After recent discussions and changes to the Code of Conduct, the Disabled community would like to give some clarification on the use of ableist language. There has been a lot of debate on what is and isn’t ableist, and we would like to clarify some key points and offer some considerations for users when communicating here and elsewhere online. This is not a guide to what to say or how to speak. We merely wish to educate and provide examples around some of the language-related issues that impact people with disabilities, with the hope that we can encourage mindfulness when interacting with your fellow users, who may or may not be disabled.
"Language is inherently political. Both as individuals and as larger social and cultural groups, it is self-evident that the language we use to express all sorts of ideas, opinions, and emotions, as well as to describe ourselves and others, is simultaneously reflective of existing attitudes and influential to developing attitudes.
The terms that are listed below are part of an expanding English-language glossary of ableist words and terms. I have chosen to include words or phrases that I know of or that are brought to my attention that meet two criteria: 1) Their literal or historical definition derives from a description of disability, either in general or pertaining to a specific category of disability, and 2) They have been historically and or currently used to marginalize, other, and oppress disabled people."
-from Ableist Words And Terms To Avoid
For those looking for examples of generally ableist terms/phrases, the article linked above is a semi-comprehensive list the Disabled community refers to, linked under #9 in our community sidebar. There, you’ll find a list of words that are ableist in origin, but not necessarily slurs or insults. If you're looking for alternatives, we'd suggest trying to be more precise in your language and clarify your meaning. One of the examples provided is "blind to / blinded by", which is by no means a slur, but can be ableist in context. You can, of course, say you were blinded by the light of the sun/ headlights/ a flashlight and not be ableist, because this is what happens when you look into bright light. However, if someone misses an obvious detail and you say "You’d have to be blind not to see it", it is ableist. Note that in the ableist context, you could also call that person "stupid" for missing a detail, when all you meant to say was "You missed this detail." Using the phrase "You’d have to be blind not to see it" normalizes the idea that blindness is a bad thing that should be avoided. Blind people should have agency over the connotation of the word blindness and not be influenced by our negative usage of it to think that their condition is inherently bad.
Ableist slurs and expressions are commonly used to convey frustration and outrage. If a person is thoughtlessly hurting you and is seemingly not paying attention to how you feel, you would be rightfully outraged. Some people would call that person a psychopath, or sociopath. As most of us are not medically trained professionals who can tell the difference between a cruel person (or merely a cruel act committed by a person) and an actual psychopath/ sociopath/ etc., the disabled community would argue that terms like these, which pathologize certain behaviors, are ableist outside of a medically diagnosed context. Calling someone who commits something evil a psychopath/ sociopath/ etc., or using a descriptive word like insane/ crazy, assigns an inherent evil to anyone suffering from such associated conditions. Using it in this way implies that all people with these disabilities are evil. If someone is treating you cruelly, call them out on this, as is your right, but be mindful of how you interact with others. Some people are cruel, and some things happen by accident and/or with no ill intent.
Similar to how you wouldn’t mock or bully a blind person for their blindness, you also shouldn’t do this to someone who has a hidden disability. ADHD, autism, diabetes, Crohn's disease, and a multitude of other physical and mental disabilities have an array of issues that are not always obvious to non-affected people. Some of us are sensitive to noise or bright lights, others are so restricted in their diet that they can’t eat vegan or vegetarian. The point of being less ableist both in deed as well as in word is to not judge someone for needing special accommodations, may that be offline or online. We as a community ask you to be mindful of each other’s boundaries and needs, our seen and unseen struggles.
It is on us to communicate, learn, and resolve conflicts amicably instead of using ableist insults or terms as a default. It takes effort, and no one is naturally good at this, but as human beings, we are able to learn, adapt and overcome our differences. The disabled community would appreciate if we made a collective effort to try and be less ableist towards each other, to make both the site but also our everyday lives more accommodating for everyone, whether we are ourselves disabled or not. If you find yourself using ableist language, please take a moment to examine how your perspective has been informed by ableism. We've all participated and been subject to ableist structures, and now more than ever it is essential for us to unlearn our conditioned acceptance of ableism.
If you are interested in learning more about ableism and the use of ableist language, we have a small, non-comprehensive list of reading materials you may want to check out. The last three links lead to external websites, the ones before to Anna’s Archive:
Constructing Ableism - Stephanie Jenkins
Mothers of children without disabilities’ conceptions of inclusive education: unveiling an exclusionary education system privileging normality and ableism - Sultan Kilinc
The Relationships Between COVID-19 Anxiety, Ageism, and Ableism - Amanda A. Arcieri
Counteracting Dysconscious Racism and Ableism Through Fieldwork: Applying DisCrit Classroom Ecology in Early Childhood Personnel Preparation - Christine L. Hancock; Chelsea W. Morgan; James Holly
Ableism in the medical profession - Neilson, Shane
Ableism (The Causes and Consequences of Disability Prejudice) || Contending with Ableism from Internalized Ableism to Collective Action - Narioâ Redmond, Michelle R.
Hostile, Benevolent, and Ambivalent Ableism: Contemporary Manifestations - Nario‐Redmond, Michelle R.; Kemerling, Alexia A.; Silverman, Arielle
The Ableism of Quality of Life Judgments in Disorders of Consciousness: Who Bears Epistemic Responsibility? - Reynolds, Joel Michael
Ableism (The Causes and Consequences of Disability Prejudice) || Justifying Ableism - Nario‐Redmond, Michelle R.
Cultural and Impairment‐Specific Stereotype - Michelle R. Nario-Redmond
Online Othering (Exploring Digital Violence and Discrimination on the Web) || Othering Political Women: Online Misogyny, Racism and Ableism Towards Women in Public Life - Lumsden, Karen; Harmer, Emily
#MeCripple: ableism, microaggressions, and counterspaces on Twitter in Spain - Eva Moral; Agustín Huete; Emiliano Díez
Ableism, racism, and the quality of life of Black, Indigenous, people of colour with intellectual and developmental disabilities - Carli Friedman
Structural Ableism — Essential Steps for Abolishing Disability Injustice - Rupa Sheth Valdez; Bonnielin K. Swenor
The Association for Health Care Journalists (AHCJ), Identity-first vs. person-first language is an important distinction - Tara Haelle
Ly Xīnzhèn Zhǎngsūn Brown (Lydia X. Z. Brown) Ableist words/terms list as mentioned above
Language Style Guide - National Center on Disability and Journalism Disability
we have very different experiences then. I have literally never heard anyone called lame on that basis, and it's been over 20 years since i heard a person called "a cripple" rather than inanimate objects or systems.
substituting words as you have doesn't mean much when nobody uses those synonyms that way.
That isnt the point and is not how language works. Lame is on the list linked in the fucking OP. This isn't a thread about slurs actively used to denigrate people, it's about ableist language and how it has become normalized as not slurs but every day language, just as you are displaying here and further normalizing which is proven by the people removing their up votes from my original comment because of you.
The idea that as a disabled person you can't be contributing to this issues is exactly the same argument zionists use with anti semitism
i disagree with the maximalist position on ableism that says a word is forever tainted if it has ever in the past been such.
my contention is that the determining factor should be common usage and i think any effort to reassociate lame with not being able to walk is not liberatory. It is not used on us (where i live and have lived, anyway, and in the dominant english culture) and the vernacular meaning has no connection to mobility. This is unlike all the mental ability words where the invocation is directly to mental faculties or "sanity".
you can make your own post about it with your own list of words you personally think are bad but this whole post is about how pervasive ableism is in language and how normalized it is. You can go on a crusade about your personal preferences about when ableism is okay for you personally but able bodied people are only going to use your opening of the door to find some way to justify whatever they want and there will be plenty of disabled people like you signing off on each and every word you think is bad and making it okay to themselves.
To me, lame being "uncool" is probably extension from something being "crippled" to "slow" and "slow people" being "uncool" so you are really doubling down on something that doesn't do you any favors
language that is ableist is prejudicial, others us, or contributes to our marginalization. you'd have to do a hell of a lot more work to show me that in the present day or last few decades that lame meaning uncool has any impact on us or our social condition.
you see an antiquated and retired usage and think it's normalized ableism, i think it's not ableist at all. I think highlighting a usage and meaning that was on the way out when my grandparents were in diapers does more to harm us than every time something is said to be lame.
i doubt there is any more productive discussion to be had here, but i'm happy to be surprised.
You can continue to double down, triple down, quadruple down, but unless you're going to go through all the texts in the OP and challenge it all you are really just showing your whole ass.
why should i challenge all of it and instead of one of the ones that ostensibly applies to me?
I previously added context for "bonkers" a little bit in another thread, and double-checking the can sticks out to me there, meaning it doesn't always.
a couple down from that is "burn victim"
emphasis mine. the list is maximalist, and admits there isn't always consensus. I've stated elsewhere i think that's a fine attitude for formal coms.
i do not understand why you are so eager to roll around in the mud when the mud is not being thrown at us.