Person-First Language: Difficulties and Solutions with Putting People First
Person-first language is often labeled as the gold-standard method for writing about and addressing people who have disabilities. The goal of person-first language is to put a person before their disability and emphasize other aspects of who a person is beyond their disability. This goal offers a...
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| Language: | en_US |
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The University of Arizona.
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10150/613459 http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/613459 |
| Summary: | Person-first language is often labeled as the gold-standard method for writing about and
addressing people who have disabilities. The goal of person-first language is to put a person
before their disability and emphasize other aspects of who a person is beyond their disability.
This goal offers a more appropriate option in lieu of using some of the insensitive and offensive
terminology that often has been used to describe individuals with disabilities. Though thought of
as a neutral and respectful method of referencing individuals with disabilities, there are still
many flaws and objections to its use. A different method, disability-first language, involves
calling someone a “disabled person” rather than a “person with a disability.” This method of
reference contends with person-first language as many people with disabilities feel that it reflects
the fact that their impairment is part of who they are. Preference between person-first and
disability-first language varies across disability groups. The debate remains whether people
should opt to use person-first language or disability-first language. No preference has been
documented yet amongst people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but interviews
conducted in this study show that person-first language might be an appropriate option to use in
general with this population. |
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