[nabs-l] Disability Language

Carly Mihalakis carlymih at comcast.net
Sun Jul 26 03:43:47 UTC 2015


Evening, Justin,

Sounds like you view your own experience, as removed from other blind ones?
Am I understanding this right? Why then not just 
call everyone blind people, for that's what we will remain?
Car At 03:18 PM 7/25/2015, Justin Harford via nabs-l wrote:
>I share a similar experience, working here in 
>the independent living movement. I always use 
>the politically correct language when referring 
>to other people, and when at professional 
>functions, but I am always a blind person, not a 
>person who is blind. > On Jul 25, 2015, at 2:54 
>PM, Kaiti Shelton via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> 
>wrote: > > Personally, what Caitlin just said 
>extends to me even as a student in > a clinical 
>field.  I may be corrected in the future, but if 
>I don't > see how a supervisor will have reason 
>to correct me for identifying > myself as long 
>as I am professional and politically correct 
>when > referring to clients.  They can correct 
>me all they want if I call a > child I'm working 
>with, "One of my blind kiddos," but if I'm 
>saying, > "As a blind person I..." and they call 
>me out on it, I'm likely to > explain why I 
>prefer identity first language and liken it to 
>Deaf with > a capital D instead of hearing 
>impaired, and other such examples. > > I accept 
>it is the right thing to do in clinical work, 
>and want to set > a good example for others I 
>might meet as a professional, but that is > 
>separate from my personal beliefs and how I want 
>to be > treated/referred to.  You're right, you 
>do have to separate personal > from professional 
>and if people take issue with what I call myself 
>and > not my clients, then that's them not 
>separating the two, not I. > >> On 7/25/15, 
>Caitlin Best via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> 
>wrote: >> I work for the army and the equal 
>opportunity office for roughly 5 years, so >> I 
>had a great deal of death employees come into my 
>office. Most deaf people >> are very proud of 
>their culture and their community and you don't 
>even >> consider themselves to have a 
>disability. They do preferred to use a D ­  a 
>D >> to describe themselves. Also, using hearing 
>impairment is very >> disrespectful. Most 
>preferred to use hard of hearing or simply death 
>because >> that is how they see 
>themselves. >> >> As for other disability 
>language, I would just rolled with whatever 
>the >> person or people are comfortable 
>with. >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >>> On Jul 
>25, 2015, at 13:50, Karl Martin Adam via nabs-l 
><nabs-l at nfbnet.org> >>> wrote: >>> >>> Justin, 
>the idea that you know better what someone 
>should be called than >>> they do themselves 
>seems awfully patronizing.  Isn't that sort of 
>idea >>> that others know how we should live our 
>lives better than we do a large >>> part of what 
>we in the NFB and other disability rights 
>organizations spend >>> our time fighting.  Also 
>I happen to know that there are a lot of 
>deaf >>> people who consider themselves Deaf 
>with a capital d and are very proud of >>> their 
>culture.  Calling them "persons with hearing 
>impairments" or >>> something similar is 
>extremely disrespectful. >>> >>> ----- Original 
>Message ----- >>> From: justin williams via 
>nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org >>> To: "'National 
>Association of Blind Students mailing list'" >>> 
><nabs-l at nfbnet.org >>> Date sent: Sat, 25 Jul 
>2015 13:04:08 -0400 >>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] 
>Disability Language >>> >>> While operating in 
>the field, I am careful to set the best example 
>for my >>> consumer. Often times, consumers use 
>names such as physically disabled, or >>> deaf, 
>or something such as that.  They use the 
>terminology given to them >>> by >>> those who 
>while well meaning, are not in touch with the 
>day to day >>> maneusha >>> which goes along 
>with having a disability.  I am careful to 
>usualy stay in >>> the professional guidelines 
>unless doing so will cause undo 
>stress.  I've >>> noticed that when I use person 
>first language, the consumer becomes more >>> 
>empowered and is more inclined to take control 
>of their life. >>> >>> -----Original 
>Message----- >>> From: nabs-l 
>[mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of 
>Arielle >>> Silverman via nabs-l >>> Sent: 
>Saturday, July 25, 2015 12:57 AM >>> To: 
>National Association of Blind Students mailing 
>list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org >>> Cc: Arielle 
>Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com >>> Subject: 
>[nabs-l] Disability Language >>> >>> Hi Kaiti 
>and all. I read an article recently about 
>disability language >>> which >>> was published 
>in the journal American Psychologist and 
>authored by Dana >>> Dunn, a prominent 
>disability psychologist. Basically, the 
>article >>> described >>> how language 
>preferences are changing. As others have pointed 
>out, there >>> is >>> a lot of debate about 
>whether to use person-first ("person who is 
>blind") >>> or >>> identity-first ("blind 
>person"). What Dr. Dunn recommends is that >>> 
>clinicians >>> should simply ask clients what 
>term they prefer and use those terms >>> 
>(honoring different clients with different 
>terms, if necessary). So you >>> would not 
>automatically need to call your client a person 
>with a >>> disability >>> unless he/she 
>explicitly prefers that language. I have noticed 
>that the >>> vast >>> majority of people I 
>meet/exchange emails with who have autism want 
>to be >>> called "autistic people" and the only 
>people I know who use the term >>> "people >>> 
>with autism" are non-autistic people. So, I 
>regularly use the term >>> "autistic >>> person" 
>because that seems to be the majority preference 
>for those who are >>> actually part of that 
>group. If a particular autistic person or 
>family >>> objects, then I will switch to their 
>term of choice. I also use the term >>> "blind 
>person" to describe myself and others in the 
>blindness community. >>> When I talk to parents 
>of blind children, I try to listen to their 
>terms >>> and >>> follow their language (even if 
>it's "visually impaired"). I think honoring >>> 
>language and building common language is a part 
>of building rapport and >>> trust with 
>others. >>> Arielle >>> >>> 
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> > > > -- > Kaiti Shelton > University of 
>Dayton-Music Therapy > President, Ohio 
>Association of Blind Students 2013-Present > 
>Secretary, The National Federation of the Blind 
>Performing Arts > Division 2015-2016 > > "You 
>can live the life you want; blindness is not 
>what holds you back!" > > 
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