The Basics

People with Disabilities are People
People with Disabilities are Whole People
Having a Disability, Doesn't Mean a Person is Disabled
Everyone Uses Technology To Do What Their Bodies Cannot
Word Power

People with Disabilities are People

A basic idea promoted throughout this booklet is that people with disabilities are just that, people. They have the same desire to participate in, and contribute to their communities as everyone else. They also have the same desire as everyone else to be treated with dignity and respect.

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People with Disabilities are Whole People

People with disabilities are whole people. Having a disability is only one aspect of a person's life. There are many more parts to a person's life than simply having a disability. For example, someone may be an artist, father, employer, friend and also be a person with a disability.

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Having a Disability, Doesn't Mean a Person is Disabled

Having a physical difference doesn't automatically make a person disabled. Many factors come into play attitudes, the percentage of the population with the same physical difference. and environmental accommodations are just a few.

For example, most people who wear glasses don't think of themselves as being visually disabled. Yet, eyeglasses and contact lenses are corrections for a vision disability. With this special accommodation, people are able to work, play, and live in their communities.

In our society, wearing eyeglasses or contacts has become so acceptable that we don't think of it as an accommodation for a physical limitation.

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Everyone Uses Technology To Do What Their Bodies Cannot

A thousand years ago, we used horses and oxen to compensate for the inability of our legs so travel great distances in a safe and timely manner. Hundreds of years later, we designed devices that moved us faster, further, and more comfortably. Today, we as a matter-of-fact, use technology to change our environment to accomplish what our bodies cannot. In fact, our feet cannot carry us in the same amount of time, or with the same amount of comfort as planes, cars, and even shoes can.

We are so used to the idea of controlling the world around us that w forget just how dependent we are on the devices we've created. For example:

1. Transportation

Planes. We are able to travel From coast to coast in about four hours. Several centuries ago, the same trip would have taken a lifetime by foot.

Cars. We can Jump on a bus or in a car and go 55 miles in just one hour.

Shoes. We have even built foot coverings (shoes) which nor only protect our feet, but enable us to jump higher and run faster.

2. Communication

Speech. Without help our voices will carry only a few yards. With a phone we can talk to someone hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Hearing. Our ears have a limited listening range. Yet with a phone or radio we listen to information and entertainment from nearly everywhere in the world.

Sight. With television we can see well beyond the limits of our eyes. We can see real-time events and pictures from all over the world. Eyeglasses and contact lenses help us to see when our vision isn't 20/20.

People with disabilities use technology for the same reasons, but in different ways. For example:

1. Transportation:
A wheelchair or other mobility device, is a form of transportation.

2. Communication:
A TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) or TT (Text Telephone) is a way to communicate by phone. Braille is a system for reading and writing.

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Word Power

Words are very powerful. They are like the paint an artist uses to express their impressions of the world around them. We use works in the same way. With words, we paint the limits and possibilities of our reality.

Perhaps the language we use is the most telling example of how we perceive the value of people with disabilities in our society.

To find out how powerful words can be for defining the potentials or limitations of persons with disabilities, try this exercise.

1. Read the following words out 1oud.

- cripple - handicapped - deaf and dumb - blind victim - disabled

These are considered BAD words. They focus attention on the disability, not the person. They encourage ideas of pity and helplessness. They suggest that the person has no value or dignity as a whole human being.

2. Now, read these words out loud.

- person with a disability - person with a vision disability - person who is deaf

These are considered GOOD words. They express the person-hood of the individual. They make us realize that having a disability is just a part of a person's life.

3. Close your eyes and say the words again to yourself. Then compare the types of images and feelings the different words create.

a. What type of impressions and feelings did the words "cripple", "deaf and dumb," or "victim" leave? Images of helplessness, pity, or hopelessness?

b. What type of impressions and feelings did the words "person with a disability," "person with a vision disability," or "person who is deaf'' leave? Images of a partial or specific disability, more wholeness, or ability?

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Try one more exercise.

1. Read the following terms out loud.

2. Now read these words out loud.

3. Close your eyes and say the words to yourself. Now compare the types of images and feelings these words create.

a. What type of impressions and feelings did the term "disabled person" leave? Images of weakness, sadness, or total incapacity?

b. What type of impressions and feelings did the term "person with a disability" leave? Images of ownership, strength, or ability?

4. Now exchange the term "person" for a role; i.e., mother, father, boss, employee, playmate, friend, etc., and do this second exercise over again. Listen to the whole message the words convey.

Words are very powerful. They reinforce our ideas of who we are and who and what we expect we can be. Avoid using words which suggest helplessness or infirmity, such as crippled, victim, handicapped, disabled or invalid. (This last word actually comes from the phrase " in-valid." )

Since having a disability is a part of the lives of people wide disabilities, generally speaking, it is nor a good idea to totally drop any reference to the disability. However, it is healthy to try to put the disability into the context of the whole person.

There are always exceptions to every rule. Generally speaking, when you are describing a person with a disability, we should use words that emphasize the person-hood, wholeness, and abilities of the person. Such as:

• "person with cerebral palsy"
• "person with a vision disability''
• "person with a hearing disability"
• "person with a disability"

However, when a term has gained intrinsic strength among a large group of persons with a specific disability, the person-hood rule may be suspended in favor of political or cultural preferences.

For example: "The Deaf''

This term is considered culturally appropriate and is preferred over the terms "persons who are deaf" or "persons with hearing disabilities" by international organizations of people who are deaf.