Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope

People-First Language

Episode Transcription

Welcome to "Joni and Friends" where we’re all about putting people first…

Okay, let me clear that up: we are about putting God first, but when you’re dealing with a disability, it’s all about using “people first” language. I recently received a very nice email from Mary who listens to our program up in Nebraska, and she wrote: “Dear Joni, I listen to your radio broadcast most every day as I drive to work. However I must suggest that I have a hard time listening when you refer to persons with disabilities in language other than person first. When referring to someone as an autistic person it’s like referring to someone as a cancerous person, instead of a person with autism or a person with cancer. We are all people first.” Well, I really appreciate Mary’s perspective and advice, really I do. Because for too long, quadriplegics like me in wheelchairs have been labeled cripples and invalids and, yes, those terms carry a lot of negative overtones. So Mary is spot-on when it comes to the general principle behind people-first language. But, well… let me read for you my response.  I wrote back…

“Mary… Thanks so much for your concern about 'people first language' on our radio program. Having served on the National Organization on Disability, I'm with you; I’m very familiar with people-first language and, of course, in writing – such as in our ministry brochures or program descriptions – we are always careful to speak of people affected by disability or people with disabilities.

“However, and this is just my opinion… when one speaks informally, such as in the conversational, personal tone of, well, okay… this radio program, I prefer using terms interchangeably. Sometimes I will mix in ‘disabled people’ with people-first language – I may say the woman who is blind, and in the next sentence, say ‘the blind lady.’ I do this because when you say ‘people with disabilities’ four or five times within the span of three sentences, you know what? It’s stilted and awkward. It sounds mechanical, and it's just not the way people talk to one another. Sometimes being overly politically correct is, to me, whitewashing the tough, hard reality of life in a wheelchair; or living with blindness, or daily dealing with pain.

But then I said to Mary, “Having said all this, I am on your side; I’m mainly a people-first advocate. For instance, you'll never hear me use the term ‘polio victim’ or ‘burn victim;’ hey, these people are survivors. Once in a blue moon I'll say ‘autistic children,’ but mostly it's ‘children with autism,’ and so on. It's why I thank you, Mary, for sharing your thoughts – I respect your views and I'm grateful that you took time to give us your perspective.” Well, there you have it and the moral of this story, friend? The Bible tells us to, indeed, weigh our words. Proverbs 18 even says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” I tell you, words have this curious power to make living things wither or bring dead things to life. So the real lesson, the biblical lesson here, is to be careful of your motive… always in your words ascribe human dignity and respect… honor God with them and bless His people. And if you’d like to learn more about this, go to our radio page today at joniandfriends.org and ask for your free copy of “Help for the Caregiver: Facing Life’s Challenges with Understanding and Strength.” And I promise, it’s got all the right words said in the right way to bless you. You know I love getting letters and emails like that one from Mary and I’d love to hear from you. If you have an idea or an insight, or even a criticism, please share it at joniandfriends.org.

 

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