Person-first language in practice and theory

¶ … Handicapped:' a substitute word or phrase that communicates a more positive attitude toward people with disabilities

The difficulties we have in talking about people with disabilities are not simply failures of language. They also reflect the difficulties exhibited by members of our society in terms of thinking about what it means to be disabled. As noted in the essay "What's in a name: The use of first person language," author Scott Modell notes that we would not speak of someone with classes as a 'glasses-wearing friend' or a 'hearing-aid wearing friend' but we often speak of a disabled child as a blind child or a deaf child. This suggests that when someone has a disability, we have a tendency as a society to reduce that person to the status of his or her disability, rather than see the person simply as a unique individual. Everyone has, within his or her character, certain differences and certain talents that make him or her distinct from others. However, certain qualities known as 'disabilities' have been given additional prominence and are often used to single out certain students within the school system in a negative fashion.

Students with disabilities have genuine 'additional' needs, and educators must be able to speak about those needs without seeming to engage in reductive language. Using 'person-first' wording, says Modell, is required. Saying 'a person who is blind,' or 'a person with autism,' versus a 'blind person' or 'autistic person' is preferred. Instead of saying that an office is 'handicapped accessible,' simply say that the office is accessible. Speak of additional needs not problems. Of course, some might protest it is best not to speak about such differences at all, but ignoring differences does not support students' needs either. Simply treating every child the same does not promote equality, nor is it the fundamental intention behind IDEA (The Individuals With Disabilities Act). The act suggests that children should be educated in the least restrictive environment, depending upon their needs and that the maximum effort should be made to accommodate those needs.

The broad term 'children with special needs' is more descriptive, sensitive, and accurate when communicating the learning challenges of children. Special needs does not mean that those needs are onerous, better, or worse, than the needs of the mainstream population. A child with dyslexia who needs talking books to understand his or her assignments is not 'handicapped,' rather he or she has a special learning need that requires that he or she learn differently from his or her peers. Another phrase that communicates intentions more positively is 'additional learning assistance.' Children with different 'special needs' often require additional aid because their needs are not met in a standard, mainstream classroom. They may require books in Braille, a curriculum designed to address sensory processing issues, or instruction on how to cope with difficult social situations. But their need for this aid is rooted in the fact that their needs are different from their fellow students, not because the children are inherently inferior.