If Peter Harre had a dollar for every time he heard or read the phrases “wheelchair bound,” “confined to a wheelchair” or “suffered a spinal cord injury,” he would have quite a hefty bank account.
As a person who has used a wheelchair for the past 20+ years, Peter said it was still common to hear these negative phrases used in everyday conversation or in the media.
“Wheelchair bound, confined to a wheelchair, disabled, handicapped – these words all conjure up images of quite a sad person sitting and wilting away in their wheelchair,” Peter said.
“While we’ve just entered a new decade, ignorance and a lack of awareness in society means that people in our community who have a physical disability are often made, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to feel like second-class citizens.
“The way we refer to people affects how we feel about them, how we portray them to others, and how they feel about themselves.
“Using appropriate words when talking to, or about, someone with a spinal cord injury or another disability, is an important part of ensuring that people with a disability are seen like everyone – as a person first.”
Peter has hundreds of examples of how people with a physical disability have been treated differently by others. He believes this treatment is often perpetrated by the myths surrounding people with a disability.
“My wife and I went out to enjoy a restaurant meal. When the time came for the waitress to take our order, she wrote down what my wife wanted, then asked my wife, ‘and what will he be having?’ instead of asking me directly,” Peter said.
“It’s more common than not for people to assume that because you use a wheelchair you automatically have an intellectual disability, which can be extremely demoralising.”
A particular mortifying experience occurred while Peter was at a casino. The room was quite crowded and instead of going around him, a punter climbed over Peter in his wheelchair, as though he was some form of mountain climbing apparatus and not a person.
“You do unfortunately get quite used to these experiences. But, I’m not tarring all of society with the same brush. For every ignorant person, there is another person who treats you as their equal.
“Through some fairly simple awareness raising campaigns, incidents such as the ones I’ve mentioned could be abolished even further.”
Peter made the comparison of Indigenous people or people from other cultures being called derogatory terms and how this is no longer tolerated in everyday society.
“The same emphasis of not labeling people should be placed on people with disabilities,” he said.
“It is another form of discrimination after all.”
Spinal Injuries Association CEO Mark Henley said currently around one in five Australians had some form of disability (ABS 2008).
“Chances are, someone in your family, your social group or somebody you work with has a disability,” Mr Henley said.
“Using positive language is easy to do once you realise the negative connotations many old-fashioned terms such as ‘slow’ or ‘disabled’ have.
“All people, regardless of their physical disability, have the right to live in an inclusive, equitable environment where they are spoken to the same as anybody else.”
The guidelines below are a helpful indicator of what is appropriate language to use when talking about, or to, someone with a physical disability.
Don’t say – Disabled, cripple, handicapped, suffering
Instead say – A person with a disability
Don’t say – Subnormal, retard
Instead say – A person with an intellectual disability
Don’t say – Spastic, spaz
Instead say – A person with cerebral palsy
Don’t say – Wheelchair bound, confined to a wheelchair
Instead say – A person who uses a wheelchair
Don’t say – Deaf and dumb, mute
Instead say – A person with a hearing impairment
Don’t say – Epileptic
Instead say – A person with epilepsy
Don’t say – Mongoloid
Instead say – A person with down’s syndrome
Don’t say – Schizo
Instead say – A person with schizophrenia.
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