Since there are a lot of e-mails flying back and forth on this I thought I
might add a letter I wrote to the Guardian which, to my amazement (I have
written at least three times before on the same issue), was published
today.
Interestingly, some of our US colleagues seem to think the problem here
was mentioning that Ruff is disabled, whereas in the UK the issue seems to
be more about the negative, disabling imagery of the language.
The Editor
The Guardian
Dear Sir,
So, "Mr. Ruff who is wheelchair bound..." (January 20).
I use a wheelchair. I am not bound to it as you invariably imply when
writing about disabled people. The reality is precisely the opposite.
Wheelchairs liberate they do not bind. To suggest otherwise perpetuates the
negative stereotype of "poor, helpless crips". Now, that is disabling.
Bill Albert
Chair
Norfolk Coalition of Disabled People
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