I Am Not Differently Abled, I Have A Disability and I'm Proud Of It: Disability Is Not A Bad Thing By Jason Hahr

Over twelve years ago, when this blog began, I wrote a piece entitled “Terminology Debate”. It talked about the power of language and the positive language I use to refer to my disability. In that blog, I talked about how some people view the word disability as a negative word. All these years later, I feel it is essential to have that discussion again. For those of you who followed my journey these last 12 years, you know I am a journalist and a part-time screenwriter. As a writer, it is my responsibility to use language effectively to convey my ideas. As humans, language is the one constant. That being said, it is our job as writers to adapt to change within the language or context in which it is used. I will be honest and say this is the hardest part of my job because I am not always politically correct. I say all that to get back to my main point: the word disability has been under attack in recent years, but I am here to defend it once again. In today’s society, people are easily offended. You can say 'I love you' to one person and they are okay with it, but if you say the exact same thing to another person, they may take it the wrong way. The same is true with the word disability. For the last several years, we have been told to sanitize language, including language that describes disability. 

Some disability advocates, such as Alice Wong and I, have taken back negative language and repurposed it for good. For example, the word crippled can be seen in a positive light with the voting campaign “Crip The Vote”. I don’t know if this stream of consciousness is making sense, but what I am trying to get out is that the word disability and the language used to describe it are becoming more acceptable. No, I am not referring to sanitized language. I am referring to the fact that late last year, the House of JOY rolled out an ad campaign entitled “Disability Is Not A Dirty Word”. The campaign was refreshing because it featured people with disabilities proudly embracing their condition. For the longest time, mainstream society has either seen us as supposed heroes for what we go through or as victims. This campaign demonstrated that we are just people who happen to have disabilities. It is time to call it what they are. They are not different abilities; instead, they are disabilities. It is only when we are proud of who we are as people that the rest of society will see us for who we truly are instead of who they want us to be. To use a line from one of my older blogs as I close out today, “I don’t need fixing. The acceptance problem is yours, not mine.”. Thanks for coming along for this lesson in language. Till next time, your friendly neighbor super advocate, Jay.