Are you disabled, or are you disabled?
Gavin Neate
Founder of WelcoMe. Empowering disabled people AND service teams by reducing anxiety and increasing confidence in their face to face interactions. #NationalDiversityAward Winner #DiversityPowerList top 50 #ABISurvivor
Are you disabled, or are you disabled?
The English language throws up some interesting challenges, and at a time when society has been required to adjust its attitude towards disability and service provision for disabled people, this one has the potential to be more challenging than most.
I have a good friend who identifies as “disabled”. She is proud of being a disabled person and as much as she has had to deal with the challenges caused by her disability she is not only comfortable associating herself with the title, she owns it.
She is right..
I have a friend who identifies as disabled and isn't unhappy to be called a disabled person however his understanding of the meaning is very different.?He associates the word with the barriers others place in his way. His medical condition can be challenging he tells me but he has adjusted to living with it and what it allows him to do or not do. He explains however that he is disabled by his environment and the attitude of some of the people he meets. He finds this lack of care for his needs disables him.
He is also right..
Both are “disabled” but in each of their lives, the word itself has completely different meanings.
I am lucky. They are my friends. I know them and I understand the reasoning behind their use of the word. When I speak to them I adjust the meaning of the word “disabled” in my head to suit their personal relationship with its meaning.
领英推荐
I have however made the mistake in the past of thinking of all people as “disabled by their environment and other peoples attitudes”. This is mainly because I have worked in the charity sector as a Mobility Instructor and over years in the field no longer saw a person with a medical condition rather a person who was prevented from achieving their potential because of the barriers society placed in their way.
The challenge for everyone else is obvious.
It is impossible to know someone's relationship with this word when you first meet them face to face, if you are speaking with them on the phone or interacting with them digitally.?
Ok, this is where, if you have read my articles before, you would expect a life-affirming positive conclusion to my musings, however, on this occasion I don’t have one.?
All I can say on this occasion is please be aware of the difference between these uses of the word and how the person sees themselves and be led by them as they talk to you. Actively listen to them and be prepared to adjust your use of the word to suit the situation you are in.?
Oh wait, is that a positive conclusion?
I am interested to hear your thoughts on this one so please do share your own experiences whether you are a disabled person yourself or not.
.gavin.
Consultant on Independent Living.
2 年Excellebt story, Gavin. Congratulations.
?? Increasing potential for people to live better ?? Creating resilient & nurturing communities with biodiversity, inclusion, sustainability & flexibility built in
2 年Really good reflection, thank you for sharing Gavin. It really resonated with me. Interestingly enough World Health Organization defines disability as a contextual phenomenon. "Disability occurs at the intersection of the person and their environment." Being an architect I realise that Architecture, in all its forms, also occurs at the intersection of the person and their environment. It is vital to design inclusion in. If we don’t consider human beings with varied spectrum of abilities then we are designing and creating discrimination.
Holistic Life Coach |Disability Awareness and Belonging Consultant, Speaker, Moderator, Charity Leader, Podcast Host
2 年Excellent article. Just coming across this after attending the online webinar on How the conversation is changing in this area. As a disability consultant and mother of a young lad with disabilities, I sit on the fence with this and indeed felt your article voiced my thoughts on the subject. I feel there needs to be sensitivities for language. Education and awareness come in here. An understanding of the origins of words can help in some cases. An example is the use of the word 'Handicapped'. This word refers back to people who used a cap to beg for arms. An understanding of this might bring about some change in perception and usage on a small scale. I have come to the conclusion that there needs to be more guidance in the moment and not on a grand scale because so many have differing opinions and experiences and we cannot and will not get it right all of the time.
Managing Director specialising in Disability Inclusion and Leadership | Executive MBA Candidate at the University of Cambridge
3 年Interesting article Gavin Neate. I’d add a third grouping: Sometimes I will identify as having an impairment and sometimes I won’t. It depends on the context (e.g. personal, professional) company I’m in (how well do people know me? Does it feel a safe space) and purpose (what impacts will disclosing have? Will it make a positive difference?)