And Another Thing....

So I didn't get a response from the People First advocate woman yesterday. Therefore I got worried, thinking I'd, A) either embarrassed her, or B) angered her (Hubby noted that my emailed response to her could maybe possibly be read under the wrong context). I didn't know what to think.

Today, I thought it best that I call her to talk more about her article for the magazine, and so that she and I could connect directly and realize we're all good with each other.

As it turned out, she wasn't available when I called, so I ended up leaving a message in her voice mail, strictly about the work she'll do for the magazine.

Since then she has emailed back. But no other mention of People First issues has been made. So I guess we got under that bridge just fine.

However, I'm still thinking about all this.

I'm remembering a few years back when I was interviewed for our local newspaper in regards to being a mom with a physical disability (see my proper People First usage? Aren't you proud? Well - don't get too used to it. It takes too long to type like that!).

During that interview, I remember being questioned on the proper way to refer to a person with a disability? Am I disabled? Handicapped? Something else?

I remember not knowing how to answer. I honestly didn't know what was PC for the disabled community at large. All I knew was that, for myself at the time, I referred to myself as handicapped. And that was okay with me.

Nowadays, I say that I'm disabled. And I know that that is the "correct" term. But I still wonder - why is "handicapped" so bad?

Of course, I'm absolutely not speaking for everyone here. These are my thoughts, my questions, my beliefs. But the way I look at it is this:

To me, to be "disabled" means I'm not able to do something. In my mind, the term does not narrow things down to being unable to do one, two or a bunch of different things. To me, it simply sounds like I'm flat out not able to do anything.

On the other hand - again, purely in my line of thinking - the term "handicapped" narrows the field down a bit. It connotates an idea of being handicapped in regards to a specific function. For instance, I am physically handicapped as I cannot walk without aid of leg braces and a walking stick. But that's it. Other than that one handicap, I'm capable of a ton of other things.

I know this is a hot button topic. I'm sure many of you reading this have your own strong views on proper terms. If so, please comment. 

No matter what your views, I think this is a very important topic. What is PC for us within the disabled community vs. what is PC for able bodied individuals when discussing people with disabilities?

Very interesting indeed. Let's discuss...