How important is people first language to you?

Question

I work supporting people with developmental disabilities. One practice I use is people first language. I support people with autism, not autistic people. I spend time with people in wheelchairs, I eat lunch with people with Down Syndrome, I talk on the phone to people who are blind. I frequently explain this idea to people who have no clue. They ask me if it really matters, or if I am just being PC.

Does it really matter?

Answer 1

People-first language isn't going to help anything if the underlying attitudes about developmentally disabled people don't change. It's dehumanization (not that created by non-person-first language), discrimination, and prejudice that are the problem, first and foremost. Changing the language doesn't solve those.

Also, I'm autistic. Not a person with autism. The "person with" makes it look like you have to emphasize that I'm really a person, like people shouldn't expect that I'm a real person already.

It also emphasizes what adjectives others view as too horrid to be connected to that person. It would seem a bit odd to call one a person with shortness, a person of the female gender, or a person who happens to live in California. I could call myself "short," "female" or a "woman" or "Californian." Being autistic is a lot more important to me than any of those things, and something that pervades every aspect of who I am shouldn't have to be placed in back just because some people arguing for "political correctness" say so. My being developmentally disabled isn't so awful that it has to be stripped from me and have the word "person" placed in front of it.

Read Jim Sinclair's essay on why he dislikes person-first language (http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/person_first.htm ). He says a lot of what I've stated above.

I would say that you should ask those members of the groups you work with what terminology they prefer to use, if they can communicate that. It's really not your business to force person-first language on the people it refers to without them preferring it already. With others you speak to, try focusing less on changing their language, and changing the attitudes that go deeper than the words they use. If they need reminding that we're people, then there's already a problem that goes far, far deeper than word choice.

Answer 2

I think it does really matter. I use people first language in my work and my academic writing and when talking about others I dont know well. I think this language shows respect for the person - most of the time though if possible I would use their name without attaching disability or other status to the person.

As a person with disabilities I apply different language to myself. I am happy to refer to myself as autistic - this is a personal choice as I dont see my autism as being with me, it is me - I am not me without my autism so I am autistic.

If a person asks me to refer to them as autistic,a crip, an Aspie etc I then have no problem doing so as I am reflecting their wishes.

Answer 3

YES it does.
It is NOT about political correctness. It is about human dignity and inclusive language.
When people ask you "Does it really matter?" ask them, if they become disabled (oops - a slip there) I mean, if they acquire a disability say... a brain injury, would they like people to call them a "retard" or " a person with brain injury"? Same goes with if their child/children are born with a disability, would they like people to say "wheelchair bound boy/girl" or a boy/girl is a wheelchair?

I am all for PEOPLE FIRST language but don't be militant about it (ie - don't start preaching just because someone say "He's a Down" - just keep your conversation normal but use correct language yourself to model correct usage.)

Depending on the context and situation - I may sometime use the word "disabled" (like the one I intentionally used above). Sometimes common words like "disabled" is the level where people can understand what you are talking about - just don't use derogatory terms or euphemisms - like "differently challenged"
Don't get a big hang-up if people don't use the correct language. There will always be people who are going to stay a bigot anyway and all you will do is make yourself upset trying to convince them. But there are those who will want to learn - if you go about it the right way.

Don't preach - model and explain - if asked

Answer 4

To me personally, its not a big deal--and yes, of course it's "PC" language.

But at the same time, we build our relationships, define oruselves--and others--with language. It is important.

Not the particular form (personally I don't like it because I'm lazy and its usually extra keystrokes! :) Silly but true). But the question is: do we refer to others in a polite and considerate way?

And there's a point to "PC"--though I'll be the first to admit its often carried too far. As an example, "black" or "African-American" is PC. So--would you rather have that or give free rain to jerks who will use the "n" word if they think they can get away with it? The same thing is ture here. Calling someone a "crip" or a "freak" is NOT acceptable--but we need some sort of "verbal traffic rules" to decide what is acceptable.

Answer 5

I am the parent of a wonderful young man who loves his PS2 games, bowling, swimming, old black and white monster movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, cheeseburgers and fries, sleeping late, summer vacations, pretty girls....well he pretty much loves all the same things most 16 year-old-boys love. It just so happens that this same young man also has Down Syndrome. So, I ask all those who just 'don't get it' when it comes to people first language: What do YOU think is more important about my son -- the fact that he is a young man of 16, or that he has Down Syndrome?

The person is ALWAYS more important than the challenge.

Thank you for being an advocate for those who often cannot speak for themselves.

Answer 6

Yes, it does matter. It shows that you've taken the time to read current literature and speak with people in the disability community. And yes, that you're more interested in describing a person than labeling the person.

People-first language is also much more difficult to co-opt into slurs. "Get out of my lane, you person with a diagnosis of mental illness!" just doesn't work.

FYI, "political correctness" is a term and a concept that was invented by, well, right-wingers who don't want anyone to have the right to decide how they identify. You don't usually hear people in sociology or advocacy asking their staff to "please be more politically correct." You usually hear people saying that they "refuse to buy into that PC bullshit" or "oh, sorry, that's not the PC term to use." The term was created and is used by the people who feel it's oppressive to THEM if someone wishes to be a Latina instead of a Hispanic or a person with schizophrenia rather than a schizophrenic. These people feel that if they take one simple step to show respect to a person in an oppressed group, this amounts to censorship and oppression of THEM.

So this is why it's important to me. If one of my staff can't make a tiny effort to refer to our clients as "people living with mental illness" or "people in recovery from mental illness" instead of "the mentally ill" or "mental patients," then I see that the person doesn't have an understanding of privilege and oppression, and I don't believe that the person can appropriately show respect for an advocate for our clients, and I don't believe that they can really work in such a way that empowers our clients and encourages their recovery. It really says a lot when someone feels their right to use a word is more important than someone else's right to be respected and valued as a person.

Answer 7

I agree with you about people first language, and it certainly does matter to the person with the disability, they want to been seen as a person, not by their disability.

I have been working with young people with disabilities for over ten years, and continue to be frustrated by some non disabled people referring to people with disabilities as retards, or wheelies etc.

I am currently doing some studies at the moment in regards to disabilities, and the lecturers constantly say people first.

So yes it really does matter.

Answer 8

Very important. My son has Down syndrome and I always cringe when people say "down syndrome kid" or something to that effect. Down syndrome is one aspect of my son, just as is his blond hair and his blue eyes. He is a person...a person with real feelings and emotions...he is not Down syndrome...he has Down syndrome. I don't think it's about being PC...I think it's about being respectful. Thank you for making the distinction!

Answer 9

It's Associated Press standard as well, so it's very important in what I do (radio news anchor.) My news director botched it once and was called out on it by listeners too.

I see it like this: I wouldn't want to be pigeonholed due to something that made me stand out, so why would I do that to someone else?

Answer 10

I think the attitude is what matters.

If I were to refer to my aunt as a "diabetic," instead of as a "person with diabetes" would that be minimizing her?

Only if I though diabetes defined her whole being. But I never viewed her as such.