I was a crippled child, a handicapped teenager, and now a disabled adult. So what accounts for these changes in my condition? Apart from aging through six decades and shrinking two inches, my condition hasn’t changed. I’m still a dwarf of 40 inches with multiple, congenital, joint dislocations and fusions. The change is in the words chosen to describe the disability class of people to which I belong.
When I blogged about offensive words on November 2, 2020, I remarked, “It’s not enough to keep up with fashion trends, we must also stay current with our language.” But when advising readers to use person-first language, I passed over a seismic shift in disability terminology. Many people with disabilities now use identity-first language.
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So what’s the difference?
I was introduced to person-first language in 1981 when I came to the United States from New Zealand on a Winston Churchill Fellowship. My purpose was to study disability civil rights laws and public education programs to improve the public’s attitude towards people with disabilities. That’s when I learned to use language that recognizes the person before the disability on the premise that our disabilities don’t define us. For example, instead of saying the blind man or the deaf girl say, the man who is blind or the girl who is deaf.
However, I was recently pulled up short by a tweet of Emily Ladau, author of Demystifying Disability, saying: “Calling myself a disabled person is not a denial of my personhood; it’s a celebration of part of me.” People with various disabilities have expressed a similar sentiment.
- “I Am Not a Person With Epilepsy. I Am an Epileptic.” This doesn’t imply that epilepsy defines the person, but rather it acknowledges epilepsy as part of the individual that fundamentally shapes their identity.
- Many people proudly call themselves autistic and reject being called “people with autism.” They see autism as integral to their identity.
- As one mother wrote supporting her daughter’s choice of identity-first language, “It’s not inherently bad to say a Down’s woman. Using person-first language is like saying, “don’t look at what’s wrong first (Downs), look at what’s right (the person).”
So where does that leave the public intent on being sensitive? Has person-first language been supplanted by identity-first language? Not necessarily. More like, it depends. Disabled people like any class of people are not all cut with the same cloth. In the case of dwarfism for example, the terms dwarf, little person, or short-statured are all in play. It’s not a case of right or wrong. Rather it depends on the person which term they prefer. Likewise, person-first or identity-first language is a personal preference which each of us are free to decide for ourselves.
So how do people figure out an individual’s preference? No need to walk on eggshells. Just ask them. But if you’re talking to, or writing about, a group of people read their literature for any preference indicators. If none are available, consider explaining your word choice.
For discussion of diverse disability issues, link to my weekly blog and dwarfism memoir trilogy at https://angelamuirvanetten.com.
4 replies on “What Comes First: Person or Identity?”
This blog clarifies and is a great guide to being sensitive. Thanks so much.
An interesting and thought provoking article, Angela, well done.
As always, a thought provoking article! I have friends on each end of the spectrum. Some prefer blind woman (“the other way is too wordy”) and some prefer woman who is blind. Either way, the person is my friend first and foremost!
I really was helped with this information and, as always, I thank you for teaching us, Angela.