Monday, June 14, 1998
People with disabilities are,
first and foremost, people
BY DEBORAH KENDRICK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The words we use tell much about our attitudes. In most circles today, women are just women and black Americans just black. Yet, only a few decades ago, there were dozens of slurs commonly used to refer to each of these groups.
People with disabilities have struggled with the same issues, but solutions are less clear-cut. Finding the ''right'' words to refer to specific groups within the disability ranks is complicated. A letter from a reader underscores how confusing our labels - or lack of them - can be. She writes:
As a parent of a child with Down syndrome, I have become an advocate for all persons with disabilities. My awareness and involvement has brought me from the status of grieving new parent to that of vice president of the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati.
Not only do I want my daughter to be a respected individual in our community, but I want all persons, with or without a disability, to be treated equally. In light of this, why must I exit my local grocery store to be greeted by a well-meaning volunteer wearing an orange vest with the words ''Help Retarded Children'' across the back? Is this really a healthy message in 1998?
Last year, in an attempt to change this situation, I wrote to the organization sponsoring this fund-raiser and included a publication outlining ''person first'' language. Unfortunately, there was no response, and no changes were made.
This year, I calmly and pleasantly informed the grocery store manager that I was insulted by the wording on this vest, and surprised that someone with authority to change it allowed the promotion at his store. Ironically, this grocer is a big employer of people faced with mental challenges.
A change in language is long overdue. I do not want the endeavors of this organization to be affected; I only want the negative message they are sending to be changed. - Debbie Tetrault, Cincinnati.
This mother's dilemma is heartbreaking. She has learned that a child who happens to be born with Down syndrome is first and foremost a child - a little girl with quirks and talents and a soul to be cherished and nurtured. She sees ''Help Retarded Children'' and recoils because, while she knows that the good done with the money raised is genuine, she doesn't want her daughter to be dismissed as a ''retarded child.''
The emphasis on ''person first'' language has led to positive changes but has created new wrinkles, too. The principle is simple: Put the person before the disability in spoken or written references. Thus, ''person who uses a wheelchair'' rather than ''cripple'' or ''wheelchair bound,'' and ''child with Down syndrome'' rather than ''retarded child.''
I shudder at those old epithets. I also shudder at some of the new constructions that result in total loss of clarity.
If it's good to raise money for kids with mental retardation but bad to say ''Help Retarded Children,'' what is the alternative? If the vests say ''Help Children'' or ''Help Children with Disabilities,'' no one will know who's being helped; if they say ''Help Special Needs Children'' (the most popular and my least favorite reference), there is no indication of the goals of the fund-raiser.
The problem with phrases like ''special needs,'' ''challenged'' or ''differently able'' is that they tell us nothing. Every human being, with or without a disability, has special needs, is challenged and is differently able.
My choice would be to eliminate the words and phrases that are inaccurate or insulting but realign those which convey clear, direct meanings. ''Mental retardation,'' ''blind'' and ''deaf'' are not negative terms. They are honest characteristics of some human beings, like white and black, male and female, tall and short.
We are showing more respect and compassion for our children by refering to them as children with cerebral palsy or autism or quadriplegia than with the shame that is conveyed in vague references to ''special'' or ''challenged.''
Compromise could lie in vests emblazoned with ''Help Children with Mental Retardation.'' It takes a nanosecond longer to absorb, but still would raise money without conveying stigma or shame.
A rose is a rose by any name, and children with disabilities, need to hear in our words that their disabilities have names and are lovable parts of their lovable selves.
Deborah Kendrick, a Cincinnati free-lance writer, is a nationally recognized advocate for people with disabilities. Write: Deborah Kendrick, Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202; e-mail: 71340.473@compuserve.com.
KENDRICK ARCHIVE
