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Re: A question on political correctness...

for

From: Barry Hill
Date: Jul 20, 2012 2:32PM

Hi all

I feel that, although the idea is sound and the argument holds merit, person
first is unfamiliar to the majority of visual impaired people, and so has
the effect of highlighting the issue.

In the UK, the PC term that was blind and partially sighted went through the
transformation of visually impaired and is now sight impaired and severely
sight impaired. However, this latter terminology seems only to be used in
official documents and is unfamiliar amongst the population of blind and
partially sighted.

Still, if the term 'visually impaired' hadn't been proper gated, then the
collective term might still be 'the blind'.

Cheers

Barry

-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
[mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Poore-Pariseau,
Cindy
Sent: 20 July 2012 4:55 PM
To: 'WebAIM Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] A question on political correctness...

I always used "person first language" as well until a person on my
dissertation committee "enlightened" me. I now put the following along with
anything I am teaching that is disability related.

While “person first” (i.e. "students with disabilities") language has been
popularized in recent years, many professionals argue that, although a
person may possess a particular characteristic such as blindness, the label
of ”disabled” is socially constructed and has been imposed by society
(Bowker, & Tuffin, 2007). For the purpose of this unit, the term “disabled
student” will be utilized to signify that the lack of accessibility has
caused the learning barrier rather than the impairment itself. (In other
words, a person with an impairment would not be “disabled” in an environment
that is accessible)

Bowker, N., & Tuffin, K. (2007, July). Understanding positive subjectivities
made possible online for disabled people. New Zealand Journal of Psychology,
36(2), 63-71. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.


"If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow"
~John Dewey Cindy Poore-Pariseau, Ph. D.
Bristol Community College
Coordinator of Disability Services
Office of Disability Services, L115
1

1 Email: <EMAIL REMOVED>
c Phone: (508) 678-2811 x 2470
Ê Fax: (508) 508-730-3297





-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
[mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Mary Stores
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 11:34 AM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] A question on political correctness...

Hello,

I try and use people-first language, and have always thought that the NFB
and ACB are a Federation or Council, and "the blind" referred to both people
and issues related to blindness.

*shrugs* This is something to think about. I am also blind, so I hadn't
really put that much thought into the whole "the blind" issue before.

Jesse, you asked about a scale. Would 1 to offensive be 5. Would 3 be I
dont' really care? lol I'm definitely not offended.

Mary

Quoting John E Brandt < <EMAIL REMOVED> <mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> >>:

> I have noticed this too - and for a number of "disability groups." I
> am not sure if it reflects a change in what people view as
> "politically correct" or a general change in culture. I know that I
> often choose my words carefully (or try to), but sometimes feel I have
being over concerned.
>
> "The Blind" and "The Deaf" are the two groups where this change has
> been most noticeable. But I am now also hearing "The Dyslexic" and "The
Autistic"
> used fairly frequently.
>
> I have my own theories about why this is happening, but it is
> interesting to watch these changes over time.
>
> ~j
>
> John E. Brandt
> www.jebswebs.com<;http://www.jebswebs.com>;
> <EMAIL REMOVED> <mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> 207-622-7937
> Augusta, Maine, USA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> <EMAIL REMOVED> <mailto:webaim-forum-bounces@list.
> webaim.org> [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of
> Jesse Hausler
> Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2012 7:07 PM
> To: WebAIM Discussion List
> Subject: [WebAIM] A question on political correctness...
>
> 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
>

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