and schemed in silence about ways to get even.
I decided to level the playing field so to speak, by excelling academically. I studied obsessively. Unfortunately, my success seemed to confuse the situation even more. Kids couldn't understand why the girl who fell all the time and could barely walk did so well on tests and homework. Something was wrong with her. Anyone could see that.
I share this so you will understand that words do matter. Labels hurt. It is not about political correctness, it is about giving people the dignity and respect that they deserve, not as members of one group or another but as human beings. A disability describes what a person has, not who they are. A person with a disability is a person first. Always.
| Labels Not to Use | People First Language |
|---|---|
| The Handicapped or The Disabled | People with Disabilities |
| The Mentally Retarded | People with Mental Retardation |
| My son is Autistic | My son has Autism |
| Epileptic | A person with Epilepsy |
| Wheelchair Bound or Confined to a Wheelchair | Uses a Wheelchair or is a Wheelchair User |
| Homebound | Person who remains at home |
| Afflicted with, Suffers From, Victim of | Person who has... |
| Handicapped Parking | Accessible Parking |
For more information on People First Language and Kathie Snow, please visit her web site at www.disabilityisnatural.com