Mik's Beginners Guide To Language and Disability.
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- In this video Mik Scarlet explores the thorny topic of language & Disability, focusing on whether Disabled People or People with Disabilities should be used, & why Differently Abled misses the mark. In Mik's usual irreverent style obviously.
yeah, but no, but... err...
I think you can subscribe to the Social Model and still be a person first.
In your 'perfect world', where everything is accessible and equal, you will then stop being a 'disabled person' and can then simply be 'a person'. But your "blue ball" will always be a blue ball.
I'm not always 'disabled'. I drive with a 4x4 off road club. I use hand controls. Once moving, I do what everyone else does. The only thing is, when we reach a particularly challenging obstacle, the mobile drivers can get out and have a look at it and decide how to cross it, whereas I'm still sitting in my Land Rover and I have to rely upon a mixture of people describing the problem to me and have a 'spotter'. Is that Social Model of Disability? No. If we built over the track so that it was smooth and accessible then we wouldn't be driving there in the first place!
But for the most part, I'm equal to them. I'm therefore, not a disabled person (Social Model). The Social Model is transient. You can be a disabled person one minute and not a disabled person at the next.
I'm always a 'person with a disability' though, because my buggered back is always there. Sometimes, my disability causes problems because of the world we live in. Sometimes, it doesn't. Sometimes I too am shopping without a problem (other than the depth of my wallet) other times, it is just easier to go on Amazon. Is my "disability" the spinal injury, the lack of a dropped curb or both?
Basically, to me, 'Person with a disability' puts the emphasis on me as a person. The disability is secondary. It is 'something I have' but not 'all of me'. "Disabled person" I feel 'defines me'. It is 'everything' about me. And I don't like being defined that easily!
I think that the Medical Model & Social Model can both exist. What's needed is a greater understanding generally that there is more than just one way of looking at disability.
What really matters is that we challenge society to become fairer and more accessible to everyone, regardless of how it is labeled!
Enjoyed the video even if I don't fully agree.
Thanks Mik, for explaining the terminology 'disabled' and 'with disabilities' so clearly. Great video that does what is says on the tin! I arrived here after looking for the correct definitions of PFL and IFL. As always, if we all use the same/correct terminology, it facilitates communication and understanding so that we sing from the same hymnsheet. This was just the job. Bravo.
I think we can get really bogged down in this and I'm sorry, but I don't see the point. A number of years ago I made a conscious choice to not take offence to the way people referenced my disability unless they actually sought to offend me. This just veers into being overly PC pretty much for the sake of it to me, I'm afraid. Just don't call me a cripple and we'll get along fine.
The issue is that this concept of PC is rubbish. It's about using language correctly. Did you watch the first video about the Social Model? If you adopt that, and this is what has led to so many of the advancements in equality disabled people have seen since I was a kid, then you should want to use language that matches it. Picking the right words proves a person cares about your feelings and is an ally. Words have real power, so it's vital that we explain to non-disabled people when they might be using terms that don't fit how we want to be seen. On a personal level, the concept of using whatever language you like is fine, but in the end society has to use the words a community has chosen. I grew up when words were used as weapons by some to describe various minorities, but were also used by everyone. Now most people know not to use most of those words, so it shows up the extremists and bigots. Disabled people should want the same. Saying call me what you like sounds cool, but it allows the bigots to hide. Picking language that works, means anyone who cares uses it and we can instantly find the tossers. The people who cry "PC gone mad" every five minutes.
If you can't see the point well yeah, enjoy that privilege but doesn't mean you should be part of the problem.
Basically lets hope society accepts us as disabled people eh Mik?