Winter/Spring 2023: Words Matter
How does the language we use when talking about disability affect the way we see ourselves and each other?
Edition: Winter/Spring 2023 Words Matter
In this issue we look at how the language we use when talking about disability
affects the way we see ourselves and each other. Learn how the systemic use of ableist language has cultivated exclusionary policies and how the evolution of language can help us break down barriers to inclusion and foster a sense of dignity for people with disabilities.
A Discussion on Language
By Nathaniel Livernois
When describing my diagnosis, would it be better to say I am autistic or that I have autism? These two options are known as identity-first and person-first language. When using the former, it highlights one’s disability and relates it back to oneself. The latter acknowledges the person with disabilities...
A Definition of Disability
The prefix dis is often associated with something negative. It turns words like respectful or honest into disrespectful and dishonest. However, dis is also related to the Latin prefixes of bis and duo, both of which are related to the notion of twice or two ways.
When considered this way, the term disability...
Linguistic Ableism
“Ableism is not a list of bad words. Language is one tool of an oppressive system. Being aware of language—for those of us who have the privilege of being able to change our language—can help us understand how pervasive ableism is. Ableism is systematic, institutional devaluing of bodies and minds deemed...
Four Disability Euphemisms That Need to Bite the Dust
By Emily Ladau
One of the biggest disparities surrounding disability is the language people use to refer to it. I prefer to be a straight shooter and keep things simple by using the term “disabled person.” Other people choose alternative euphemisms to avoid saying that. While I know some people genuinely embrace words...
The Power of Language
By DRC-NH Legal Intern, Brianna Hankel
The words idiot, imbecile, and moron are commonly used in everyday slang, but where did they originate? The answer is from the lexicon of Henry Goddard, an early twentieth-century psychologist and eugenicist who tried to prove that intelligence, criminal behavior, and work ethic were all determined by...