Read This to Get Smarter by Blair Imani

Author:Blair Imani [Imani, Blair]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
Published: 2021-10-26T00:00:00+00:00

TALKING ABOUT DISABILITY

There is no one right way to talk about disability. The use of language varies greatly within the disabled community and can depend on current, historical, personal, and circumstantial contexts. That said, there are some general do’s and don’ts when it comes to describing disabilities and disabled people. The most important thing to know is that disabled people are entitled to make their own decisions about how they self-identify and self-describe. It’s crucial to respect and affirm the ways that people describe themselves, even if they may differ from how you choose to describe yourself or your disability.

There are two main ways of referring to disability: person-first language (PFL) and identity-first language (IFL). Neither of these options are inherently wrong. As with the many ways of describing ourselves and others, usage may differ between and across different communities. (In this book, I alternate between PFL and IFL depending on the context and what is most respectful.) Person-first language literally centers the person before the disability, as in a “person with a disability” or a “person with asthma.” Advocates of PFL seek to emphasize the personhood or humanity of a disabled person before their disability status. On the other hand, many people consider disability to be an intimate part of what constitutes their personal identity, so they do not feel that the intention of PFL is necessary because disability does not negate or take away from their personhood or humanity—ableism does. Getting smarter about disability means reflecting on whether our inclination toward PFL or IFL is based on respecting other people or alleviating our ableist biases. Identity-first language, on the other hand, positions disability as core to identity by putting it first, as in “disabled person” or “autistic person.” Advocates of IFL often choose it because it centers their disabled identity and connects them to the larger disability community and culture. However, depending on the disability you are describing, IFL might not always be appropriate or make sense—for example, you shouldn’t call someone a “Down syndrome person” or a “dwarfism person.” Instead, in these examples, a “person with Down syndrome” or “person with dwarfism” is the correct and respectful way to discuss these disabilities.

Part of fighting ableism is recognizing that disabled people are not a monolith and that there is no uniform approach to the language used to describe disability. This is totally okay. When possible and appropriate, be sure to ask the person you are describing what terminology is respectful to them (“How do you describe yourself?”). If you are disabled, sharing with and informing people of what you are partial to (“I use identity-first language, so you can say I’m a ‘disabled person’ ”) and correcting people accordingly is appropriate and helpful, but it depends on your own comfort level. If you’re ever unsure about the specific and correct terminology to use when referencing a community, ask yourself why you’re in a position to describe that community without being connected or in conversation with them. Further, make sure that you’re not relying on previously held understandings of what language might be appropriate.

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