"Wheelchair-Bound"? Person-First Language -- its still an issue.

Check out this wonderful article recently published in the Washington University Outlook magazine, highlighting several student attempts to address physican-identified problems. It's great to see young minds coming together to acknowledge and address disablity-related barriers.

I'm dissapointed to see the smaller text under the photo, however. It reads, "PROBLEM: Wheelchair-bound individuals...". This medical-model language is blatently oppressive. Rather than "PROBLEM", I might have suggested, "OBSTACLE", "CONCERN", or "ISSUE". Any of the latter have less of a negative connotation and do not represent a deviation from the "norm" (whatever this is). Furthermore, "Wheelchair-bound individuals" is an acceptable way to address someone, if this were 1950. This reminds me of watching AMCs the Walking Dead, wherein zombies are all referred to as "Walkers". Am I a walker? Am I leg-bound?

Another way to make the same point, but without offending others, I offer the following solution:

"ISSUE: Citizens using wheelchairs...". This is a simple reminder for us all to please consider your words. It's very easy to choose language that does not disenfranchize another. It's first a matter or having this awareness.

#disabilty #personfirstlanguage #rehabilitationcounseling #wheelchair