Disability Pronouns
You might want to share this article about disability pronouns . I believe this is something that we are going to start seeing and hearing more about.
In addition to gender pronouns like she/her, he/him, they/them, ze/zir, xe/xem, ey/em, etc, some people are starting to use their disability pronouns.
What are some examples of disability pronouns?
- Austistic
- Person with Asperger's
- Aspie (person with Asperger's Syndrome)
- Person on the spectrum
- Neurodiverse or ND
- Neurotypical or NT - someone not on the autism spectrum
- Person with visual impairments
- Person with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Wheelchair user
Why would someone publicly disclose their gender and/or disability pronouns?
- Some people don't want the world to label them. They want to pick the label that THEY want and a term THEY use to describe themselves.
- To make others feel comfortable and not feel alone.
- They are open to disclosing their status.
Why is using someone's correct gender and/or disability pronouns important?
- It's a sign of respect.
- It helps create an inclusive environment.
- We need to be sensitive to the feelings of others.
And, think about cultural norms. For example, in the US, we do not like to highlight people's disability. So when we refer to people, we tend to not use words like "handicapped", "special needs", "the blind", and "the disabled" as these terms emphasis the disability rather than the person and their abilities. For example, it is not OK to call SOMEONE "handicapped" in the US. It is acceptable to use the phrase "handicapped parking" as that does not refer to a person. This may be different in your regions.
