PS - the deaf

Posted by Brian from Shawnee on November 17, 2003

In Reply to: PS - the deaf posted by ESC on November 17, 2003

: : : : Last night during a retrospective on the year 1986 on the VH-1 cable channel, they censored the word "retarded". This was in a reference to the TV show LA Law, which featured an actor playing a retarded office assistant at the fictional Mackenzie-Brackman law firm. The person who was censored then continued her comment, using the phrase "mentally challenged", which was not censored.

: : : There was a little old man... sorry! There was a vertically challenged, chronologically advanced person... Political Correctness is everywhere!!

: : I'm in agreement with the "People-First" concept. From: www.vsarts.org/ bestpractices/dag/language/

: : "People-first" language helps us remember that people are unique individuals and that their abilities or disabilities are only attributes and do not define who they are. The following "people-first" phrases may serve as a helpful guideline:

: : Affirmative Phrase: person with a disability; people with disabilities
: : Negative Phrase: the disabled; handicapped; crippled; suffers from a disability

: : Affirmative Phrase: person who is blind; person with a visual impairment
: : Negative Phrase: the blind

: : Affirmative Phrase: person who is deaf; person with a hearing impairment
: : Negative Phrase: the deaf; deaf and dumb; suffers a hearing loss; afflicted with a hearing loss

: : Affirmative Phrase: person with a mental illness
: : Negative Phrase: crazy; psycho; lunatic

: : Affirmative Phrase: person with a developmental disability; person with mental retardation
: : Negative Phrase: retarded; mentally defective

: : Affirmative Phrase: person who uses a wheelchair
: : Negative Phrase: confined or restricted to a wheelchair; wheelchair bound

: : Affirmative Phrase: person with a physical disability; person with a mobility impairment
: : Negative Phrase: cripple; lame; handicapped; deformed

: A woman that works with the deaf community here in the U.S. told me that they prefer to be called "the deaf." At least some of them do.

That last bit about "the deaf" proves my point. (My point is in another strand of this thread: that I considered the use of the R-word in the TV show last night to be legitimate).

Ever hear someone shout in frustration "What are you, deaf?!" An insult to the truly deaf, is it not?