The Harnisch Family

The Harnisch Family

Mar 21, 2012

The use of "People First" language


A couple weeks ago...The Special Olympics had their annual "Spread the Word to end the Word" campaign.  I, along with millions of others from around the world, made the pledge to support the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.



Along with not using the r-word…another great thing to keep in mind is the Use of “people first” language.  

Macy is not defined by her Disability.  It is important that you acknowledge her as a “person first”.  For example…she is “a baby who happens to have Down Syndrome”…not a “Down Syndrome Baby” or “Down’s Baby”. 
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Lastly - There are thousands of words I could think of to describe Macy and “Down” & Syndrome” (and most certainly retarded) do not make the list.


1 comment:

  1. I love all of those words! Words that I would like to be called...well, maybe not the Drama Queen as I'm a 53 yr. old grandmother! Strong, fun, kind, smart, brave....

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