Ali Rees
Media representation has the power to influence public opinion and challenge stereotypes around disability. Using disability-inclusive language ensures your work meets the standards set by the communities you’re reporting on.
As a journalist, you will be familiar with the concept that words matter. We are frequently in the position of setting the tone and vocabulary of a conversation because most people will have more contact with the media than with advocacy organisations – so it’s vital we use the correct verbiage.
The UN estimates that as many as 15 per cent of people globally have some kind of disability, so it is likely that they form a significant part of your audience.
Being able to move beyond the most basic rule of “don’t use slurs” will make you a more disability-inclusive writer than most.
1. The cardinal rule of inclusive language
The first and most important guideline when writing about any community is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the language you should use.
If the person or group you’re writing about asks to be referred to in a certain way, defer to them as experts on their own situation and needs. If someone says “that doesn’t work for me,” believe them. It is important to remember that groups are made up of individuals, with individual experiences.
2. Disabled is not a bad word
The use of euphemisms like ‘differently abled’ or ‘disAbility’ is condescending at best and offensive at worst.
Firstly, everyone is differently abled in ways that have nothing to do with disability; some people can play the guitar, some can’t. It’s simply not a specific enough descriptor.
Secondly, the social model of disability, the model which many disabled people agree with, says that people are disabled not by their impairments but instead by an inherently ableist society that does not accommodate people who aren’t fully able-bodied. The term ‘differently abled’ switches the focus back from society and its issues and to the people.
Thirdly, these euphemisms are almost always used by abled people to disguise and mitigate their own discomfort. If you feel uncomfortable referring to someone as disabled, it’s important to examine that feeling and unpack why it’s harmful.
3. Person-first vs. Identity-first language
Person-first language would be saying “people with disabilities” whereas identity-first language would be saying “disabled people” and there simply isn’t a “correct” approach.
Being disabled is first and foremost a deeply personal experience, and the way people relate to their own experiences is going to vary from one person to the next.
Some people will see themselves as a disabled person – their disability is a fundamental part of who they are, how they interact with the world and how they exist within society. For example, many autistic people have a very strong preference for identity-first language because they see their autism as a fundamental, unchangeable part of themselves and who they are – if their autism disappeared, they would no longer be themselves.
On the other hand, there are many people who do not want to be defined by their disability and want to emphasise their personhood as distinct from their disability. These people are more likely to favour person-first language.
There is no way to intuitively know or guess which someone will prefer – either listen to them and follow their lead or ask them.
4. Avoid ‘Inspiration Porn’
The portrayal of disabled people as inspiring often makes abled people feel more comfortable with the idea of disability.
By sensationalising a disabled person’s actions, the abled person gains a superficial sense of well-being and gratification, but there is no effort made to understand the lived experience of the disabled person. Anyone could become disabled, which scares people — imagining this narrative of overcoming, of Paralympian athletes, of people achieving greatness cushions that fear.
It is also a highly capitalistic phenomenon: disabled people who can overcome the odds and be part of the capitalist system are lauded above others. Every person is deserving of respect and kindness, and that includes those who cannot “inspirationally” overcome society’s barriers.
When these stories are centred, the focus shifts from tackling systemic problems, which should be at the heart of any activism.
5. Centre disabled people in their own stories
Do not write about disabled people without including them in the conversation.
There is ample media coverage on the experience and life of people on the periphery of a disabled person: parents, carers, bosses, and partners are often popular characters.
Why, when talking about the experiences of a disabled person, do so many other people’s words come before the person in question? Trust disabled people as the experts on their own experiences.
6. Avoid medicalised and negative language
Using terms like someone “suffers from” or “is a victim of” a disability reads as though the writer is making a value judgement on the disabled person’s life as one of suffering and victimhood. Simply state the person “has [a specific disability]” or “is disabled.”
This especially applies to writing about aids such as wheelchairs. For example, the phrase “confined to a wheelchair” makes them sound like a prisoner. In fact, most wheelchair users find their wheelchairs extremely liberating; these devices give them access to parts of the world they would not have without one.
It bears repeating that disabled people are not a monolith. When you are writing about disabled people, they are just as varied and different from one another as abled people are. It’s imperative that you treat them with the same respect.
Centre disabled people in their own stories, and if in doubt about how to write about someone, ask them.
READ NEXT:
-
DISABILITY AND DIVERSITY: A TALK WITH JOURNALIST LYDIA WILKINS
-
ASSESSING THE REVOLUTIONARY LANGUAGE AROUND MENTAL HEALTH
-
YOU SHOULD BE WEARING A MASK IN 2023
Featured image courtesy of ELEVATE on Pexels. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
Great article and a useful resource that I’ve shared both at work and in community moderation spaces 🙂