In the last couple of decades the language surrounding disability has become very fluid, less specific and just generally vague because "disability" is seen as a dirty word whose associations have negative affects on the people to whom it's applied. In a move that fools exactly no one supposedly positive euphemisms have been introduced to … Continue reading Proof that “Positive” Euphemisms for Disability Just Don’t Work
Month: March 2015
When Your Disability isn’t Considered in Grade School
I have hemiplegic cerebral palsy and am on the autism spectrum. I wasn't diagnosed with the latter until I was eighteen and had already graduated high school. In some ways the total lack of knowledge my parents had about cerebral palsy contributed to this lack of diagnosis. My extreme sensitivity to touch and textures was … Continue reading When Your Disability isn’t Considered in Grade School
Reinterpreting the Social Model of Disability to be More Inclusive and Less Confusing
There are two main models that people use to understand disability and its place in society. The most common is the medical model of disability (AKA the individual model) which positions disability as a solely individual medical experience and puts emphasis on treatment or cure. The overall goal is to have the person with the … Continue reading Reinterpreting the Social Model of Disability to be More Inclusive and Less Confusing
Open Letter to People Who Want to Pray that I be Healed
Dear Religious Person I am writing this in response to your unsolicited offer to pray that God will heal me of my disability. Thank you so much for your unsolicited concern for my health while I was just going about my day. I may have been doing any of the following. Walking home from school … Continue reading Open Letter to People Who Want to Pray that I be Healed
Why I Don’t Use People First Language: A Brief History of My Relationship with the Language and Disability
I am going to be clear up front, this is NOT a condemnation of person first language or the people that use it. I always endeavor to refer to people respectfully which includes using their preferred labels. This is rather a case of personal opinion and a reflection on how the language of disability is … Continue reading Why I Don’t Use People First Language: A Brief History of My Relationship with the Language and Disability
Why saying “Everyone has some kind of Disability” is a Lie
It's not an uncommon refrain when trying to build empathy for disabled people, just say "Everyone has some kind of disability, some are just more obvious than others. All kinds of people say this. Hell, I distinctly recall uttering myself one day during a planned day of disability education in fifth grade. A day that … Continue reading Why saying “Everyone has some kind of Disability” is a Lie
crippledscholar 