For a start off do not assume that there is any universality anywhere in how
people term themselves, because language is after all a social usage, and
there are some people who will not be familiar with the latest PC term du
jour, and use whatever has been current withing there environment or slang
usage.
Of course once one understands the reasoning behind varios terms and what
the alternatives might be, one is then in a position of choice, which is of
course the most desirable position to be in.
I for instance do not regard myself as impaired, that is just as negative as
the pre-social model usage of the word disabled.
Impairment is not a social thing, you will have to get into semantics to
understand that, you are still measuring up against a standard or norm,
which you have arbitrarily decided were the benchmark to determine level of
funtion and therefore impairment from.
a scale of funtion shoud be as neutral as a scale of temperature, where
although one may say a thing is hot or cold, one cannot really do so
absolutely because all one is aware of is that say boiling water is hotter
than tap water, but both are hotter than ice.
lerning difficulty may then be a more accurate description in one case where
one had a style of intellectual funtion that rendered general lerning more
difficult than one who did not have that cognitive style,
lerning disability if one understands disability within the social model
would mean somthing differnet that is to say that one were not able to reach
ones potential to lern through maladaptive education
One also needs to be aware of the historic context of the word usage and be
aware that lerning disability as a phrase originated in the United states as
an alternative term for dyslexia, and what woud be called specific lerning
difficulty in the UK. That difference in usage causes some degree of
confusion and friction in the global environment of the internet.
BTW dyslexia which you call a hidden impairment is only an impairment within
specific contexts, there are many other abilities which it confers as well
Larry probably adding to the confusion
> -----Original Message-----
> From: The Disability-Research Discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Rosaleen
> Moriarty-Simmonds
> Sent: 16 May 2001 11:52
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Intellectual Disabilities/Learning Disabilities/Learning
> Difficulties/Learning Impairments?
>
>
> Intellectual Disabilities/Learning Disabilities/Learning
> Difficulties/Learning Impairments?
>
> Which of the above statements/descriptions is the preferred one
> by the actual people who have this impairment/medical condition?
>
> This recent discussion has held my attention because I have been
> trying to find out the answer for the past fortnight following a
> heated debate with my sister! Let me give you a little
> background information.
>
> I am a disabled person, my impairment is four limbed phocomelia
> caused by the drug thalidomide. I am a Disability Equality
> Trainer (UK), who for the past eight years has encouraged
> participants on my courses to use the term learning difficulties
> or indeed learning impairments in concurrence with the social
> model. Participants generally accept that the social model
> includes people with learning difficulties, as indeed it also
> includes people with mental health issues, those with hidden
> impairments (i.e. asthma, epilepsy, dyslexia) and those with
> obvious impairments like my own.
>
> My sister works with, what she calls people with "learning
> disabilities". She is adamant that this is the preferred term by
> people with these impairments!
>
> Always keen to keep up-to-date I have been speaking with a number
> of organisations -- People First and People In Partnership (both
> UK) are advocacy groups for people with learning difficulties.
> However to confuse matters more they give different versions from
> region to region! Some use 'learning difficulties' others use
> 'learning disabilities'. This discrepancy may be as a result of
> some advocacy groups doing exactly that -- advocating, whilst
> other advocacy groups -- control. But that is another debate!
>
> What I would like to know if anyone out there has the answer --
> "what is the correct and up-to-date term?" And is there any
> written evidence to back it up?
>
> Grateful thanks -- Rosie.
>
> Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds BSc (Hons)
> RMS - Disability Issues Consultancy
> e-mail (1) [log in to unmask]
> e-mail (2) [log in to unmask]
> web site www.rms-cons.demon.co.uk
>
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