tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851835614917877619.post7890865760324213297..comments2022-03-25T17:27:46.516-07:00Comments on Ask A Wheeler - Disability Q&A and more: What are we called, exactly?Audacity Filmworkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06006877782622583306noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851835614917877619.post-66700641682417651192012-05-06T00:16:20.640-07:002012-05-06T00:16:20.640-07:00Whether a certain term is "respectful" i...Whether a certain term is "respectful" is also so culturally dependent as well. My family communicates mostly in Chinese, and the term for someone like me is "lame." In English, that may sound appalling but in Chinese, it does not always carry the same connotation. It's like the term "gwailo" in Cantonese. There are so many factors involved.<br /><br />Disability is indeed an experience, which is why I found your explanation a bit fascinating as well. You do have a point there. I think people are trying to do away with that word as an adjective as a way to try to "un-disable" ourselves; the idea is if we don't think of people being "disabled," then the disabling factors will erode over time. I won't say whether I buy that idea or not; it's just the way things are trending towards over here.<br /><br />I tend to favor the term "wheelchair user," but the variations for that are so wide as well. I've even heard the term "wheelchairist" (much like "cyclist"). :)Audacity Filmworkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06006877782622583306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851835614917877619.post-14380998532949687292012-05-05T04:57:01.785-07:002012-05-05T04:57:01.785-07:00Absolutely, it's different approaches to langu...Absolutely, it's different approaches to language in general and this is an exploration of the different cultural approaches rather than me seeking to persuade. If you like, next we can tackle the U in "colour". ;-) I should also re-iterate that this is an abstract exploration of preferred terms, rather than a "this is the only right way and all other ways are wrong and offensive." As long as people are being respectful, almost any term is okay (and if it really isn't, like for instance rXXXrd, then as long as people are being respectful, I'll feel comfortable saying "I'd rather you didn't use that word.")<br /><br />Part of it is that linguistically I view "disability" as an <i>experience</i> dependent on the environment, or the expectations of society, rather than a permanent issue in its own right (the impairments or health conditions that contribute to the experience may be permanent, the experience of being disabled isn't).<br /><br />My condition simply IS. My level of disability fluctuates, sometimes I feel very disabled and other times I don't feel disabled at all. Sometimes I am disabled purely by people's desire to classify me as "other".<br /><br />Example: If my small tea is in a small cup filled to the brim, I'll have trouble lifting it without spilling it - I am disabled by that situation. If my small tea is in a medium cup, then I can lift it without spilling and I don't feel disabled in the slightest.<br /><br />So using person-first language, I am a "person with a wheelchair" because yes, the wheelchair is something I've brought along with me. If I am affected internally by a symptom of my condition like a headache then I am a "person with a headache". But if I am sitting in that wheelchair in front of a great big flight of steps which has no alternate accessible route, I didn't bring disability along with me. I brought my own ability, and my own wheels, and my own reasonable expectation that by now shops and services should be up to speed with access legislation. I'm being <i>confronted</i> with <i>external</i> disabling factors. I think the person-first phrase for that would have to be "person <i>who is</i> (being) disabled," (grammatically: disabled person) rather than "person <i>with a</i> disability."Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11639094548415759560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851835614917877619.post-51808284625691617102012-05-04T10:03:05.282-07:002012-05-04T10:03:05.282-07:00That's the UK way of thinking, I guess. It'...That's the UK way of thinking, I guess. It's not for me to judge whether that is good or bad (not that it should be seen that way). It is what it is.<br /><br />North America can sometimes be a bit overly political correct and I find that some people seem to hate using adjectives like "disabled" to describe a person. It may be correct that the conditions of society makes someone "disabled."<br /><br />We North Americans tend to argue about the position of the word, whether it should be an adjective at the front or placed at the end to emphasize "person." I think the theory for the latter is that if others see us as "persons" first and "disabled" second, they are more likely to treat us as people – and thus reducing the chances of committing an act that "disables" us.<br /><br />I am always fascinated by the difference in theory in the UK and North America with this. Neither is wrong. Just different.Audacity Filmworkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06006877782622583306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851835614917877619.post-2462412562175790752012-05-03T04:59:56.449-07:002012-05-03T04:59:56.449-07:00Disabled person from the UK here, declaring love f...Disabled person from the UK here, declaring love for the term "disabled person". Here's why:<br /><br />When I roll up to a shop and there's a big step, no call button to get a staff member to bring a ramp, and no directions to an alternative entrance, I've been dis-abled by their thoughtlessness. If they were complying with access law, I would be cruising on in without a second thought.<br /><br />When I order a small cup of tea and ask for it to be put in a medium-size cup so I won't spill it, and the request is refused, the server's inflexibility has disabled me.<br /><br />It's barriers, physical and societal, disabling me. I don't carry my disability around with me to put in my own way all the time... and if I'm not facing a barrier, then I'm not disabled. But when I'm disabled by a barrier, then it's relevant to refer to me as a disabled person.<br /><br />Relevancy is also important, though. Like if we're talking about wheelchair access, call me a "wheelchair user" because that is much more relevant than "disabled person" and will enable us to focus on the particular issue at hand. It's also not negative.<br /><br />And finally, it's how you say it. No matter how "correct" the term, if it has "effing" in front of it or is being delivered in a mocking tone then it's a problem.Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11639094548415759560noreply@blogger.com