[Ohio-talk] Political Correctness, Etc.

Thu Mar 28 20:26:44 UTC 2013

Barb, My hat goes off to you! We should choose our battles carefully,
if we don't we will loose the war.
Blessings,
Cheryl

On 3/28/13, Barbara Pierce <bbpierce at pobox.com> wrote:
> As the editor that let the "differently abled" term through what is
> undoubtedly the most rigorous affiliate-newsletter-editing  process in the
> NFB, I think I should weigh in on this discussion. I was glad to read
> Colleen's grumble about the term "differently abled". She is correct: this
> kind of euphemism is exactly what our position opposing political
> correctness should remove from our speaking and writing, and I am happy
> that
> it bothered at least one reader. So why did I let the term get through? In
> a
> word, I trust Carol. More than most of us she is always talking to more
> than
> one audience simultaneously. I know where Carol stands in the matter of
> respect to varied and multiple disabilities. As KJ was wont to say, "In her
> heart she is as blind as the rest of us."
>
> When I read such dodges, part of me wants to kick my feet and demand that
> people just get over it. Their kids are blind and maybe have other issues
> that complicate their lives, but Mom's hiding her head in the sand about
> that truth will only make the situation worse. That may be true, but it
> doesn't change the fact that Mom won't improve the situation for the child
> if she stamps off and refuses to read anything that forces her to face the
> truth or move faster toward acceptance of it than she can.
>
> The fact is that in all Carol's sizeable article, that one phrase was the
> only place where she dodged around the fact of disability. My reasoning was
> that, if a skittish parent read that far through the article and came
> across
> a term that provided some comfort, maybe that would be enough to keep him
> or
> her (probably her) reading down to that devastatingly honest question at
> the
> end: are you going to be part of the problem or part of the solution for
> your child? I want such parents to stick around with the Federation long
> enough to watch us horsing around with their kids and showing them how to
> walk fast with a white cane, pound a nail, make and serve brownies, and
> pull
> weeds while leaving the flowers to bloom. Carol talks with more parents
> than
> I do. I am going to trust her to guide them into seeing and treating their
> children like normal kids whose lives are a bit more complicated than those
> of their friends. That was my thinking, and I hope I was right.
>
> Barbara
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> purplecakers
> Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 10:40 PM
> To: n8tnv at att.net; ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] Political Correctness, Etc.
>
> Colleen,
> I am sorry if I offended you with my use of terms. I had a reason behind
> what was said & how it was said.
> In writing my article, I was targeting a much broader audience than just
> our
> own NFB members, hence my terms. The global use of phrases that are
> acceptable to the general public is constantly evolving.  In order not to
> offend the masses, I tried to use terms that would be sensitive to new
> parents,  new readers & or those who are not yet comfortable in their
> disabled skins or with the blunt terms. I think it is important sometimes
> to
> start eating the elephant one bite at a time, rather than trying to devour
> it all at once. It is my hope that  people  come to accept their
> disabilities or those of their children on their own terms. Sometimes thus
> takes time. My next article adresses that, but I thot it would be overload
> to try to mesh the two into one. Many people,  & parents have difficulty
> with terms because the medical world has difficulty exposing them to those
> terms.  It can be a shock & very offensive if someone pushes the cold, hard
> reality & crushes every hope that they gave, before they are ready to face
> it.  It can also be a permanent turn off to a genuine resource sych as the
> NFB, if people are bluntly told to just get over it because your kid is
> blind or disabled.  It sends the wrong message. We are here to help,  to be
> a positive influence, to be sensitive to the needs if the people,   & if I
> can do that by using these terms, then that is what I will do. While I am
> nit disagreeing that blind & disabled are useful terms, they may not always
> be the most appropriate at the time.
> We are all entitled to disagree.
> Carol
>
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: COLLEEN ROTH <n8tnv at att.net>
> Date: 03/27/2013  9:37 PM  (GMT-05:00)
> To: ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Ohio-talk] Political Correctness, Etc.
>
> Hello,
> I would like to say that the Spring, 2013 Buckeye Bulletin was a pleasure
> to
> read. It is so nice to have Nfb of Ohio Members send things to Barbara for
> inclusion in the Newsletter.
> She always needs our contributions and it's nice to see so many.
> I do have to comment about a phrase in one Article.
> Carol Akers refers to people as differently-abled.
> I understand that some people have trouble saying that they or their child
> has a disability.
> It is resptable to be blind or have any other disability.
> I am blind, therefore I am disabled.
> My girls were Multi-handicapped, therefore they had disabilities.
> I didn't love or value them less because of their disabilities.
> I know that Carol doesn't view her son as any less valuable either, I just
> think we are so afraid of offending people.
> Words like diherently-abled, hard-of-seeing, Visionally-challenged, a
> person
> who happens to be blind are clumsy and unnecessary.
> Let's just say what we mean.
> Colleen Roth
> President
> At Large Chapter
> NFB of Ohio
>
>
>
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-- 
Peace