On the news

Everyday more and more people are being aware of the inappropriate use of person first language. Citizens all over the country are fighting hard to try to get words such as "retarded" banned from the medical fields. Here are a couple of videos and articles of what is going on around the country:

Students work to ban the r-word

Rally to ban the r-word in Mass.

Video of South Carolina march

They're a lot of videos on Youtube, that show why you shouldn't use words like the r-word. A lot of them show the real world view. One of my personal favorites, is the one Johnny Knoxville and his friend Eddie Barbanell. They both co-stared in the movie "The Ringer" in which Johnny Knoxville played a character that was passing as being mentally disabled so that he had a shot at winning in the Special Olympic. If anyone knows Johnny Knoxville from TV or even seen what kind of movies he's made in the past you should check out this video. It shows Johnny Knoxville in a completely different perspective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfMlrTV_5vY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRUOL5Rm2XY

"Commercial"

These are 2 short "commercial" videos that I made pretending that its a going to be in National TV, to promote my website. As a side note, I've never edited or made any type of video so this is a first for me. Expect more to come.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tnvF_bw-t4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI0l05P55Ak

Other Person First Language websites

There are many other websites and resources that are also joining the move of enforcing person first language and even trying to ban the r-word. Here are some other websites to check out to learn even more about Person First Language :

http://www.r-word.org/

The r-word organization of my favorite advocacy website, they are trying to stop people from using the r-word (hence the name of the organization). They have a lot of videos telling you why you should stop saying the word, and even have a place where you can comment on making a pledge to stop using the r-word. Check it out and make a pledge to not say the r-word!

This it their Youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/EndtheRword


Another website that has a lot of information on the topic is an Aboutme.com page, it has general knowledge on what to say and what not to say. It explains why some advocates are trying hard to enforce Person First Language and has many web links to other disability topics.

http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/assessmentandtesting/qt/personfirst.htm


This website claims to be the #1 source for Person First Language, and I dont doubt them at all. This is the go-to website when it comes to Person First Language. They have a variety of presentations that have been done by the founder Kathie Snow, and they even have a schedule for when Kathie is going to present. In their homepage they have a "the world would be a better place if..." in which the founder of the author writes statements how the world be better. One of my favorite ones she posted was: "The world would be a better place if we all use People First Language, focusing on the person first, and eliminating negative, pejorative descriptors (like "special needs") that marginalize and devalue individuals."

http://www.disabilityisnatural.com/

How to use Person First Language

PERSON FIRST LANGUAGE
Remember that when it comes to a person with a disability, the person comes first then the disability. With Person First Language it is implied that person has a disability, and is not A disability. Here are some commonly misused terms.

USE: Person with a mental disability, cognitive disability
INSTEAD OF: retard

USE: The person with a physical disability
INSTEAD OF: Handicapped, disabled, crippled, down

USE: A person with autism
INSTEAD OF: She’s autistic

USE: He receives special ed services
INSTEAD OF: He’s in special ed/special education student

USE: A person of short stature or has dwarfism
INSTEAD OF: She’s a dwarf/midget/little person

USE: Brain Injury
INSTEAD OF: Brain Damaged

USE: Accessible parking, hotel, etc.
INSTEAD OF: Handicapped parking, hotel room, etc.

USE: Person living with HIV/ AIDS
ISTEAD OF: HIV/AIDS patients or victim

USE: A person with a mental health condition
INSTEAD OF: emotionally disturbed/mentally ill/ crazy

USE: She’s a person with a developmental delay
INSTEAD OF: She is developmentally delayed

USE: normal/healthy/ typical children
INSTEAD OF: children without disabilities

USE: That person communicates with his/her eyes/ devices etc.
INSTEAD OF: Non-verbal





To download to Microsoft Word for a printable option:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L6EAH5IN

PDF: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WJMCZVIQ

Introductory

This website is about learning how to use Person First Language in your every day vocabulary. Person First Language, is the politically correct way to talk about people with disabilities. People seem to forget that people with disabilities, are after all, people. People with disabilities are often categorized by the disability they have, i.e. "that person is down syndrome" or "that person is retarded".

So why is that important to you? Because without you, we're going to be stuck using the same primitive, vulgar, and offensive language. Because if you don't start right now, labeling people as people first instead of their disabilities, they're always going to seen as being "retarded" (or any other negative connotation verb) instead of what they are: people. Like you and me.

Take the quiz, educate yourself and spread the word.

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/take-quiz.php?id=1004181708284280&a=1&