Someone (sorry, have lost the thread) noted the importance of understanding
the argument behind the language. Yes, understanding the argument is crucial
if equality is to be attained. In the UK there is, from my experience, a
particular attitude displayed by those who use "people with disabilities" in
preference to "disabled people". Their line of reasoning goes like this:
"Well, of course I agree with the social model, I am rejecting the medical
model of disability and therefore I look at the individual. Hence, I use
"person with disabilities". I always put the person first and don't focus on
their impairment."
This suggests to me that the social model of disability has not been
understood, as the person is still viewed as being deficient. What is being
implicitly stated is still the medical model with its deficit-based
premises. The problem resides in the individual and he/she must adapt.
I think this explains why in the UK some of us are very insistent on
"disabled people" and on an understanding of the social model so that
progress can be made through institutional change and by removing barriers
erected by society.
This perspective does not preclude an acknowledgment of individual
differences or of an individual's right to choose his/her own preferred form
of address.
Claire
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