SunGay. August 2

©. 1990 - North Snore News — 27

wing ‘ With
(Pisabilities

iif irst of all...

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get the

terminology right

Disabled people hate stereotypes

PAM HORTON :- not a
“victim.’” Nor does she
consider herself ‘‘special.’’
And although she is some-
times handicapped by socie-
ly’s stereotypes, she herself
is not handicapped. She is
disabled.

By Peggy Trendell-Whittaker
News Reporter

Horton believes it is vital that
individuals and media _ profes-
sionals become more conscious
about the language they use to
describe people with disabilities.
“The language issue to me is a
really important one,”’ she said
recently. ‘‘(Disabled people’s)
self-esteem has been wounded and
to use language like ‘victim’ or
‘sufferer’ projects an image to te
pitied.”’

To illustrate her point, Horton
produced a column from a recent
issue of the North Shore News, in
which a man with multiple sclero-
sis was described variously as a
“victim’’ and “‘sufferer."* It also
termed other people with MS
“*patients.**

“The only person I'm a patient
to is my doctor or dentist.’’ Hor-
ton responded. ‘‘(in the media),
often it comes out as the disability
first, the person second.**

Unless the disability is relevant
to the article, it shouldn't even be
mentioned. ‘*And if you've got to

NORTH SHORE

PAM HORTON is fighting to
have both media professionals
and society at large use less
demeaning terms when refer-
ting to people with disabilities.

use a label, please, let’s make sure
it doesn't demean anyonc,”’ Hor-
ton requests.

According to the First Report
of the Standing Committee on the
Status of Disabled Persons,
August 1988, the words and
phrases individuals with
disabilities find most offensive
are: cripple, confined to, handi-
capped, victim of, suffering from,
stricken by, invalid, wheelchair-
bound, sightless, spastic, inflicted

See Disabled Page 29

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