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Welcome back to another week’s post of Breaking the Stigma: College Life, Disability, and Mental Health. In previous posts, I explored topics ranging from job searching struggles to access to campus resources. In this post, I will center on a commonly overlooked aspect of disability: language.
The way we talk about mental health and disabilities impacts not only perception but also the value and culture surrounding them. So let’s take a deep dive into why the use of language is significant and how we, as individuals, can do better by communicating in more inclusive, respectful, and educated ways.
Whether or not we are aware of our words, it has a drastic effect on the mental health and disability community. Some words can reinforce poor stereotypes or help eliminate them.
Examples of this can be casual remarks or phrases, such as…
While this can seem harmless at first glance, it can lead to poor consequences, reinforcing stigmas or spreading misinformation. Language is not only a connotation, but it is access and respect.
For example, I have experienced this firsthand while conversing. I sometimes miss a sentence, leading to me asking the people in the conversation to repeat themselves. They get annoyed or jokingly say, “Are you deaf or something?” while unaware that I am actually hard of hearing. Using the term deaf in this context portrays my disability as something negative or wrong. Still, in reality, it is part of me that I have learned to live with, expressing that disability is not the problem, but instead how people interact with the terms.
One prominent discussion in disability and mental health conversations is using person-first language (PFL) versus identity-first language (IFL).
Person-first language emphasizes the individual over the disability or mental health condition, which humanizes and reduces the stigma surrounding the topic.
Identity-first language combines the condition with the person. Some people prefer this when they believe that their disability is part of their identity and something that is not necessarily degrading to them.
Even with these two types of language, the most respectful approach is to ask the person you are talking to how they prefer to identify with their condition. Everyone has their own preferences, and following them allows the focus on respect.
Instead of… → Use… → Because...
Mentally ill → A person with a mental condition. This centers the person instead of the diagnosis.
Handicapped parking → Accessible parking. “Handicapped” is outdated and vague.
Normal person → A person without disabilities. This avoids implying people with disabilities are abnormal.
Non-verbal → Alternative Communication. This is misleading and using alternative communication acknowledges agency.
Burn victim → Burn survivor. “Victim” focuses on the trauma, whereas “survivor” emphasizes resilience and strength.
Respectful language is not political, but instead being human. Respectful language is about recognizing each individual's experiences, whether they have a mental condition or disability, and validating their right to identify themselves on their terms. Changing how we speak allows us to change our thinking and act around these topics, such as eliminating stigmas surrounding mental health and disabilities.
Thank you so much for tuning into this week’s blog post. I hope you got something out of this reading and look forward to my next week's post on Exploring the Benefits and Risks of Artificial Intelligence for College Students.
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