Jessica PingWord of the Week: Blind
Introduction To The Ableist Language Series:
Ableist language perpetuates the inferiority of people with disabilities. At its core, it is oppressive, derogatory, and hurtful, no matter the intention behind its usage.
I guarantee that you use ableist language every single day without even realizing it. It rolls off the tongue naturally because it’s hardly ever questioned.
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Here on The Rolling Explorer, I am going to start questioning it.
As an advocate for disability rights, I was appalled when I realized how common ableist language was in my own vocabulary. Of course, like many of you, I was uneducated and unaware of the implications behind my word choice. Our systemically ableist society has allowed these words and phrases to grow in popularity for far too long. It’s time for a change.
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Every other week, I will be sharing a blog post that highlights one of the words from the downloadable glossary above. These posts will provide definitions, explanations, as well as alternative words and phrases to use in place of the one being examined.
Today’s word is “Blind.” Keep reading to learn why you should avoid using this word in an everyday context.
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Blind
Dictionary.com definitions:
- unable to see; having severely impaired or absolutely no sense of sight; sightless
- unwilling or unable to perceive or understand
How is this Ableist Language?
Raise your hand if you have heard or said any one of the following sentences in the past week.
“My friend set me up on a blind date this afternoon.”
“Are you blind? The remote is right in front of you!”
“Ugh, I swear I am blind without my glasses!”
Your hand is raised, isn’t it?
We have allowed ourselves as a society to become completely desensitized to the ways in which we talk about blindness.
The second definition provided above is an excellent example of what I mean. We don’t have to use the word blind to describe someone who doesn’t understand something. There are plenty of words in the English language that we can use instead.
But, what word have we adopted? What word have we chosen to use first?
I don’t need to answer that for you.
When you are able to use blindness and ignorance interchangeably, there is a huge problem. This association has helped build on the millennia of discrimination people with disabilities have encountered. By continuing to connect the two words in the way that we do, we allow stigma to remain and fester, ultimately ensuring that people with disabilities, specifically the blind community, are looked down upon as burdensome.
Alternative Words To Use:
- Visually Impaired
- Imperceptive
- Ignorant
- Uneducated
- Insensitive
- Dense
Alternative Sentences:
Instead of: “My friend set me up on a blind date this afternoon.”
Try: “My friend is trying to set me up with one of her husband’s colleagues. I’ve never even seen him before and I am very nervous.”
Instead of: “Are you blind? The remote is right in front of you!”
Try: “Oh my goodness, I found the remote! It’s on the armrest next to you.”
Instead of: “Ugh, I swear I am blind without my glasses!”
Try: “Ugh, I can’t focus on anything without my glasses!”
Instead of: “She refuses to do her research and is blinded by her own bias.”
Try: “She is uneducated and biased on this topic.”
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Why Use Alternative Words and Phrases?
The number one reason you should really consider transitioning “blind” out of your everyday vocabulary and replacing it with some of the examples above is because of its ableist connection. It really is that simple.
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