The Voiceless Minority

                                      Many years ago, I wrote a blog post entitled “Terminology Debate,” which explored the impact of language on society. Well, as they say, evergreen material constantly circles back around. The time has come to revisit the topic of language. We all know President Trump does not pull punches and is not the most sensitive or eloquent person. That being said, this blog has nothing to do with politics; instead, it addresses some insensitive remarks Trump made late last year. He used the “r-word” about former Vice President Kamala Harris. I am not only blaming President Trump for the resurgence of the “r-word; however, it cannot be denied that he has a large following and a great deal of influence. When political figures use such derogatory language, they make it seem acceptable. As an article written for Disability Scoop states, there has been an increase in the ...

            Being a new disability advocate, I find myself continually plugged into various publications. One publication I get news from is the  American Association of People with Disabilities . Every week they put out a handy newsletter entitled  Disability Weekly . In a recent issue in a segment called  In the News,  they had a story about a mom who wrote a somewhat controversial piece. Her piece was entitled  My Child with a Disability is not My Hero.  As the title suggests, Miss Sarah Sweatt Orsborn asserts that disabled people but disabled children are not heroes. At first glance, even I, the non-politically correct writer, that I was taken aback. However, after looking further into Miss Orsborn's premise, I have to say I agree with her. The premise of the article is quite simple. Orsborn suggests that the term can be more harmful than positive.  From my perspective, as a disabled person, I cannot help bu...