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AwarenessCan't find what you're looking for? Try Autism Source and send us a note letting us know what we're missing. Thanks! Person First Language: Guidelines For Discussing People With Disabilities This article is from page 4 of "Tools for Teachers" from the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities. "Tools for Teachers" is in PDF format and is 88 pages long. This document also contains sections on: Creating Meaningful IEPs (pages 5-16), Curriculum Modifications & Adaptations, Collaborative Teaming, Positive Behavioral Supports, Social Relationships and Social Networks, Transitions, Ideas That Have Worked and an Annotated Bibliography of Inclusion Resources. It’s the "Person First" - THEN the Disability If you saw a person in a wheelchair unable to get up the stairs into a building, would you say "there is a handicapped person unable to find a ramp?" Or would you say "there is a person with a disability who is handicapped by an inaccessible building?" What is the proper way to speak to or about someone who has a disability? Consider how you would introduce someone - Jane Doe - who doesn’t have a disability. You would give her name, where she lives, what she does or what she is interested in - she likes swimming, or eating Mexican food, or watching Robert Redford movies. Why say it differently for a person with disabilities? Every person is made up of many characteristics - mental as well as physical - few want to be identified only by their ability to play tennis or by their love for fried onions or by the mole that’s on their face. Those are just parts of us. Person first language In speaking or writing, remember that children or adults with disabilities are like everyone else - except they happen to have a disability. Therefore, here are a few tips for improving your language related to disabilities and handicaps. 1. Speak of the person first, then the disability. 2. Emphasize abilities, not limitations. 3. Do not label people as part of a disability group - don’t say "disabled", say "people with disabilities." 4. Don’t give excessive praise or attention to a person with a disability; don’t patronize them. 5. Choice and independence are important; let the person do or speak for him or herself as much as possible; if addressing an adult, say "Bill" instead of "Billy." 6. A disability is a functional limitation that interferes with a person’s ability to walk, hear, talk, learn, etc. use handicap to describe a situation or barrier imposed by society, the environment, or oneself. SAY... SAY... SAY... SAY... SAY... SAY... SAY... SAY... SAY... SAY... SAY... SAY... SAY... |
