LET’S PUT THE PERSON FIRST, NOT THE DISABILITY!
Do the words used to describe you have an impact on your life? You bet! Contrary to the age-old “sticks and stones” lesson we learned as children, words do matter! For too long, people who happen to have conditions we call “disabilities” have been subjected to devaluation, marginalization, prejudice, and more. And the first way to devalue someone is through language, by using words or labels to identify a person/group as “less-than,” as “the others—not like us,” and so forth. Once a...
read moreTalking About disAbility/People First Language
In today’s society we find that how people talk about disability is widely varied. Many people wonder what is appropriate and what is not when talking about disability. It is important that as parents we use people first language and help our children to understand and adapt people first language. What is people first language? People first language is focusing on the person first and the disability last. The following are some guidelines for talking about disability and developing people first language: Do not refer to a...
read morePeople First Language
People first language (PFL) represents a more respectful, accurate way of communicating. People with disabilities are not their diagnosis or disabilities; they are people, first.
read moreWebsite Reputation
