Person First Language Has Good Intentions
There’s a reason why people with intellectual disabilities fought so hard to have person first language used in place of the R-Word, and other words to describe them. Because for a long-time people with intellectual disabilities were hardly seen as people. They were called things like “useless eaters” because they were assumed to not be capable of anything. There’s a really disgusting chart from the past that categorizes people with intellectual disabilities in different groups based on their ability to work – because that’s how worth was determined. It’s where several of the intelligence-based insults, that people are so fond of using, came from. Ableism and Racism have a long history together – when slaves were brought over to this country they were also categorized based on ability to work. Slaves were never really seen as human – just a group that can be forced to work for others.
Is it any wonder that people with intellectual disabilities fought so hard for person first language? In an attempt to make people see them as humans who deserved the same rights and dignity as everyone else? Whether or not it changed anyone’s hearts and minds is not the point. The point was to be heard and seen as people. The point was to make people pay attention and realize they were not going to be ignored anymore. Fighting to get out of institutions, fighting to have a space in society along with everyone else. And all too often even people with physical or sensory disabilities look down on them too. Anyone who has ever said “I may be physically disabled / need a wheelchair, but my brain is fine” in an attempt to prove themselves worthy of respect has thrown people with intellectual disabilities under the bus in the process.
Identity First Language Has an Additional Goal
While there is a current push to use identity first language I believe we cannot ignore the reasons why person first language was wanted in the first place. I also believe people without disabilities should never be allowed to force us to use one or the other. Especially not in the condescending way they usually do, like saying things such as, “Oh honey don’t call yourself disabled!” As if we’re children that need to be saved from the horrors of being called disabled. At the same time we should all respect each other’s language choices. Yes even those euphemisms like “differently abled” because again often they were in fact thought up by people with intellectual disabilities for the same reason. I don’t like them either, but they exist for the same reason person first language does.
Part of the reason for the shift to identity first language is that many of us view our disabilities as part of our identity. We wouldn’t be who we are without being disabled. We’d be entirely different people because our disabilities do help define who we are. The point of person first language was to make people see us as human first. That assumptions about ability should not be made based on whatever disability we happen to have. Person first language was always good and well-intended but when it goes as far as not seeing disability at all, I think it can do more harm than good. We do in fact have disabilities that disabled us, we do in fact have limits that need to be understood in order to prevent harm. It’s the assumptions about ability that are bad. While our disabilities do define us, the ableist assumptions of others should not.
The Ableism of the Current Administration
I think right now the current administration highlights all the reasons why person first language was wanted in the first place. The current administration doesn’t see anyone who isn’t a wealthy cisgendered, white, non-disabled male as fully human, as a person worth protecting. In their minds if we’re sick or disabled or homeless or poor we should just disappear (or die) so that we stop being a drain on society. We need to keep reminding them that we do exist and that we are worthy no matter who we are. Because none of this is new. No matter what laws have been enacted there have always been people who wanted us to go away and not cause problems for them. Because ultimately people don’t care enough about other people.
It’s clear that all the rights have been fought for in the past are being chipped away as we speak because the current administration has declared everything too “woke” as if it was a bad thing to care about others. As if empathy and respect for other people is a bad thing. The rights of BIPOC individuals, Women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and Disabled individuals are all under attack by the current administration because some old, white, non-disabled, straight men feel attacked. Because they don’t like hearing the truth about what has been done in this country to anyone who isn’t like them. The reality of it is that we will always be fighting for our rights. For many of us there hasn’t been a single day when we weren’t fighting for something. Because this country hates anyone that isn’t cisgendered, white, male and non-disabled. You can see it in everything that is going on right now.
In Conclusion
Language does matter – we shouldn’t be allowing the R-word to make a comeback after people with intellectual disabilities fought so hard to get rid of it. But if we’re not actually changing people’s hearts and minds about disabled people (or people with disabilities) then we’re just arguing over semantics. If we’re allowing the current administration to take actions to remove people from society then we’ve failed at our basic duty to each other. And we’ve really failed each other if we do the work of eugenics for them by suggesting that some people do belong in institutions or to be removed from society for not fitting in. We should be fighting for all of our rights and to include everyone and not leaving anyone behind.
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