12/03/2022
December 3rd is International day of persons with disabilities! Here are some ways of celebrating this day.
Some statistics first:
- Over 1 billion of disabled people live in developed countries.
- 46% of people over the age of 60 are disabled.
- Disabled people are the hardest hit by COVID-19.
Ableist language and their alternative:
- Bipolar—> Erratic, back and forth, all over the place
- Lame—> Disappointing, frustrating, tacky
- OCD—> Meticulous, neat, picky
- Sp**, ret***ed—> Silly, dorky
- Stupid—> foolish, silly, frustrating
- Depressed—> Upset, sad, blue
- crazy, insane—> Intense, wild, awesome, amazing, unreasonable, absurd, ridiculous
- Psycho, sociopath, psychotic—> Dangerous, threatening
- Derp—> Obviously
How can you practice being more inclusive every day?
1. Ensuring everyone has a voice.
2. Ask, ask, ask! Always ask how someone wants their disability to be identified. Some people prefer person first language while others don’t. For exp- “persons with autism” vs “autistic person.”
3. Include image descriptions and alternative text on social media posts.
4. Add captions to videos.
5. Avoid language that frames disability in a negative way or as a means to insult someone.
6. Accurate portrayal of disabled people.
7. Making spaces more inclusive.
8. Avoid using ableist language and use the alternatives presented above!
[Image description: Headline in purple titled “International day of persons with disabilities: How can we ensure those with hidden disabilities are not left behind?”. Disability pride flag on the left and group of people from various walks of life below.]
Source: University of Fraser Valley Ableism: Language and Microaggressions, United Nations, www.keshet.org
