Garten exists to support people with disabilities in their effort to contribute to the community through employment, career and retirement opportunities.
Resources
“People First” Language
Language is power. Words can motivate, inspire, encourage, assist. They can also wound, isolate, separate or oppress.
Throughout history, we have changed the way we use language when we realize what we may have historically said actually harms or marginalizes certain groups or individuals.
When it comes to people with disabilities, we’ve come to realize the power of “people first” language. A person with disabilities is a person first. A disability isn’t the primary defining characteristic for anyone. Rather, it’s merely one aspect of a whole person. So when you use “people first” language, you refer to the individual first rather than their disability.
It’s as easy as this: rather than saying “the disabled,” simply say instead “people with disabilities.” This phrasing puts emphasis on the person. It puts “people first”.
People who have disabilities are present in every aspect of society. They’re:
- moms and dads
- sons and daughters
- employees and employers
- researchers and scientists (Stephen Hawking)
- friends and neighbors
- entertainers and movie stars (Marlee Matlin)
- students and teachers
- politicians and community leaders
Most important of all, they are PEOPLE FIRST!
Use language like:
* “a person with disabilities”
* “individuals with disabilities”
* “he/she uses a wheelchair”
* “he/she has a congenital disability”
* “he/she has a cognitive disability”
* “he/she has a hearing impairment”
* “he/she has a visual impairment”
* “he/she has a learning disability”
Terms to avoid:
* invalid
* wheelchair-bound
* mongoloid
* deaf and dumb
* defective
* mute
* victim
* crippled
* special person
* suffers from
* handicapped
* stricken with
* a patient
* retarded
* afflicted with
* handicapped