WORDS WITH DIGNITY
USING “WORDS WITH DIGNITY” ENCOURAGES EQUALITY FOR EVERYONE
WORDS WITH DIGNITY
Person with a disability Disabled person
WORDS TO AVOID
Crippled Handicapped
Invalid (Literally means: “not valid.” Do not use this word.)
Person who has… Person who experienced… Person with…
Person who has cerebral palsy
12 Uses a wheelchair
Restricted Confined to a wheelchair
Wheelchair bound (The chair enables mobility. Without the chair, the person is confined to bed.)
Non-disabled
Deaf/Deaf mute Without speech Nonverbal
Disabled since birth Born with
Emotional disorder Mental illness
Seizures Developmental delay
Normal (Referring to non-disabled persons as “normal” insinuates that people with disabilities are abnormal.)
Deaf and dumb
Victim Afflicted by Afflicted with
Do you have built-in biases of which you are not aware?
For more disability etiquette I refer
to the Wheelchair Fencing Coaches Handbook published by and for the United States Fencing Association Coaches College. It contains sections on disability etiquette, words with dignity, and terminology. Do you have built-in biases of
Birth defect
Crazy Insane
Fits Slow
which you are not aware? At a recent program on “Elimination of Bias” I was asked to mention a few biases I have faced as an attorney with a disability. When I was introduced the moderator purposely made a show out of mentioning the brain surger- ies, strokes, and seizures I have had in the last few years. When handed the microphone I deliberately spoke with the stereotypical stroke survivor voice—loud and jumbled. Te look of shock and horror on the attendees’ faces was almost comical. I then changed to my normal speaking voice and asked how many people had thought “Oh no, how do I react?” or “Oh no, do we have to listen to this?” How would you react? So what is it that people with a
disability truly want? To be treated on equal footing. D&B
In the last seven years Darryl Weiss has survived two brain surgeries for aneu- rysms, three strokes, and four seizures as well as a series of transient ischemic attacks that he refers to as “incidents.” He is a recently retired member of the U.S. wheelchair fencing team.
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JULY/AUGUST 2013
MCCA.COM
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