Embedded Files
Here is a page of information/resources on disability and what was discussed during the April 9th live stream!
Here is a page of information/resources on disability and what was discussed during the April 9th live stream!
Link for the recording of the live stream!
Disability Statistics
Disability Statistics
Prevalence
Prevalence
Access to Providers
Access to Providers
Cost
Cost
Disability & Homelessness
Disability & Homelessness
Disability & Movie Representation
Disability & Movie Representation
Disabled Isn't a Bad Word
Disabled Isn't a Bad Word
A lot of the time in our society we circle around the word disabled, but never actually say it. This is because people believe that disabled is a bad word and have continued to share that idea. But disabled is not a bad word!!
You can read more about the importance of language in the Identity-First vs. Person-First Language page below!
Anjali Forber Pratt
Anjali Forber Pratt
"Disabled people are reclaiming our identities, our community, and our pride. We will no longer accept euphemisms that fracture our sense of unity as a culture."
Identity-First vs. Person-First Language
Identity-First vs. Person-First Language
Identity First Language
Identity First Language
Identity first language is wording that recognizes something as part of their identity and who they are. It affirms the value and worth of an individual.
Disabled people tend to prefer identity-first language because it validates their individual experience as a disabled person and recognizes that it is part of who they are.
ie. Disabled
Person First Language
Person First Language
"The theory behind person-first language is that it puts the person before the disability or the condition, and emphasizes the value and worth of the individual by recognizing them as a person instead of a condition" (Autistic Advocacy).
ie. Individual with a disability, Person with *insert disorder*
For the two pictures above, the rainbow circle represents a disability. And we can see that in both pictures, the circle is in a different place. On the left, we see that the circle is all around the person, and on the right, we see it is next to them. Here is an explanation for each picture.
Left: Identity first- Identity first acknowledges that someone's disability is a part of their life and who they are. It is not all that they are, and they are not defined by it, but it is apart of them. So the circle is all around them to demonstrate that.
Right: Person first- Person first language believes that someone is an individual and that their disability isn't a major factor in who they are. They are a valued individual who happens to be disabled. The circle is next to the individual to demonstrate the separation between the two.
In my opinion, and the opinion of many in the disabled community, person-first language is problematic and I think these two graphics demonstrate that. Person-first language tends to create a separation between the person and their disability and can feel like part of who they are is being taken away. Also, when you interact with a disabled person using person-first language, you acknowledge them and then their disability (which is apart of who they are), instead of acknowledging them as a whole. So while the theory of person-first language is in good spirit/intention, it tends to be harmful to those on the receiving end of it.
Additionally, the idea of person-first language is to acknowledge someone's humanity, not their disability, and is justified by saying that identity first strips someone's identity to solely their disability. However, I do not think I have ever heard someone identified by another person as "the disabled one," or "the *insert disability*, they are called by their name. So really, person-first language is not necessary does harm to disabled people because you can visual see above it separates them from part of who they are.
You can read more about this in the section below!
Identity-First vs. Person-First Language: Which is better?
Identity-First vs. Person-First Language: Which is better?
By Madi Eschenbach, a dynamically disabled teenager
I disagree with person-first language (even though the theory is a good idea, it often goes about it the wrong way). As a dynamically disabled individual, I believe I am one of the sole people who have a claim to speaking on this. Because only disabled people should say how they prefer to be addressed and what they feel is right.
For me and many of my disabled friends, we prefer-identity first. I did a survey with the disabled people I knew through social media, and 51 people preferred identity-first and 12 people preferred person-first. When talking to close friends individually, we all agreed with identity-first. We all said that person first is like trying too hard not to be offensive, but it ends up being more offensive. The whole point [of person first] is trying to say, "Oh, but you're a person, not your disability." My one friend explained, "That if you have to come up with a whole new wording to remind yourself that I am still a person and equal, even with a disability, you are the problem, not me." When thinking about her words more, I realized something. This shows that at one point you [an able-bodied person] thought that by calling myself disabled, I was less of a person. This is more reasoning that able-bodied people saying this are the problem, not us [disabled people]. My other friend Katie said, “Person with a disability makes me feel like my disability is a handbag and I put it down for a hot sec to do able-bodied things and then pick it back up again to do disabled things."
The disabled community has been spoken over for so long, and a person-first language is the continuation of you trying to speak over us. We don't even get to choose how we identify, and ONLY disabled people should get a say so in this. Another important note is, saying an individual with a disability makes it seem like our disability can just go away one day, that it can be removed. A lot of disabilities are incurable chronic illness, chronic meaning life long. Saying with makes it sound like our illness or illnesses can easily go away or are short-term. For example, you would say "the person with a cold" because the cold is short-term. It won't affect their everyday lives for years to come. It won't become apart of who they are, it will go away. Our illnesses though, become apart of us. We live with them every day and they often teach us a life lesson or two along the way. They are not all of us, but they are apart of us that we will have with us forever.
This next explanation applies to all disabilities, but it is from Autistic Advocacy (support them over Autism Speaks please). They explain "in the autism community, many self-advocates and their allies prefer terminology such as ‘Autistic,’ ‘Autistic person,’ or ‘Autistic individual,’ because we understand autism is an inherent part of an individual's identity-- the same way one refers to oneself as ‘Muslims,’ ‘Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual,’ ‘Black,’ Jewish,’ etc.” This scenario based on this quote from Autistic Advocacy clearly demonstrates the idea of why identity-first language is important. Say that someone is gay, you wouldn’t call them a ‘Person with homosexuality’, we all agree that someone calling themselves gay doesn’t mean that is their only identity, but apart significant part of them and their life. So why are the rules different for disabled people? Why do we say that disabled people doing the same and classifying themself as disabled means they are letting it consume their identity?
A lot of disabled people have spent so much time accepting their disability and are proud of their disabilities. Disabilities used to be taboo or something to be ashamed of, but now we [disabled people] are taking it back and showing everyone we are powerful, worthy, valued, and valid people. We go through so much being disabled, I know have. I constantly am going to the hospital for appointments. I have had almost 10 scans since the start of this year. I am in constant pain. My literal DNA is different from yours. My body is different, it is a part of me. There isn't a portion of me where the disability ends, and the able-bodied portion begins.
I spent a lot of time hiding my disability/chronic illnesses, up until November when I met disabled friends who taught me to be proud of my disability and not be ashamed. I had a close friend text me and say, “I just wanted to say that I am really proud of you for putting all of your medical struggles out there, helping to make people aware. It takes a lot of guts to not just hide all of that.” I would have never done this before, but thanks to the support of friends and learning that I am valuable and not broken because of my disability. This still took a while though. So when people tell me person-first language and say "You’re still a person," or "Your disability doesn't define you," I honestly look at them like they are crazy and my blood boils. I put in all this work trying to educate them on disabilities and also accepting myself. Part of the reason why I put in all of this work to educate people is so that you [able-bodied people] would stop saying things like this because you are missing the point. I always think to myself, yes, I know that I am a person, and I know my disability isn't all of me, but it's definitely a part of me. Did you question if I wasn't a person?
Person-first makes us feel invalidated and invisible like you are just ignoring and denying part of our lives and experiences and who we are. It makes us feel like you want us to shove our disability under a rug or into a corner; as if we shouldn't be proud or acknowledge it.
I could go on for so much longer. Please please please start with identity-first language, as a default because it can really affect disabled people who prefer identity-first when you use person-first. I know it affects me, it ruined my day when an able-bodied person told me I shouldn't use the word disabled because it invalidated all the work I put into accepting myself. Let a disabled person correct you if they prefer person first because they are the only person who has any right to say what is right to use or wrong, even then it is an individual choice for every disabled person.
I hope me sharing my opinion, as a dynamically disabled teenager, has helped open your eyes and taught you about the importance of language.
Historic & Modern Disabled Individuals!
Historic & Modern Disabled Individuals!
Helen Keller
Helen Keller
She overcame what many could never imagine: being deaf, blind, and mute. Once learning how to do certain tasks and use her words (in braille), she began to write of her disabilities–which was a taboo subject at the time. She continued this work throughout her life by advocating for the compassionate and just treatment for the disabled–fighting to have them removed from asylums that dehumanized their existence.
Molly Burke
Molly Burke
Molly is a 27-year-old disabled Canadian woman. Molly is blind because of a disease called retinitis pigmentosa, she lost the majority of her sight at 14. Molly is now a social media influencer and Youtuber but spent a long time as a motivational speaker. Molly shares about living life as a disabled woman and how she can be independent, breaking down stereotypes that disabled people live sad, dependent lives. She is a major advocate for mental health as well and considers herself a feminist. There is so much more I could talk about, but Molly is an incredible example of an amazing disabled woman.
Lara Bloom
Lara Bloom
Lara Bloom is a LGBTQ+, disabled, woman living in England with her wife Christina and their dog, Bear. Professor Lara Bloom is the CEO & founder of Ehlers Danlos Society. Lara has hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. EDS is a group of 13 rare connective tissue diseases (all one disease but 13 types) that can lead to features/health conditions ranging from joint instability to major heart defects and, in some cases, death. Lara started Ehlers Danlos Society which is the main organization doing research on EDS. One of the most important things they have done is updating the hEDS diagnostic criteria in 2017 (the only one of the EDS subtypes without a known gene) and leading the search for the hEDS mutation. Lara raises awareness on this invisible chronic illness/disability through her sharing her experiences and showing the reality of EDS.
Lara Bloom's documentary Issues With My Tissues
Feranmi Okanlami
Feranmi Okanlami
Feranmi Okanlami MD is a black disabled man who earned a master's degree at the University of Michigan and then studied at Yale to become an orthopedic surgeon but suffered from a spinal cord injury (SCI) his third year. The SCI caused him to become disabled. Okanlami is now an Assistant Prof. of Family Medicine & Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at UM. He is also the Director of Adaptive Sports which provides access to physical fitness and sports for disabled people. He speaks to groups on diversity, equity, and inclusion-related topics. He hopes to show people that disability does not mean inability through his catchphrase “Disabusing Disability”.
Disability does not mean inability.
The Poster Disabled Person
The Poster Disabled Person
As previously stated, only 8% of films show disabled main characters. But we often see one disabled character who appears on the screen a couple of times in the background. They are never front and center instead they are there for a few seconds throughout the movie.
Often times the media treats disabled people as props that they include to look good and meet the minimum requirement of so-called 'diversity'. Their version of diversity isn't true diversity. The disabled characters they include aren’t main characters, they have little to no lines, and have no important part in the story. They are just there; just because you have a disabled person in the background of a scene doesn't mean you are showcasing diversity. You are just meeting the bare minimum requirement to show there are other people in the world. The main characters though are all still the same, typically white, straight, cis, able-bodied, 'perfect' people, but half the time it isn’t true diversity.
Instead, it is like a diversity checklist. You may show them, but you don't show their lives or personalities. Their presence is usually for the aid of the main character. Disabled people's individual lives and stories are not being represented. They are just there to meet a requirement to show acceptance, diversity, etc.
There are two movies that many of us have probably heard of. One is new and one is a movie most of Gen-Z watched as kids.
Moxie- in Moxie there is a disabled girl in a wheelchair who only has a couple of lines, no impact on the story of the movie, it is hard to find her when you search the movie online. It's like they have this character just for the sake of 'diversity'. The main character is still the stereotypical white, blonde, cis, straight, & gorgeous girl.
Lemonade Mouth- this is a movie many saw as a kid. This Disney original movie is guilty of the 'Poster Disabled Person', though. In the movie, there is a girl named Alex who is disabled and also in a wheelchair (See a pattern here?). Alex was only seen a handful of times and we don't learn very much about her. The main character is also still the stereotypical white, blonde, cis, straight, & gorgeous girl.
We need to start representing disabled people in our movies and stories rather than treating them as almost props.
Disabled People & Feminism
Disabled People & Feminism
Disabled women are a huge part of feminism, but often disabled people are told that equality for them is the second priority. That we have to do this, this, and this and then we will help you. When we speak up we are spoken over and told that fighting for our equality will complicate things. Society will do the minimum for now (ie. poster disabled person) and then one day maybe help us. But who's to say you actually will after you achieve A, B, and C? How do we know you won’t forget about us? How long have you been saying "soon" or "after", but haven't actually done anything? And if feminism is fighting for equality for all, but disabled people aren't being represented or heard, how is the movement valuable or worthwhile? We need to include disabled people in the conversations so change occurs.
As previously mentioned, society tends to use the "Poster disable person" as their form of acceptance and diversity. Feminism is not innocent of this practice either. In feminism, we often see the "Body Positivity" movement. The movement is focused on embracing everyone's body and promoting self-love. It tries to break down the unreasonable beauty standards in society. Sometimes there are body-positive photos that we share in our stories include disabled women, but often they don’t. Or when they do, it’s usually not because whoever created the graphic thought of it because they wanted to it's too check off a box. There isn't a thought or good intention going into it, it's the social media continuation of the poster disabled person.
Our society today treats disabled people as second-class citizens. We have to educate everyone on our conditions constantly and show them we have a quality of life and can do things. We have to show constantly our disabilities don’t mean inability. We have to fight for the right to be represented well and show that we aren’t useless or a waste of space, this is especially true in feminism.
Our society, and even the feminism movement that fights for equality, is excluding disabled individuals. And sometimes it isn't an intentional exclusion. It's inaccessibility that excludes us. It's never lifting up our voices before, so we don't think you will again; why even bother? It's not telling others to listen to what we have to say when we speak. It's not creating a space where we feel welcomed and included. Disabled people can often feel like they are living in a world that wasn't made for them, and in many ways, it wasn't, but people aren't helping to change that actively and all the time. It's like we have become chess pieces that you move us and use us when you need to instead of always having the table open.
Why We Need Able-Bodied Allies
Why We Need Able-Bodied Allies
This exclusion can be generalized to society as a whole. This doesn't just apply to feminism, feminism could be an avenue for change, but we need able-bodied allies everywhere in order to enact change, just like how the Black Lives Matter movement needs white allies. When I (Madi Eschenbach) spoke at the IWD event, I explained that women’s voices being silenced because men’s voices are speaking over ours in history. This same thing happens with the disabled community. Able-bodied people tend to speak for us and/or over us; this is why we need allies to help stop this, lift up our voices, and call out ableism. This CANNOT continue. Enough is Enough. Ableism, exclusion, sexism, racism, fatphobia, and more is affecting the daily life out disabled people. I think this past year with the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates that well. Feminism, for example, needs to create a space and let disabled people in! The disabled community can't do it on our own, because our voices are being drowned out like white noise, literally. If we are the only people speaking, and no one can hear us, things won't change. Hence, why we able-bodied people need to help lift up our voices and fight alongside us. We need those whose voices have been given power in our society to speak up and advocate for us, and then give us the microphone so good change occurs. Privileged people cannot control the microphone the whole time, then the change that happens may not be helpful/beneficial, but they need to use their platform to get attention for the cause and lift up our voices! Together, things can change!
@samaraspeech
@clairesplacefoundation
Extra Resources
Extra Resources
This is Claire Wineland. Claire was a disabled woman who lived with a genetic disorder called Cystic Fibrosis. Something Claire was passionate about was showing that there is happiness in the darkness and that disability doesn't mean hopelessness. Her video with SoulPancake beautifully depicts her positivity, the beauty of life, and so much more. Claire, unfortunately, passed away at 21 years old from a stroke one week after receiving her lung transplant. Even during her short life, Claire managed to live a full and successful life spreading positivity and love to all of those who heard and knew her.
This piece was written by Liza. She introduces herself by writing, "I am a disability advocate, a disability blogger and I am disabled. I’ve written about disability before, how it has affected me personally and how I struggle with the word as a defining term for who I am." In this piece, Liza talks about how the word disabled isn't a bad word and points out the many euphemisms that are used in place of the word disabled. Liza doesn't just point them out, but she explains the problems with each one! If you are interested in learning more about the importance of language, this is a great read for you! Click on the photo above to be taken to the article!
This page on disabilities was done by our Social Media & Communications Officer, Madi Eschenbach. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, etc. you can reach her at meschenbach@nastudents.org.
Page updated
Report abuse