"people first" language.

This article called "People First Language", written by Kathie Snow, was a reading assignment given to me during the first week of this semester. The sentiments are not new to me as the  idea of "people first" language is something that was presented to me several years ago during a class I took on Deaf culture. The concept is an important one and even as I revisit it now in this article, I feel the need to share it with the rest of you who may have no idea that such a concept is being addressed.

Snow addresses how the word "disability" has no universally-accepted definition and that such a construct was only created for governmental social purposes. One-fifth of Americans have disabilities, making them the country's largest minority group. Yet, within that group, the similarities are few and far between. The variety of disabilities as well as the people who have them make them no more similar to each other than people without disabilities are to each other.

In other words, a person's diagnosis should not be their defining characteristic any more than their eye color, their height, their favorite foods, or their aspirations should be. Here, Snow encourages us to stop seeing/hearing/using labels such as "autistic children," "mentally retarded students," or "handicapped people." Instead, we should use language that continues to value individuals and puts less weight on their diagnosis such as "children with autism," "students with cognitive disabilities" or "people with physical disabilities."

As Snow says, "With the best of intentions, we work on people's bodies and brains, while paying scant attention to their hearts and minds." A person's diagnosis or disability does not define who he or she is. Rather, it is one single aspect of a myriad of characteristics that define who he or she is.

On a related note, this article reminded me of something else I've been wanting to share. I spent a large majority of my life calling myself "hearing-impaired," only to quickly be turned off this phrase after taking the aforementioned class on Deaf culture. "Hard-of-hearing" is the more politically correct term as it does not showcase the word "impaired." This same idea adheres to the "people first" language in the sense that we need to make sure that the language we use does not indicate inferiority.

I know that so many of you out there believe in respect, compassion, and equal rights, and yet you may not even be aware of the simple things such as the words we choose to use when describing others. The idea of "people first" language lays the groundwork for how we view people with disabilities on a larger scale. Think about the language you use and how it may unintentionally be creating a barrier that does not need to exist. Start with this, then realize the magnitude of how important our words are, and how this same concept of "people first" language can likely be applied to a number of other issues as well.