Nora or Devereaux Cannon

Ren - the term for the distinction you draw is "people first"
language. With full awareness of the fire storm any labeling
discussion can generate, I offer you the term, because it is
helpful in distinguishing between folks who are disability aware
and those who are less attuned to that culture. The only group
of people with disabilities (PWD's) that actively rejects people
first language is the Deaf community, which contends that they
have a culture, not a disability. Some of the pity parties, like
the telethons, do not use people first language, but they don't
reject it.

----- Original Message -----
From: <starsuncloud@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, June 01, 2002 11:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Digest Number 2095


| In a message dated 6/1/02 8:23:17 PM Central Daylight Time,
| [email protected] writes:
|
| <<
| However, I don't think anyone would disagree that there are
truly disabled
| people who exist. >>
|
| I disagree.
| There are people with disabilities, some massive. But short of
being a total
| vegetable from brain damage, there are just people with varying
disabilities.
| My writer friend, Marsha, would be offended if you told her she
was disabled,
| even though she is confined to a wheelchair for life.
| She lives with disabilities, to say she's disabled implies her
whole being.
| She writes beautifully and leads a full, rich life.
| OTOH, I suppose an unhappy person could be labeled disabled.
| ???
| Ren
|
|