A New Hampshire disability rights group is calling for an end to the use of the word “special” when talking about people with disabilities.
They argue that the term is derogatory, treats disabled people as “other” and suggests they do not belong in the same space as others.
“When we say people with disabilities are ‘special,’ we’re trying to hide the tendency to think that people with disabilities are not normal, that they’re not part of our community,” says Patricia Vincent Piette, a disability advocate and member of the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities.
She said the euphemism is often used by people who are uncomfortable with people with disabilities.
“They think this person can’t do that,” she said. “This person can’t live in the community with them. This person can’t be your neighbor. This person can’t live in your home. This person can’t work with you.”
The council is one of the organizations behind the Stop Special campaign, along with the University of New Hampshire Disability Institute and the New Hampshire Disability Rights Center.
The campaign’s slogan is “Spread the word!” and it calls on individuals and organisations to make a pledge to stop using the word. The pledges are posted on the campaign’s website, which also features a language guide and videos of people with disabilities explaining why the word is harmful.
The goal is to “elevate the voices of people with disabilities that inclusion doesn’t mean being segregated or having something ‘special’ or different,” said Isadora Rodriguez Legendre, the council’s executive director. “We just want equal support and services, so we have equal access to education, employment, community spaces, and more.”
She said in the long term she would like to see the language removed from disability-related laws and policies.
Vincent Piet said calling support services or facilities “special” can make them seem like an unnecessary expense rather than something that helps people live fulfilling lives. In education, sports and other settings, the term can also suggest that people with disabilities should be segregated from other members of the community.
Instead, Vincent Piet says, we should create communities that are accessible to everyone — words like “accessible” and “inclusive” convey that better, she says.
“If you’re hosting an event and you want people with disabilities to know they’re welcome, you can say, ‘We’re accessible and we’re welcoming,'” she says. “Not, ‘We have special services.'”
Patricia’s husband and legislative colleague, Jim Piette, who recently retired after 23 years as a public affairs specialist for the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services, said people with disabilities want the same things everyone else wants: a job, a family and enjoying life.
“We’re not trying to be ‘special,'” he said.
These stories are shared by our partners at The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.