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Re: A question on political correctness...

for

From: Len Burns
Date: Jul 19, 2012 5:12PM

Jesse,

As a blind human, I take no offense whatsoever. I can also tell you
that in some parts of the world they scoff at our person first language.
I do use it as well in many contexts, but I do not find "the blind"
offensive.

The caution I have is not as much the language as that "the blind"
infers a unified group. In fact, the diversity amongst blind people is
tremendous. A great solution for one person can be the worst imaginable
for another.

Regards,
-Len

On 7/19/2012 4:07 PM, Jesse Hausler wrote:
> I've been in the accessibility/disability field for probably 10 years now and I've always wondered about the term, "the blind".
>
> My 4 years in an occupational therapy setting always taught me to lead with "people" first, as in "people who are blind", person with a disability, etc. And I agree with and have always followed that practice.
>
> But then there are organizations such as the NFB, AFB, and others who have "the blind" in their names, charters, etc.
>
> The reason I ask is that I'm putting together a session proposal for South by Southwest. The premise is about how using tips and techniques from the accessibility field will lead to products that are more universal, future friendly, and of course accessible.
>
> Given that SXSW sessions are chosen by popular Internet vote, they recommend that titles are catchy, yet informative. A few ideas that came up include:
>
> Taking Notes from the Blind - Make it Universal, not Accessible!
> Stealing from the Blind - Make it Universal, not Accessible!
> Stealing from the Blind - Mainstreaming Accessibility for Everyone!
>
> And so on...
>
> So I ask, on a scale of 1 to Offensive. Where does this fall and why?
>
> Thanks for your feedback,
>
> Jesse
> > > >