Topeka Parent Center
(785) 233-4777
topeka@familiestogetherinc.org
1-800-264-6343 toll free
Wichita Parent Center
(316) 945-7747
wichita@familiestogetherinc.org
1-888-815-6364 toll free
Garden City Parent Center
(620) 276-6364
(620) 276-2380 (Espanol)
gardencity@familiestogetherinc.org
1-888-820-6364 toll free
Kansas City Parent Center
(913) 287-1970
kansascity@familiestogetherinc.org
1-877-499-5369 toll free
“A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your
strengths; feels your fears but forfies your faith; sees your
anxiees but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilies but
emphasizes your possibilies.”
~ William Arthur Ward
Statewide Spanish Parent Line
Lina Estratal de Padres en Espanol
1-800-499-9443
espanol@familiestogetherinc.org
www.familiestogetherinc.org
For more information, contact the
center closest to you.
www.familiestogetherinc.org
Language of Us/Them
We like things
They fixate on objects
1880
We try to make friends
The word "handicapped" was first used in Great Britain a-er the
Crimean War. Medicine had advanced to a point where large numbers
of soldiers were returning home from the war with injuries that were
fatal in earlier wars. To aid the severely “disabled men”, Parliament
made it legal for war veterans to beg on the streets; they could keep a
"cap handy" to accept dona8ons from individuals passing by; thus, the
word “handicapped.”
They display a?en8on seeking
behavior
We take breaks
“If a man does his best
what else is there?”
They display off task behavior
~ General George Pa.on
We stand up for ourselves
They are non-compliant
1990
The Individuals with Disabili8es Educa8on Act (IDEA) was
reauthorized replacing the Educa8on for All Handicapped
Children Act (P.L. 94-142 and P.L. 99-457), replacing the term
“handicapped” with “disability”.
We have hobbies
We go for a walk
They self-s8m
They run away
We choose our friends wisely
We insist
They display poor peer
socializa8on.
They tantrum
We change our minds
We persevere
Individuals with have disabili8es are part of the largest minority
group in our country. This group includes people of both genders
and from all religions, ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic
levels.
This group is the only minority group that any person can join in a
split second, due to accident, illness...
They perseverate
We like people
They have dependencies on
people
They are disoriented and have
short a?en8on spans
We have talents
They have splinter skills
We are human
They are . .
"I am neither an opmist nor pessimist, but a possibilist."
~ Max Lerner
by Mayer Shevin
Disability is defined as a physical or mental func8on that operates
differently.
Language of the Past
Impaired individuals
“Aerodynamically the bumblebee
shouldn’t be able to fly, but the
bumblebee doesn’t know that so
it goes on flying anyway “
•
Look at me
•
Call me by my name
•
Iden8fy yourself by name
•
Treat me like you treat everyone else
•
Talk to me, not my interpreter or family member
•
Listen to me
•
Don’t yell at me
•
Speak clearly
•
Offer to shake hands
•
Place yourself at eye level when speaking to me if I use a wheelchair
•
Assume I can
•
Know that I may have an invisible disability (i.e. learning disability,
mental health needs…)
•
Use people first language
•
Give me 8me to respond
•
When offering assistance, wait un8l the offer is accepted. Listen to or
ask me for instruc8ons
~ Mary Kay Ash
The handicapped…
People who “suffer” from the ”tragedy”
of “birth defects”…
Categorically… “the disabled, the
retarded, the au8s8c, the blind, the deaf, the learning
disabled” and more.
Language of the Present
Individuals who have a disability are
moms,
dads,
sons,
daughters,
•
employees,
Relax
employers,
scien8sts,
friends,
neighbors,
movie stars,
leaders and followers...
students and teachers.
Labels not to use
People First Language
Handicapped/disabled
People with disabili5es
Mentally retarded
People with a intellectual disabili5es
He’s retarded.
He has an intellectual disability.
My au8s8c son
My son has au5sm.
She’s a Downs kid.
She has Down Syndrome.
Are you myopic or do you wear glasses?
He’s learning disabled.
He has a learning disability.
Are you cancerous or do you have cancer?
I’m a paraplegic.
I have paraplegia.
She’s crippled.
She has a mobility impairment.
He’s a dwarf (or midget).
He’s of short stature.
She’s emo8onally disturbed.
She has an emo5onal disability.
He’s wheelchair bound or
confined to a wheelchair.
He uses a wheelchair.
Normal kids
Kids without disabili5es
He’s in special educa8on.
He receives special educa5on services.
Birth defect
Congenital disability
Handicapped parking,
bathrooms, etc.
Accessible parking, bathrooms, etc.
She has a problem with...
She has a need for...
“The only disability in life
is a bad a*tude.”
~Sco. Hamilton
People first language describes what a person
HAS, not what a person IS!
Are you freckled or do you have freckles?
Are you disabled or do you have a disability?
People first language puts the
person before the disability.
"Some people are always grumbling because roses have
thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses."
~ Alphonse Karr