Tag: Ableism
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Ableist Language To Avoid And Acceptable Alternatives – “Dumb” Edition
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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…
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Ableist Language To Avoid And Acceptable Alternatives – “Differently-Abled” Edition
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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).
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Ableist Language To Avoid And Acceptable Alternatives – “Deranged” Edition
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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
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Ableist Language To Avoid And Acceptable Alternatives – “Deformed” Edition
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“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.
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Ableist Language To Avoid And Acceptable Alternatives – “Deaf” Edition
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In this blog post, I will do a close examination of the word “deaf” and explain why you should not be using it for any other reason than for identification.
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Ableist Language To Avoid And Acceptable Alternatives – “Cripple” Edition
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The issue with “cripple” becomes painfully obvious once you place its original definition next to the ones that we, as a society, have crafted above. Stemming from the Old English words “crypel,” meaning to creep (ie. limp) and “creopere,” or someone that creeps (ie. limps), you can see that the…
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Stop The Ableist Response to the First Presidential Debate of 2020
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The Presidential Debate on Tuesday night was embarrassing to watch as an American citizen for many reasons. But, almost more troubling than the screaming match itself was America’s response to the two candidates. To the best of my ability, I intend for this article to be unbiased in nature. Many…
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Ableist Language To Avoid And Acceptable Alternatives – “Crazy” Edition
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Similarly to Bonkers, crazy has a long, historic connection with mental illness. Crazy is frequently used to discredit others and essentially gaslight them into thinking that they are burdensome in some way. Regardless of intention, anytime you use the word crazy to describe another human being you are attempting to…
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Ableist Language To Avoid And Acceptable Alternatives – “Confined To A Wheelchair” Edition
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When you talk about a group of people as being confined, you assess that they are not in control of themselves or their lives. You take away their voice and their worth. Essentially, you equate them to an object. Something that cannot think or motivate itself in any capacity.
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Ableist Language To Avoid And Acceptable Alternatives – “Blind” Edition
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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!”