The language used when working with people with special needs can be very important. While the average person may not see the importance of meaningful and supportive terminology, for family members and professionals who work with these people, it is vital.
In the 1990s there was a movement called People First. The purpose was to remind everyone that people with special needs come first and their disability second. For example, they were not autistic children, but children with autism. They were adults with cerebral palsy. By putting the person before their disability, we looked at the person and their problems. It made sense, and great strides were made in changing the way the public viewed children and adults with special needs.
Fast forward twenty years. It seems that first we have returned to disability. Children who are on the spectrum have returned to being autistic children. People with cognitive deficits or delays are called retarded. All the work done to promote the individual has gone by the wayside.
The parents and loved ones of these wonderful people have worked diligently to illuminate their individuality. Referring to them for their disability first diminishes who they are. When you advocate for your loved one most of the time, you share your strengths: They have a great sense of humor, they love to talk about cars, they have a talent for music. These things are the important ones. They are what makes the individual special. Its diagnosis is, at best, of secondary importance.
Many people may see this as uncontrolled political correctness. The difference here is that it affects the way others view people with special needs. For many, their disability is obvious. They need support to communicate. They need devices to move around their space. They need reorientation to follow simple directions. The world doesn’t need to be reminded of the challenges you face every day. You need to remind the amazing person that you are trapped behind these limitations.
When talking about people with special needs, remember that they are people first. You are a child with Down syndrome or an adult with autism. The person should always be the center of the statement. Disability is only part of who they are; not the whole being. It is important that we remember this at all times. The individual and his family will thank us.
© R. Wellman 2011