Reply To: ”Person with an Impairment”

  • Marjorie

    Member
    October 12, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    As a person that doesn’t have a disability I rely on my friends and advocates to let me know if there is a new way to say something.

    In Canada, its all people first language that I am told is preferred. Person with a disability or who has a disability. Use the word disability over any other. Deaf people like to be called Deaf, and blind people like to be called blind, no impairment. Which, is the opposite to person first. However, deaf people identify with their deafness as a culture, and feel deaf explains who they are, so should come first. My friend who is blind says impairment assumes she only needs certain types of help, without someone asking her. Yes, sometimes she can get by, but sometimes needs assistance. She’d rather say Blind, someone can offer help and she can explain where she would need it.

    Then, there is aoways someone that will disagree and you address them the way they’d like.

    This is a great convo.

Skip to content