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"People First"
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Text Only Version
People First!!!
©1996. Jaclyn Michelle Kratzer
As we near the 21st Century we are constantly reminded of the
importance of using politically correct terminology. In a society where the way one
choose's to speak can ruin one's credibility, (as in the case of the Simpson trial) or can
easily offend a great number of people, it has become of utter importance for people to
know how to address others in the appropriate manner. We now refer to people of
different races in terms of their place of origin rather than their physical description;
giving people in these groups the respect they truly deserve. We should be very proud of
how far we have come despite the long road we have yet to travel. In our journey towards
political correctness we seem to have forgotten about one important group, the people in
this nation who have disabilities. Over the last hundred years the disability movement has
advanced. There are very few institutions still in existence, rather community centers are
abundant. Inclusion has become the focus in education instead of segregation and the work
force has become equal opportunity. Despite these progressions in the movement, the
language society uses when referring to people with disabilities is stagnant. We must now
change our language for the movement to progress further; changing the way we thing will
gradually change the way we think. The time has come to begin using "People
First Language." "People First Language" does exactly what it says, it
considers the person first rather than their disability. After all, a person HAS a
disability, the disability is not the person. A disability does not think or feel, the
person does. More importantly however a disability a person has is only one aspect of that
person's life, an aspect that is combined with many more aspects to define the whole
person. "People First Language" restores dignity to people with
disabilities. In past years society has labeled people who have a disability with terms
such as "crippled", "disabled", or "handicapped". All of
these terms define conditions; not people. In 1996, we still see signs for
"Handicapped Parking". The word handicapped originally was used to describe the
wounded soldiers who came back from the early wars and were permitted to stand on a street
corner and beg for money or food with "their cap in their hand"because the
government could not afford to support them. The type of parking that is available to
people with disabilities allows then easier access to buildings, thus this reserved
parking should be labeled "Accessible Parking", naming this area more
appropriately. "People First Language" calls for the termination of such
out-of-date negative language and promotes positive, dignified terminology. People
with disabilities are people FIRST; their disability is ONLY a part of them. People who
have made important contributions to society. People who deserve credit for their
accomplishments, despite their physical or mental disabilities. People who are just
PEOPLE, not a condition.
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