Ever since I was a young girl, I have sought out disability representation in the media, entertainment, and fashion industries. As a born performer and lover of the creative arts, these industries have always had me in a chokehold of sorts.
But more importantly, they passively inform our entire society about the things they should and should not care about at any given time of the day, month, year, decade, or century.
That might sound rather intense, but it’s 100% true.
Today’s word is “spaz.” Keep reading to learn why this word is inherently ableist and discover alternatives you can begin to use in its place.
3 years ago this week, I graduated from the University of Notre Dame with my BA in English and a minor in Business Economics
After graduating, I founded The Rolling Explorer, a blog dedicated to sharing my experiences as a disabled, young woman living in the 21st century
As a disabled model, to be asked to walk a runway during London Fashion Week was a dream come true. But as incredible as the experience was, it showed me how much work still needs to be done within the fashion industry to be a truly inclusive space for the disability community.
When you use the word “lame” to describe something, what do you usually mean? For me, “lame” always meant that something was boring or uncool. But, if you take notice of the definitions above, you’ll see that these synonyms are not the word’s true meanings.
Insane Definition:
in a state of mind which prevents normal perception, behavior, or social interaction; seriously mentally ill.
(of an action or quality) characterized or caused by madness.
extremely annoyed.
extremely foolish; irrational.
shocking; outrageous.
Definition of “Dumb”
1a: lacking intelligence: STUPID
1b: showing a lack of intelligence
1c: requiring no intelligence
2a: lacking the human power of speech
2b of a person, dated, offensive, lacking the ability to speak: MUTE
3: temporarily unable to speak (as from shock or astonishment)
4: not expressed in uttered words
5: SILENT
*All definitions are from the Merriam Webster Dictionary
How Is “Differently-Abled” Ableist?
To understand the answer to this question, we must first examine the reason WHY people use “differently-abled” as their go-to term to describe someone with a disability.
The simple answer is this: they believe “differently-abled” is less offensive than the disabled person’s actual identity (disabled).
Definition of “deranged”
1. mentally unsound
2. disturbed or disordered in function, structure, or condition
3. wildly odd or eccentric
All definitions are from the Merriam Webster dictionary
“Deformed” is not a stand alone descriptor. It is always in reference to something else, even if that something else is not expressly mentioned. It is a comparative tool, and a hurtful one at that.