Disabled Person OR Person With a Disability?[CC]

[@pinkflipphone]

I personally hate being referred to with person-first language. I am learning to love myself and my disability, and separating those things isn't going to help at all. Also, if someone has to remind themself that I'm a human being first, then there's clearly an issue with how they view disabled people.

[@theannieelainey]

I feel that! To me, person-first can feel like it puts unnecessary distance between disability and personhood, it begs the question "What exactly makes "disabled" so much less of a "person" that we have to distance the two words and add "with" in between them?" That's my personal take on it, of course.

[@captainchaos3053]

Annie Elainey I'm not really sure I understand the point of this video. Do you consider yourself handicapped, do you find that being called a person with a problem is better? I don't follow? I try not to offend people without cause but this really has me confused.

[@wheelieblind]

I agree and worlds like differently abled just sounds funny and even my spell check does not like it lol. I can remember when I was in some chat window in a community of people with disabilities of all kinds in Second Life, and people were trying to correct me. It went to far to the point I was explaining legal terms and what things are called when obtaining services, rather that be you are going to get a handicapped parking placard or license plate or SSI or even as they call it in the UK Disability Allowance. I went to far but tried to make my point that I can describe it either way, and I think you put it well. When it comes to who just happens to have a disability vs. a disabled person can mean different things, I'm a person with a disability and you can say it the other way but I have had a friend when I was younger and because they were being annoying, my family decide there were 2 different meanings to saying 'a disabled person' or in my case it was a person who is blind and a blind person, a blind person can mean 2 things 1 it can just mean the same as the other and there is no difference or it can mean that this other person went overboard sponging off on people and taking the easy way out, and then there were times they used up all the time we had to get help because someone was basically doing all the work for them and Im sitting around in my power chair waiting for a yes and no answer until the end of the 2 fecking hours we had help or as I put it they took up most of the time up. I have multiple disability they have one so who is worse off then who? I may be the one with multiple disabilities but don't go thinking I'm the one worse off. They are the one worse off because they chose to sit on their arse and have everyone do the hard work for them, so in the long run they are not helping them-self get ahead, and now that we are adults I'm living independently in my handicapped access home and they are unfortunately in a damn care home where the people who work there are nasty and should be fired. When I think of putting the person first and then the disability or wording it the other way I usually don't think about it but yes there can be a difference. It was a shame looking at the people who were helping us as well, you can only get so much help before everyone is doing everything for you that you can do yourself, to the point the people are not helping you they hindering you. Not to say I can not ask for help when it is a task that I can do, because maybe I struggle with something and it takes a lot of time you have to know when to call the shots when is it ok and when is it not, I don't have to go around second guessing myself either not that I brought up this where a friend of mine would really over do it. I'm not holding a grudge either and I have not though much about this situation in quite a long time, the point is yes there can be a difference from identity first or person first but usually I don't think anything of it. Usually there has got to be something wrong is you think something of it other then some words sound odd like wheelchair bound lol. Sometimes I expect more none-sense from the ones who become handicapped and are maybe new but if you are not all new then the only other reason to bring this up would be to talk to the none handicapped about it maybe and in my case I am talking to the other people here who are handicapped. What hasn't come up is my other reason for when I put the identity first. Now maybe there was a nicer way to put it but my parents explained it the best they could in a way knowing that this hole do you put the person first or the identity thing was going on until they have to just ask me what I call it, and in a good way it stuck, and yea they understand when it doesn't have to mean anything by it putting the identity first but it works, and I just gave a good example of that lol. When it comes to language and who you no longer call a person with a disability usually has to do with the fact that words where just a way to identify with and then people used them with negativity. After some point in time I have to wonder what words we will use if they change do to the way people use those words after some point you will run out of ideas of what to call disability that we can all agree on, and then some moron with no disability will come out with more words to describe it, like when they called it wheelchair bound.

[@minibus9]

I use identity first language. I am Autistic with dyspraxia and epilepsy. What I hate is when people try and correct my way of identifying myself

[@theannieelainey]

Definitely!

[@KathyTrithardt]

John Aggett Same thing happened to a friend of mine on the spectrum a couple of days ago. Gah. Listen to the people in a community instead of talking over them.

[@minibus9]

indeed

[@RebelwheelsNYCShow]

I am team identity first myself but it's to each their own. the only time person first bugs me is what it's connected to the phrase "see the person, not the disability" (as it sometimes is), which it's... there is nothing wrong with SEEING my disability. If its visible, you should see it. What's wrong is the negative value that is placed on the word.

[@KathyTrithardt]

A friend on the spectrum JUST posted about this the other day. He was using identity first language and some neurotypical human told him he should be using use person first language. Um, how about you listen to the person who has the identity?

[@ailbhecushnan2051]

Preach! I know someone who insists on saying "people who are differentlyabled" because we read a survey a few years ago that said the majority of people prefared that... I'm just like, who the hell was their research sample?

[@jfm14]

I saw an argument just like that go down on Tumblr several years backs. Someone was insisting on using person-first language because that's what she was taught in class, despite the other person explicitly telling her they preferred identity-first. Other folks joined in to explain why that's not right, but she just dug in her heels and refused to hear it. 🤦

[@bellac6311]

Its also easier to say, "Im autistic" than saying "I have autism". And separating the two things makes it seem like they are separatable, and that both the disability and the person are different things. No. Theyre not. Autism affects every aspect of every second of every day of my life, because its literally how my brain is wired. Everything i do, is affected one way or another by my autism, because it all comes from my brain. If i try to separate the two things in my labelling, i find i end up feeling more dissapointed in the reality that they cannot actually be separated.

[@jenn3659]

I use person first for some things like my cerebral palsy because that wouldn’t really work grammar wise but with my adhd I totally identify with it and just say I have adhd/I’m adhd because like several other communities could attest it’s sort of a culture thing

[@wolf1066]

@@ailbhecushnan2051 Well, I sure as hell wasn't in the research sample, because I would have given a strong "fk NO" to "differently abled" for a start. I tend to use identity first ("autistic person") when I'm not phrasing it in an adjectival way like "I'm autistic" or "I'm deaf in my left ear". I'll occasionally say "I have autism" but normally the noun gets used only in things like "well, that's one of the things about autism, it's different for everyone..." I don't feel the need to say I'm a "person" - I rather think that people should be aware of that already.

[@emrys7168]

My main gripe, when it comes to us being described as a group, is being called "the disabled". The disabled what? I don't mind "people with disabilities", although I personally identify as a disabled person, but at least have the "people" in there somewhere. Good grief, even if it's a word count thing, "disabled people" is two words, just like "the disabled”. It gets right on my tits!

[@Haldered]

i usually say "disabled people". I think it's important to include the word "people" in there somewhere. I don't think the order of those words necassarily indicates person-first or identity-first language, I think it's usually dependant on the context. i always hate it when "the poor" and "the disabled" and "the blacks" is used because it indicates that they are lesser. It's ironic because god forbid we refer to "the whites" or "the rich" without including the word "people"!

[@urbandalepublicservices4803]

Thank you for this, I have two kids with disabilities and have always thought "people first language" was the way to go. I coached people for years to see my kids as people with all their potential-it was good, but this is better. I recently decided that asking what people prefer (though hard) is better yet still. It conveys "I see you as a person and I allow you to determine your destiny, just as I want to determine mine". We do have to be brave enough to ask. I appreciate your discussion about the word disabled, as well-handicapable is just silly though I sure would use it if some person with a disability wanted me to do that. Thank you for showing up and educating!

[@razz6327]

I have a chronic illness but always get called disabled when I need to interact with organizations to get my access needs met. I really don't like being called disabled because I have all my abilities (some in excess, unfortunately), but what I do experience is pain, fatigue and other symptoms. Disability isn't a word which to me implies disease, and I get upset at thinking that my disease is a removal of abilities - it's not. I actually went to therapy to deal with the emotional fallout from now having to id as disabled/chronically ill. Those mental health struggles would exist for me with whatever language I used, but the problem for me is that I feel I am pushed into a disabled/abled binary that doesn't fit what's actually wrong with my body.

[@therileyfiles5025]

Annie, I absolutely love your work! I watched this video when it came out but I was thinking about it recently and I just had to leave you a comment! For the longest time I identified with person first language. I never really questioned the reason I did, but it always felt really comfortable for me. I’m a college student but I’m going into the medical field so it actually makes a lot of sense as to why I identified with person first language. That’s the language today most professors teach you to use when talking about different populations, and I still totally subscribe to that! But for myself personally, after watching Stella young’s speech on inspiration porn and your video right here, identity First is such a beautiful thing! I’m a proud wheelchair user and a proud disabled woman who is happy to be a part of that community! #SayTheWord

[@clairemckinley691]

Thia video was really interesting! While I personally much prefer identity first language, I also understand that many people don't like it, and of course are free to identify with however they feel comfortable. For me, I find that identity first, especially in regards to the label 'disabled', is very important at calling out the impact that society has on us. Often the discrimination and hardships that we face come from a lack of accessibility in society rather than fundamental problems of out own. Hence, the term 'disabled' is a lot better at highlighting how society impacts us compared to 'person with a disability', which I find removes us from our contexts.

[@silverbroom02]

Thank you!! The first time I read "differently abled," I literally laughed out loud, like seriously?? It irks me so bad. I could be totally off base, but it just makes me think it's a term made up by an able bodied person to make able bodied people feel better while completely silencing people with disabilities and our experiences. It's not all sunshine and rainbows over here...

[@wolf1066]

I also get the impression it was coined by able-bodied people - either to shield them from the reality that there are disabled people around or out of some misguided "we must protect those poor delicate flowers from the nasty D-word" nonsense.

[@selenathetabby]

They’re trying to be pansies all the time people out there are struggling with their respective conditions, like you’re not hurting us, you just don’t wanna be cancelled by 14-year old bunny hat-wearing Discord gamers.

[@AnnikaVictoria24]

Omg!!! Yes haha. Differently abled always feels hella patronising to me haha

[@RagnarokMic]

Differently abled is the worst.

[@justintrudeau9066]

Annika Victoria I'm legally blind, call me blindy. If you don't believe me it's callednstargardts disease. If you identify that your disability is first, your life is sad. If you let your disability define you its sad. I have been MEDICALLY DIAGNOSED, with asperger and adhd. But you don't see me saying oh feel bad for me I have it so bad. Identity politics arena pure cancer. Well today's are. I call people retarded when they have an IQ bellow 70. That is the required iq to be diagnosed clinically as retarded.

[@kbellmurray]

Agree

[@wolf1066]

I don't know if it's an attempt at erasure or to whitewash the world in their minds or because they're scared that we'll break if they use the "D-word", and I really don't care, I just want to tell anyone who uses it to "Eff Off".

[@TheProxy066]

I have multiple mental disabilities and I used to take pride in them, but after having to deal with overhearing people at shool and hearing my family use ableist language and just not getting support from anywhere, I no longer want to talk about it or tell people. The disability that I used to be most proud of is Autism, that's now the thing that want to talk abot the least. P.S. I started crying after typing "take pride in them" and reconsidered whether or not I should/wanted to finish typing this.

[@sarahh6]

Hey I know it's been a year but I hope you're doing well. I hate ableism, people really need more education on it, especially in schools! Just so you know, autism can have it's downsides,definitely, but at least for me, I think it's pretty awesome! In fact, many people including myself think that Autism kind of isn't a disability, but it's just the way autistic traits/traits commonly found in autistic people are treated by non-autistics. So sorry you have ableist family. You rock!

[@mathildem6714]

In regards to large groups I feel I switch up the usage of person-firsts and indentity-firsts, but with a higher chance of using person-firsts. When it comes to myself I prefer identity-first and 'Wheelchair bound'. I know many people frown upon the term 'Wheelchair bound', but I feel that it's the only thing that makes my peers understand the level of severity connected to me being in a wheelchair. The worst terms, to me at least, are by far 'Handi-capable' and 'Differently abled'. I really enjoyed watching this video, as I have any other video from you. I knew what I said regarding myself and a few other terms that other spoonies have used, but I've never before seen 'the big picture'/ how it's all connected and why people identify the way they do. Thank you for shedding some light on the case and spreading awareness in a very easily understood manner.

[@brit9662]

Once there was a segment on TV about a girl with a learning disability who couldn't verbally communicate so her parents did a lot of talking on her behalf and on her behalf they have decided that calling her 'disabled' is offensive and she's just 'differently abled'. Personally, I find the thinking behind the phrase bad enough without these parents forcing it on their child when she can't even communicate well enough to contradict them in any way. Maybe it's harmless, but I'm speaking from the perspective of someone whose sibling has difficulties and our mum's measure of parenting success is how 'normal' she's made my sister seem, which I feel limits my sister because she now takes immense offense if anyone suggests she is any different to anyone else and it sometimes gets in the way of her getting help - even if it's just because she's too busy being angry to take it in.

[@Smudge7Four]

As a teacher, I typically use person-first language to be respectful, but always try to ask what language the person prefers so I can address and talk to them correctly. I plan to be a special education teacher, so this was informative to hear. Thanks for some good insight.

[@Haldered]

Also, Annie, I'm wondering if you could possibly make a video on internalized ableism? I have a friend with extreme internalized ableism with both physical disabilities and illnesses and depression who believes that disabled people are a burden and that people with genetic disorders like himself should not be allowed to reproduce. I'm finding it hard as someone else with depression and anxiety to challenge his views.

[@snm5207]

Hi! I would love to hear this video as well. And, I just wanted to comment that I personally can’t be around people who have limiting negative beliefs because it makes me feel sad and depressed and sort of chips away at my positive world view. I struggled to find a way to balance my love of others with protecting my own sanity and emotional health. It’s the same thing when people share their traumas with me. I am so much more protective of myself now than I used to be before…

[@JeffAMiller17]

This is such an important discussion. Thank you for continuing to share, Annie. 💙 For me, I might be odd in the sense that it depends on who I am around as to whether or not I want people first or identity first language used. As in, there are some people who may only see me as that identity if identity first language is used instead of seeing me as a multifaceted person. So for those groups, I will often opt in to using people first language, if that makes sense? Hopefully it does. Haha.

[@evelynkrull5268]

I like identity first because it's how we describe all things. I'm a disabled person, but I'm also a tall person. No one says "person with tallness" I think, to me, it's simple linguistics and disrupting the usual flow of descriptions is drawing even more attention to you being disabled IMO. It's not offensive to say it the other way. I also accept "bank lady" and "lady who works at the bank". I just I theres not much need for such a mouthful for descriptions. Also I know this is old lol. I just found your channel last week and I love you! I agree with wheelchair user though.

[@adamguymon7096]

I am a bit different on this issue. I mostly while I am talking to someone & I know I need their help with something directly related to my Disability I may say to someone that "I am or have a Disability". When it comes down to it I personally will not get mad at people if they call me the following: PWD Person With Disabilities, Disabled Person or Disabled. Handicap. Special Needs. Crippled. Now it depends on how someone mentions the following words/phrases. Some people will refer to someone with a disability as Special Needs. Here is a statement below to explain what I am talking about. Airline employee talking to another employee: *This passenger is a Special Needs passenger. This is valid because for someone without a Disability who could just walk on the aircraft without any Assistance of any kind would not be a Special Needs Passenger. Someone with a Disability who can not board the same aircraft like a non disabled passenger actually has "Special Needs". *When calling someone with Special Needs or a PWD Person With Disables "Special Needs" is when your trying to point out to a Disabled person that they are Different & they need to stop being Disabled. Trying to use the term Special Needs when you are not trying to describe that a person needs Assistance & without this their needs are different because without the different special assistance the person would not be able to board the same aircraft the same way because the person would if they could.

[@the_5th_night]

I think we have pretty much the same stance on this.

[@BickylaBiscuit]

You always hit the nail on the head Annie! I am seriously considering making a response video to this perfection

[@chloerinell784]

I don't know if you would count mental illnesses as disabilities, but if so, then I prefer person-first. To me "depressed person" or "anxious person" just sound negative and invalidating to everything else that I am. Personally, I do want to be separated from my conditions because there's nothing good about feeling depressed/anxious all the time and I don't want my identifying words to reflect that before everything else. My disorders aren't vital aspects of my identity as a person, they're just there with me. What's important about me isn't the disorder itself, it's my ability to adapt and live with it. I totally get why other people prefer identity-first because most disabilities can't really be separated from the person, but should instead be celebrated and welcomed. However, I don't want to celebrate or welcome my depression. Kinda just want it gone. Maybe that's the difference between disabilities that can be "cured" and ones that can't.

[@firewordsparkler]

I'm guilty of using the phrase "differently abled" instead of "disabled" because it felt like I was saying a slur even though I wasn't using the term in a slur-like context. I'm not disabled, and I tend to use person-first language without thinking, so thank you for educating me!

[@whentaniatalks]

I'm similar to you in that it doesn't bother me whether person-first or identity-first is used, but I do appreciate that some people prefer one or the other. I find it really interesting learning people's reasons for their preferences. I identify as being chronically ill more than disabled. Maybe it's because I've been ill for more than half my life & only a mobility aid user for the past year. I think my identifying in this way has a lot to do with the way society views disability as being largely a visible thing (wheelchair, guide doge, etc.). If I think about it though, I've been disabled as long as I've been chronically ill. Without my precision tinted lenses (Irlen lenses), I couldn't & still can't leave the house because lighting would cause me to loose consciousness. I still find it hard to identify as disabled & sometimes (irrationally) feel like an imposter in the disabled community because I mostly only need to use my wheelchair when I leave my house. I know this is silly & I'm working on identifying as disabled, but I'm finding society isn't making this easy for me. Xx

[@CloverRose]

I'm a quadriplegic. I am a girl with a disability, confined TO a wheelchair but not confined IN it. I'm going sky diving next month. The wheelchair might be what people see on the outside but I want to prove to myself and to others that my capabilities far outweigh my inabilities

[@qwertydeluxe]

Thanks for your thoughts, Annie. I'm not disabled myself but I totally get why identity-first language can be a more empowering way to identify oneself than person-first language. A lot of this struggle with words seems to come from able-bodied & neurotypical folks associating allll of these disability terms with negative connotations, because our society mercilessly picks on the disabled community. Keep up the good work 💙

[@the_5th_night]

The disability spectrum is so wide! Disability can happen to any part of the body at any point in our lives. Also, there are variations within almost every diagnosis. Some people with Downs are non-verbal and others with the same trisomy own a business. Some people with CP cannot walk and use technology to speak, while others just walk with a slight limp and nothing more. I believe this is the reason that we all feel different in regards to our disabilities. I don’t like terms like differently abled or handicapable, but I instead like to say I have special needs, or I say I’m handicapped because yay for reclaiming! Also, yay for the medical model of blindness and autism, and the social model of ADHD!

[@gtwhome]

Whatever stance we may have on our disabilities - in times of difficulty, it helps to remember that however great the disability, one's spirit always flies as free as a bird.

[@esf34147]

for me personally when it comes to mental illness i prefer to use person first, because it helps me to not be defined by my depression and that actually helps me feel better about it. but for my identity (non binary and latinx) i use identity first

[@Haldered]

I struggle so much with identity language in terms of my mental health which is disabling (specifically anxiety and depression). Yes, I have chronic mental illnesses and not a permanent mental or physical disability like quadriplegia, Down Syndrome, CP etc. However I still face ablest oppression, discrimination, physical barriers, and require ongoing medical, social and financial support. My family still denies that what i have is a disability, but the word to me is ableing (I also refer to my disability pension and how even the govt refers to me as disabled, but they won't have a bar of it). Sometimes I don't even feel like using the terms "mentally ill" or "person with anxiety and depression" in it's place because of my complicated feelings towards those words.

[@Haldered]

I've also heard the word "sanism" to refer to oppression that people with mental illness, but to me that just brings to mind horrible insane asylums. (Sometimes I will jokingly reclaim 'insane' to refer to myself, and to remind people of how dehumanising "insane" was and still is when they see that i'm a human who could've been classified as "insane")

[@emmymorris7648]

I use person first language for myself but don’t shy away from the term disabled either. I’m just more comfortable saying I’m Emmy and I’m a person with a disability because of Lyme Disease because I had an identity before I became disabled at 11. But I always feel that people should be allowed to describe themselves however they want and once I have a conversation with someone, I always try to speak to them in whatever way they say they prefer out of respect (brain fog permitting- that is). I really don’t like when someone tries to take it upon themselves to “correct” my language in how I describe myself because they THINK they are being PC. We all have different preferences and reasons for those preferences and we don’t have to explain them if we don’t wish to. Once we say we prefer being addressed this way or that way then the other person should just take us at our word and that should be the end of it but unfortunately many people are so convinced only their view is right that they won’t listen to anyone else’s opinion. I prefer person first language for myself but I would never argue with someone who had a different point of view on this issue. I do completely agree about saying the word and the I love the first hashtag in particular with the Harry Potter reference! We definitely aren’t Voldemort ⚡️⚡️

[@snappleandcats2209]

Honestly, it all depends on which of my disabilities you're talking about for me and how much those disabilities affect my identity, but I won't be offended by either identity first or person first language and tend to switch around a bit myself. However, what I AM offended by is people going out of their way to use person first language or correcting me for using identity first language. Honestly, the first thing that pops into my head when I encounter this is: Do you somehow think people will forget I'm a person if they're not told? We never say things like "person with motherhood". Why do you need reminding that often? Idk, that's just me and I'm not exactly sure if I'm stating my point clearly because it's currently 4:30 in the morning and I should be sleeping :p. Oh well, hope that makes sense.

[@CapriUni]

Personally, I prefer identity-first, because the fact that I *am*, in fact, a Person shouldn't have to have a spotlight thrown on it. And also, in my head, that little word "with" is like some sort of crowd control barrier, separating out what's considered a natural part of being human from the freakish and stigmatized. Fact: Disability is part of the human condition, just like being born, forming societies, and solving problems. Now for some word history for "Handicapped:" If you go onto Snopes.com, they do a fine job of debunking the folk etymology that it's derived from "Cap-in-Hand," (it's not). But in the process, they're really snide and condescending to those people who are offended by it. What it *is* derived from (short version): The extra weight carried by stronger horses in a race, to even up the odds for the bettors. How this became a slur: 100 years ago, it was first used in its modern sense to refer to mentally disabled children (specifically what we now call Downs Syndrome), as their having a condition that was an extra, "unfair burden," that slowed them down in life -- in short: a stinking pity word. Also, the people use first used this word in this context were eugenicists, who wanted these children to be killed. And they used the notion that their unfair burdens were so horrible that the children would be happier if they were dead. (So, in that sense, it's kinda like f****t [from the times and places when homosexuals were punished by being burned at the stake]).

[@f2byamtv]

As always, thanks for posting!! I've been thinking about this even more than usual (which is a fair amount) lately! As a recently re-diagnosed (w EDS - heeeyyyy!) disabled nonbinary queer person, I think about identity a lot. I think about how we as people and a society phrase identities and talk about them, and how the ways we approach assigning them to ourselves and others reinforces or challenges mainstream ideas about those identities. I work in deaf and special education. Most of my students are not only deaf/hard-of-hearing, but developmentally disabled as well. And I'm in school still, currently taking a class on autism. In that class, the instructor said the first day that "we use person-first language" and I haven't done so because all the autistic activists I've read/watched/etc. prefer identity-first. In practice, I find myself alternating between the two on a regular basis, especially if I'm talking about groups of people. In referring to my students, sometimes I would phrase the above sentence as "most of my students not only have hearing loss, but have various developmental disabilities as well". In this situation, tho, I feel like part of my emphasis is on the fact that my kiddos are all disabled in different and individual ways. The variation of my students is incredibly vast and and that's largely what I'm getting at. In a personal sense, I'm also new to identifying as disabled, so discussing being disabled/having a disability is weird in and of itself for various reasons, not the least of which include doubting my own experiences and the reactions I get when i use a "scary" word like disabled. But that's also why I love using the word, much like how I prefer queer over bi or gay or even pan, and much like I tell people I'm trans (rather than nonbinary or "not cis") in order to elicit a reaction and normally use the situation as an opportunity for education. Last thing: I just read this article about coming out as autistic when you're someone who can pass. The article borrows a lot from queer theory, though it's a social geography paper. I think you'll appreciate it and I'm interested to hear your thoughts. It's titled "‘Coming out’ on the spectrum: autism, identity and disclosure" and hopefully you can open it at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14649360903525240?journalCode=rscg20 Don't even get me started about "differently-abled", "special", etc. I hate that shit. TD;LR I guess what I'm really saying is that I agree with everything you said. Identities are personal and preferences about them are nearly as varied as the people they describe. I'm a proponent of identity-first language because I feel it pushes back against the stigmas attached to disability (and vulnerability/transparency/honesty about it). Here's a cool article.

[@the_5th_night]

This is interesting. I, as a person suffering from autism, hate the word autistic. I know that autism affects my mind and personality, but it’s not all of me. It doesn’t define me. I would also like for people to be aware that autism looks different in all people with autism. My mom still doesn’t think I have autism, because I don’t act like my cousin on the spectrum. He’s introverted and doesn’t really talk to people unless necesary. I’m hyper-verbal and flap my hands constantly. But I know that many actually prefer the word autistic, so I use it when talking about them.

[@loboanjo]

I prefer identity first language over person first. Person first language always felt weird to me because it's usually only used when referring to disability and not other types of identity.

[@tirresel]

I am autistic, and I think that when referring to autistic people you should definitely not use person first language, as most autistic people oppose it and prefer identity first (of course if a person tells you to use person first language when talking about them you should do that). Parents of/teachers/people who work with autistic people often prefer person first (because they want to emphasise that we are people), but why do you have to say "person with autism" to know that I'm a person? Autism isn't something you can remove from a person, you're born with it, you'll live you're entire life with it (much like your sexuality, you wouldn't say "person with straightness") and it will affect every part of your life. Therefore you shouldn't separate the person from the autism. ((The most neutral term is probably "on the spectrum," so if you want to anger/offend as few people as you can that's probably the one to use.))

[@amydodd3169]

I use a wheelchair all the time but my disability doesn't define me

[@broughjohnson4798]

Thank you so much for this Annie! It's super tricky as someone outside of the disability community to find the right language. I super appreciate you saying straight up that everyone identifies so differently and it's impossible to identify everyone by specific terminology. And the most important thing an ally can do, is ask how someone identifies. As a queer woman, I more than understand this. Thank you for telling us what language honors you. Love it.

[@sandraclark7771]

EXCELLENT, most excellent vlog. Wow! I have been describing myself as a WHEELCHAIR USER for the past 13 months.... I am soooooo blessed to have my powerchair just as you so accurately described. it's not something I'm trapped/bound by.... it's my freedom, my independent mobility! I think you bring so much wisdom to these topics and I for one appreciate them for how thought provoking they are 💜🌻💖🌈 xxx

[@ReadHeadPat]

I'm really glad you made this video because I didn't really know what the proper language was! I do try to use person-first language as a default, I think it's similar to using they/them as default pronouns for someone you don't know simply because you don't really know how they identify.

[@morganelliott6165]

I have never heard "wheelchair bound" used by someone involved in the disability community except as an example of what terminology not to use. I also use person first until I know otherwise for communities I'm not a part of or large groups. Like I say I'm autistic, but I also say I work with kids who have disabilities. Then again it's often my students' parents who have a problem with the word "disability." Then we get into the "special needs/differently abled/exceptional learners" type stuff. Which can get to the point where you can't say what you need to say because you're trying to talk about a disability without saying the word or anything that could be interpreted as negative. Which normally I'm all for framing things positively, but when trying to describe for instance violent/aggressive behavior, I think everyone involved deserves to know what kinds of behaviors they're dealing with.

[@alanv7251]

The one exception I can think of for person-first language is autism. If you're referring to a large group of autistic people, autistic people is the preferred term (if you ask the majority of the autistic community). Here is an article from ASAN about why "autistic people" is the better term to use in general: autisticadvocacy.org/home/about-asan/identity-first-language/

[@silverbroom02]

Usually I can tell if someone sees me as a human being regardless of the language they use. In my experience anyway.

[@RagnarokMic]

For me, I find the whole thing kind of mundane, don't get me wrong, I'm still going to try to call a person the thing they prefer, but it just seems trivial to me, arguments for argument's sake, overthinking it. Probably just comes from my basic matter of fact nature, I don't so much buy into semantics of certain things. They're essentially the same statement, both say you are a person and you are disabled, which order shouldn't matter as you're always both, it's like July 3rd and the 3rd of July, same thing in different order.

[@gourmet2276]

I prefer person first language always.

[@gourmet2276]

I like the term different ability.

[@brennanroy8656]

hey, this is a great video. I especially love the bit about being a wheelchair user. I am also a disabled wheelchair user, and I hate that my phones auto prompt, no matter how many times I write user after wheelchair, still prompts the word BOUND first. An interesting fact is that in French the word disability doesn't exist. We're limited in the language available, and the common term used most often by French people to describe us is "les handicapées" which is like saying the handicapped. some people prefer this or "personne handicapée". To me, neither sounds right and some of the more progressive community uses "personne en situation De handicap" which is essentially person living with a handicap. I still don't think that sounds right. So in French (I'm bilingual) I identify as "une femme avec mobilité réduite qui utilise use chaise roulante" which translates to woman with reduced mobility who uses a wheelchair. In English, I identify as a disabled femme wheelchair user. It's interesting what a difference translation makes. Do you find there is a difference in language available to identify with in Spanish?

[@karolinabalde5847]

I identify myself as a disabled and Crohnie (I've got Crohn's Disease). I don't mind being reffered to as person with Crohn's or person who had Crohn's, but I don't like the term "suffering from sth" because, in my opinion, it implies that the disease is a separate part of my life that brings me nothing but mysery and it's not true. Thank you for making that video, Annie, I love it!

[@BlitheDream]

I have been lectured by people before that I need to use person first language and focus on ability instead of disability. It really annoys me, I argued that I should be able to choose my own identity. It really irks me when people tell me that identifying as disabled is too negative 😡

[@oliverlikescats4736]

I identify strongly with my disabilities, so I usually use identity-first language. When it comes to my mental illnesses though, I don't know any identity-first ways to say "person with anxiety." I often say "I'm an anxious person" or "I have anxiety," but I want a way to say "I am _____." Like the way someone can identify as an "autistic person" or just "autistic" (where the word is being used as a noun).

[@Dungeonfreak]

In the UK we have the medical model which sees disability as a medical problem where the persons impairment disables them and the social model where society disables someone because of lack of access so I'm disabled because I live on the second floor with no lift not because fatigue makes using the stairs difficult

[@TenaGordon]

My preferred descriptors: Person who has mental illness (cuz phrase 'mentally ill' usually refers to those who have psychosis and/or PDs), person who has depression (cuz term 'depressed' is so trivialized sadly), autistic

[@amyclarke41]

yep

[@surgerod827]

Thank you Annie.

[@BattyButtercup]

I'm still getting used to having Official Diagnoses as opposed to living in medical limbo so I'll take this opportunity to try and fumble through how I want to identify myself. I know I identify (and have, quietly, well before I finally had a doctor willing to believe me) as autistic, not a "person with ASD". I have struggled too much for validation that I was different NOT wrong to ever have someone treat ASD as something I must "overcome" or am "suffering" with. I do not think I will ever identify as an "anxious person" nor a "panicked" one. Those disorders I very much see as painful and limiting. I struggle to imagine NOT having regular panic attacks but Therapy encourages me to believe it possible. In general I think of person/identity-first by substituting my ethnicity, gender and such to see how well each system conveys what I want: I am mixed-raced NOT a white person with an Asian mother. I am queer NOT a person who is xyz, etc. It is all very thought-requiring but I have taken my meds and therefore am unable for now. Thankyou for the video and prompting questions! :)

[@samsnewwheels3610]

Wow, this is really interesting. I am with you in preferring 'wheelchair user' rather than 'wheelchair bound'

[@mausc.2099]

Love this video. I identify as disabled, autistic, and queer. I say that I have Tourette Syndrome because I have not yet encountered a good identity-first option. I dislike the recommendation that it only be used if it is relevant to the conversation because I feel that I need to explain my tics on a regular basis - it is clearly a very visible/audible part of who I am. I think Tourettian would be very much in the spirit of "Spectrumite", and I would be cool with that. I dislike person-first language. All of those terms (differently-abled, person with, etc.) feel cloying - like the formulation is overly precious and intended to reassure me and other disabled individuals that we are still people. That kind of falls into the category of "if you need to remind me, it must have been in question" or as though someone needed to provide "inclusion". I still struggle plenty with my internalized ableism. I am not willing to buy into the paradigm of inclusion because it means someone else (presumably non-disabled) is opening and closing that door - I don't need to ask admission to society at large.

[@Mr123Gibson]

I prefer person first because unfortunately most able bodied people don't us as people. Sad but true. We have to remind them constantly that most of us are just humans. They avoid us or stare at us, infantilize us, they forget we have a sexuality and call us an inspiration just for existing. They don't see us a full people, so we have to remind them.

[@EllieBobbit]

Hello! So I am a non-disabled person and I have explored lots of different topics on my channel, including ableism. I decided to use person first language in my videos because, as you said, I felt like it was the safest approach when talking about large groups of people. But this video has been very informative on how to talk about individuals. What do you suggest when talking about an individual but you don't know their preferences? Again I think my go too would be to say 'my friend has a disability' rather than 'my friend is disabled', partly because I feel like if you don't know what they prefer then it is safer, but also partly because I think it is not the 'mainstream' turn of phrase, and I think it's important to introduce alternative phrasing into conversations so that people might at least pause to think about what phrasing they use. As I say, this is all coming from my perspective as someone who doesn't have any disabilities, so I'd be very interested to know what you think.

[@alyssajohnston7805]

I think in the autism community especially, identity-first language tends to be the preference, but when you talk to neurotypical/abled educators, "therapists," and parents of autistic ppl, they still use person-first bc of the negative connotations they associate w/ autism. For example, my parents (as well-intentioned as they are) raised me to describe myself as a "person with autism" based on the idea that autism is this terrible thing that I live with and not who I am -- but it IS who I am, as in it's my brain. The unique thing about autism as a disability is that it's literally a different kind of brain you are born with and will always have, so to deny it as an integral part of yourself is almost a lie, or at least an unhealthy denial born of ableist self-hatred. In my experience, person-first language is almost always perpetuated by the above neurotypical educators/"therapists"/parents to make THEM feel more comfortable, but as I've grown older and become more involved with the online autistic community (and began practicing self-advocacy), I've chosen to embrace identity-first language bc I feel like it more accurately describes my experience as autistic. Anyways, it certainty is an interesting and mutifaceted avenue of discussion as the disabled community as a whole is sooooooooo diverse. Great video!

[@the_5th_night]

Autism is just one part of my complex mind, so I identify as a person with autism or a person who suffers from autism.

[@JustTeaForMeThanks]

I definitely prefer to use identity-first language when it comes to things like my sexual/romantic orientation (or lack thereof lol), but I tend to describe myself as someone who _has_ depression and anxiety rather than someone who _is_ depressed or anxious, if that makes sense? I've been mentally ill for over 2 years now, and it's severely impacted my day-to-day ability to function (I had to drop out of university because of it), but even though it's something that can affect me drastically and I'll likely have to manage it for the rest of my life, I don't feel comfortable calling myself disabled, largely since I'm able-bodied and there's nothing limiting my physical capability to move around and interact with the world. I think it's very much like what *When Tanya Talks* talked about in her comment - society has trained me to see disability largely in terms of physical capability/lack thereof, so I don't feel I have the right to call myself disabled. I've also been having new medication and therapy that have both really helped me, to the point where I've managed to land a part-time job, so that makes me feel even more that I don't have the right to call myself disabled, and that I should use "I have chronic depression" instead. Just my 2 pence on the topic.

[@NovelistVampireGirl]

I prefer the terms ASPIE (which describes where I fit on the autism spectrum and keeps overly negative ignorant assumptions from being made about me) and CHDer (CHD stands for congenital heart disease which can cause a variety of physical limitations, learning disabilities, and emotional issues that vary widely from person to person depending on which form of the condition they were born with) I am an ASPIE and a CHDer I insist on person first with the term ASPIE but I will take CHDer or Person with CHD since I spend a lot of time trying raise awareness for one of the most prevalent killers of children and causes of invisible disabilities among youth in the United States.

[@geekxlove81]

I'm curious what the origins of person-first language is, do you know? I did some quick searches and couldn't find much info. I find it interesting that the disability community is the only group I've ever heard to use person first language... like, things like "a person who is bisexual", "person who is black" or "person who is a woman" is not anything I've ever heard.

[@thom_cat8883]

Not really related to the content, but I really love your glasses. They complement you so well.

[@eccentricman87]

Great discussion here! I used to be a very much in the 'PWD' camp but overtime I did a 180 is I realised PWD really downplays the impact of my disability. I still hope people don't see my disability first but as a friend said forcing that on people by using the term PWD smells of 'he doth protest too much'.

[@stevenwilson5556]

1. I think you brought up a lot of good points in your video, and you should ask people how they like to be referred to. 2. The term Latinx is offensive because it erases the language and culture and is being pressed into the Latin culture from a small minority group that wants to push an ideology that is offensive to the majority of people in the community of Latin people. If you are trying to be sensitive to people and their ideas, views, and culture, you should not also push an offensive rebranding of Latin culture. Just my 2c

[@belindaslatter5111]

Yeah I don't know why people think that disability is a bad term. There's a big change in disability sport were they calling it multi-class / para athletes not athletes with a disability.

[@andiehernandez1995]

Hello. This was a very interesting video for me to watch. I'm a Spanish native speaker and in the Spanish speaking world the word "discapacitado" (disabled) is sometimes considered offensive and is replaced by more (considered) politically correct things like "persona con capacidades diferentes" (person with different abilities) or "persona de la diversidad funcional" (person of the functional diversity). Some people (specially people who were born before the 80s) call disabled people "special people" which I've never liked. I agree with you in that we all have different abilities (even able bodied and neurotypical people) and "special" sounds so paternalistic, problematic and condescending. From now on I'll start using again the word "disability" and "disabled" in Spanish because I actually don't find why it is offensive for some people. I know you're Latinx but I don't know if you speak Spanish. If you do, you can investigate a little about the disabled community in the countries where it is spoken (like Nicaragua which is my birth and current country of residence). I send you love

[@EmilyCricket]

I'm too brain foggy to leave a complete comment. I personally don't mind if I'm referred to as pwd or disabled person, but I definitely have always considered my "self" as separate to my chronic illness/disability. There's possibly a factor of denial there but there we are. I've always been surprised that American s seem to use the word handicap. Growing up in the U.K. It sounded very old fashioned and rude

[@michealdavisprince]

personally I'm a mixed bag when it comes to REFERING to my self, ex: I'll say "I'm a person with chronic pain" and "I'm an autistic person" at the same time.

[@vanessabitar10]

In spanish there is words that have been changing who I think are just better when talking about disabled people In spanish people just to say "invalido" o "minusvalido" to disabled people like they are invalid o less valid now everybody uses "discapacitado" which is i think more respectful

[@ughhseriouslywowdamn]

So I'm a little late here but from my extensive experience in extensive disability communities, as well as most other marginalized communities, "Identity-Then-Person" (Disabled People) language is the best for large groups, as opposed Identity-only (The Disabled) or Person-first (People with Disabilities). I personally know more people offended by PFL than people who are offended by ITP, and I know many people who are offended by Identity-only language but are neutral towards/okay with ITP language. Black people, not the blacks, not people with blackness. Queer people, not the queers, not people with queerness. The only exceptions I can think of at the moment are religious identities, where people prefer to be called Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Humanists, etc. It is best to avoid "The" though, just gives off a weird tone. I do objectively believe that will offend the least amount of people. By using Identity-Then-Person, you aren't implying their identity takes away from their personhood, but you're also making sure that everyone feels assured that you see them as people and not JUST their identities. Happy middle ground. As for my opinions: I'm a firm believer in using the same language for all marginalized people/identities unless there is an actual consensus otherwise (like religion). I think it's absurd to say that certain identities need to come after 'person' in order for people with those identities to maintain their personhood, whereas others identities can come before 'person' without anyone's personhood being lessened or attacked. Going out of your way to use PFL only for certain identities and not others, to me, is basically saying "That identity is bad, you need to leave it behind you, and try to get as far away from it as possible." And using it for all identities just seems absurd and impractical and messy. So I think it's best to just throw the idea out entirely. Disclaimer: I do use PFL for individuals who prefer it, but resentfully. I'd be delighted to hear that any of those individuals have changed their mind, at least to not having a preference anymore.

[@dmytrom297]

I prefer either disabled or with special needs. Hate the rest, I’ve got cp so my whole is shaped by it, while not necessarily limited by it.

[@ForTheLoveOfMusicals]

I'm definately a person first person, but I think this is partially due to the fact that in dutch people misuse autistic a lot (like they do with OCD in english) so to me autistic doesn't feel like a term to discribe someone who is actually autistic (or actually has autism) I still think I would be person first if this wasn't a thing, but it definately contributes to it

[@carlycotnoir]

I prefer identity first language, thanks for this video!

[@snm5207]

I love your video, thank you so much!

[@xevsetter1201]

I love your videos! For my self I dont care what another person uses when refering to me BUT do kinda like identity first because it itself governs every aspect of my existence- so I think it would be proper to say it that way to me. When I refer to others I try to use person first. I find that in the people I know its 50-50. But like you said referring to person 1st is less likly to upset anyone.

[@gourmet2276]

I don't like the term special .

[@TheRzoo]

I prefer to be identified as “Bob”!

[@federicomanuelolveira7658]

I prefer person first

[@samsnewwheels3610]

'Handicapped' is considered very out dated here in the U.K. I am with you and prefer 'disabled'

[@amydodd3169]

I am a wheelchair user

[@belindaslatter5111]

identify as a person with ASD and ID

[@jfm14]

I guess I prefer person-first language. For one, listing my many identities seems an impossible task. Nearly every aspect of who I am is just as important as the next, so I don't know how I would narrow it down. Secondly, my biggest pet peeve is people making assumptions about other people based on nothing. I'm that petty btch who wants to force folks to ask questions in order to find out who I am. Predictably, a lot of them don't and just stick me in the default category. Then they're shocked to find out I'm, say, queer and I'm like, "Maybe you shouldn't have assumed I was straight and cis." Like I said, I can be petty... and maybe a wee bit passive-aggressive. 😏 Anyway, I don't see how person-first separates me from my identities or diminishes them in the slightest. Judging by this comment section, though, I may be in the minority opinion on that point.

[@dgameryoutube5045]

I'm pwd and dint know that was a thing

[@jackiesmith6054]

I'm autistic and I prefer identity first

[@radiemorgan7020]

I have Freckles and as such a “spotted” person, does a person refer to me as spotted? or Black, or White, or Red or Yellow or Abled or Disabled, Blind or Sighted, Quad/Para?…..I am a person regardless of the things socity defines me as and why not just refer to me as Cindy?? yes i use a wheel chair and yes I use a service dog but first and formost i am a person….i dont call you a White person I call you a person…Just a person….if we must lable then Disabled is ok but i wish we could just refer to each other as a person. ….BTW great vedio and yes hard topic….we must stop trying so hard NOT to offend because when we try so hard we will always offend someone…lets remember we are all people.

[@jacjennings3854]

I guess I use both cuz I identify as a Autistic person with dyspraxia and asthma

[@sarahh6]

Not really, in my opinion. You can't really do the same with the other two, I don't think dyspraxiatic and asthmatic are words, but they might be. But the thing is autism is way different than those other two.

[@cbryce9243]

Examples: I am not my disability. I HAVE a disability. I am not autistic, I HAVE autism. I am not my wheelchair, I HAVE a wheelchair.

[@sarahh6]

a wheelchair, a disability, and autism are all very different from each other.

[@SassyWitch666]

Differently-abled makes me cringe. I’m not a fan of handicapped or handicapable either. I’m disabled or crippled. It’s not an insult it’s a fact.

[@sabserab]

Thanks for the captions and even in German, too! Hard to understand english with brain fog. btw, I identify as disabled.

[@gourmet2276]

I prefer the term wheel chair users.

[@hannahmeads]

Love your point of view (:

[@wolf1066]

#DisabledNotVoldemort *LOVE IT* I prefer the word "disability" to any of the "polite euphemisms" - which always strike me as having been coined by able-bodied people who think we're so _fragile_ we'll shatter if we hear the "D-word" - and find the term "differently able" to be extremely patronising - to the point that I want to swear at anyone who uses it. The only time I've been OK with that term was this guy with an advanced prosthetic arm showing how his wrist can rotate over 360-degrees and quipped "now _that's_ 'differently able'." - humour gets a pass from me. Any other time: just don't use that term. Meanwhile, I have an _inability_ to hear the direction sound is coming from due to not having stereo hearing - that's a *disability* in some circumstances. My deaf ear doesn't pick up Radio Moscow on the shortwave band or enable me to fly, so it doesn't have any *different **_abilities_* at all, it's just *not able* to do what _most ears_ can. So I *have* "disabilities" - but whether or not I'm _actually_ "disabled" at any given time depends on the circumstances. In some environments and situations, I suffer no impairment; other environments and situations disable me.

[@LivingAble]

PERSONALLY, I think a word is what you make of it. Call me my name first lol. 99% of words can be looked at as good or bad. We can choose to let it offend us or not. I don't personally use "wheelchair bound" but I started paying attention to it and within the circles of people with disabilities around me I have seen "wheelchair bound" be used mostly by wheelchair users. So I found that interesting. Although I do think it would be a good idea if someone is writing an article about someone for them to ask the person what to refer to them as. The only thing that drives me up the wall is reading something that says "suffers from". Maybe I am being a hypocrite lol but I don't think the word "suffers" can ever had a positive connotation to it. Good video. Always love hearing what you have to say whether we agree or not :)

[@justintrudeau9066]

I sexual lyrics identify as legally blind. I'm 20 100 so I'm legally blind it's called stargazers disease. If you are so fragile that being called handicapped offends you so much, that's pathetic you clearly have not grown up. I know their is no cure to my eyesight but what I have is hope and that by not complaining about what people say or think and being positive is better than policing others language. If your disabled and don't agree with letting only/ mainly your disability define you like this. This isn't to say I hate people who do I'm just curious if others agree.