Edition: Winter/Spring 2023 Words Matter

There are two main ways to write about disability:Example: Person-first: “A person with a disability” Identity-first: “A disabled person” For many years, all three DRAPP organizations used person-first language as our default. However, in recognition of the growing use of identity-first language within the disability community, our organizations have shifted to a mix of both identity-first and person-first language. The following list depicts phrases and terms that are generally considered appropriate, as well as terms and phrases to avoid. Please keep in mind that language is constantly evolving, and the best guideline when referring to people is to ask.     *Following the original publication of this guide in the Winter/Spring 2023 issue of the Disability RAPP, the DRAPP organizations decided to shift from person-first only, to a mix of person-first and identity-first language. This language guide was updated during the winter of 2024 and reflects the current practices of the DRAPP organizations. The above material is adapted from Guidelines for Reporting and Writing about People with Disabilities by the Research and Training Center on Independent Living at The University of Kansas and the National Disability Rights Network’s Words Matter—Guidelines for Reporting and Writing About People with Disabilities. For more information visit www.rtcil.org or ndrn.org.

By Shruti Rajkumar This article was republished from How to talk about disability sensitively and avoid ableist tropesby Shruti Rajkumar. Copyright (c) 2022 by Mark Shruti Rajkumar. Used by permission of NH Public Radio. All rights reserved. *Republishing permission was granted for our print version only. To access this article on-line, use the link above.

IN MEMORIAMBy Deb Genthner In 2005, on my first day as a New Hampshire Leadership Series trainee, I met Freda Smith. She told her daughter’s story and I cried. Her daughter, Janet, was sent to the Laconia State School when Freda became sick and could no longer give her daughter the care she needed. This could have been my son’s story. When...

IN MEMORIAMBy Dick Cohen Freda Smith had a long, robust life with many varied interests at the center of which was her family. I knew her through her advocacy on behalf of her late daughter, Janet, and so many others who were institutionalized at Laconia State School. I worked closely with Freda around the Laconia State School class...

By Laurie R. Shaffer, Dan Hoffman, and Karen O’Hicks Any quick Google search on the topic of American Sign Language (ASL)/English interpreter service pulls up headlines of stories that reveal a scarcity of interpreters. This scarcity is a long-standing and continuing problem across all corners of our country. Why is this? Simply put, the number of interpreters...

By Meriah Nichols *To access this article on-line visit https://www.meriahnichols.com/3-reasons-say-disability-instead-special-needs/.Meriah Nicols is a counselor, solo mom to three (one with Down syndrome, one on the spectrum). Deaf and neurodiverse herself, she’s a gardening nerd who loves cats, Star Trek, and takes her coffee hot and black.