A high school special education teacher, after overhearing some of her fellow teachers referring to “the handicapped kids,” wants to share information with them about respectful use of language. What are some resources she can use for this purpose?
Person-first language is an approach to communication that puts the person before their disability. It bases communication on respect. Some people with disabilities prefer to use the “identity-first” framework for communication. How we use language impacts on how people with disabilities are perceived and even on how people with disabilities perceive themselves. Language should always demonstrate respect for people. Resources are provided on both person-first and identity-first approaches.
RESOURCES:
Topic: Disability Language Style
Title: Style Guide-Disability September 2019
Source: American Psychological Association
Find at: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language/disability
Description: “When you are writing, you need to follow general principles to ensure that your language is free of bias. Here we provide guidelines for talking about disability with inclusivity and respect.”
Topic: Disability Language Style
Title: Disability Language Style Guide
Source: Arizona State University’s National Center on Disability and Journalism
Find at: http://ncdj.org/style-guide/ and the companion piece, “Terms to avoid when writing about disability”: http://ncdj.org/2015/09/terms-to-avoid-when-writing-about-disability/
Description: A “one-of-a-kind” style guide for professionals who write about people living with disabilities.
Title: Guidelines: How to write and report about people with disabilities (8th edition)
Source: University of Kansas
Find at: http://rtcil.org/products/media/guidelines
Description: “Writers, editors, reporters and other communicators strive to use the most accurate terminology about people with disabilities. However, inaccurate, archaic and offensive expressions are still commonly used, perpetuating negative stereotypes and beliefs about people with disabilities.”
Topic: Identity-first Language
Title: Identity-first language
Source: Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN)
Find at: http://autisticadvocacy.org/identity-first-language/
Description: ASAN intern Lydia Brown explains the perspective of those who prefer Identity-First Language.
Topic: Deciding between Person-first and Identity-first approach
Title: 4 disability euphemisms that need to bite the dust (Ladau)
Source: Center for Disability Rights
Description: “Ladau is a writer and disability rights activist whose passion is to harness the powers of language and social media as tools for people to become informed and engaged social justice advocates. She maintains a blog, Words I Wheel By (http://wordsiwheelby.com/), as a platform to address discrimination and to encourage people to understand the experience of having a disability in more positive, accepting, and supportive ways.” In this article, she describes her perspective on using language to describe herself and others.