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SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Disability and Mental Health:Editing for Clarity and Accuracy
Anya WeberCopywriter and EditorInstitute for Community Inclusion
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Sources of awkwardness
1. Fear of saying the wrong thing
2. Constantly shifting rules
3. Lack of consensus
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Today we’ll look at:
▸ Helpful versus harmful approaches to disability language
▸ Person-first language▸ Adapting some examples of awkward or
stigmatizing language▸ Mental health issues (a subset of disability
with its own complexities)
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Quick poll: Where do you work?
▸ Journalism▸ Higher ed▸ Nonprofit▸ Corporate▸ Freelance▸ Other?
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Relevant across our fields
▸ 15% - 20% of the US population has a disability
▸ Big chunk of your readership ▸ Visible or invisible (apparent/non-apparent) s▸ Self-identified / not self-identified
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Ever-evolving rules
crippled
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Ever-evolving rules
crippledhandicapped
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Ever-evolving rules
crippledhandicapped
disabled
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Ever-evolving rules
crippledhandicapped
disableduses a wheelchair
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Person-First Language
The woman who...… sustained a traumatic brain injury... walks with a cane... uses hearing aids
The man who...… is blind … has ALS… is on the autism spectrum
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Person-First Language
Avoid language that makes the person sound like a victim:
“is afflicted with”“suffers from”“victim of paraplegia”
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
From a national newspaper
[The mayor’s] ambitious plan for cutting the number of mentally ill people in [the city’s] jails will require a great deal of ingenuity and a big shift in priorities… Nearly 40 percent of the more than 11,000 inmates in city jails suffer from mental illness, up from about 25 percent just seven years ago.
(2014)
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
From a national magazine
40 worst-dressed cities:
Boston has “a kind of Style Down Syndrome, where a little extra ends up ruining everything.’’
(2011)
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Better ways to say it
Marie is wheelchair-bound, so all the snow this winter created problems for her commute.
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Better ways to say it
Marie is wheelchair-bound, so all the snow this winter created problems for her commute.
Marie uses a wheelchair, so all the snow this winter created problems for her commute.
wheelchair-boundconfined to a wheelchair
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Better ways to say it
Khalifa’s daughter has mental retardation. The family is working with the school system to get special education services.
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Better ways to say it
Khalifa’s daughter has mental retardation. The family is working with the school system to get special education services.
Khalifa’s daughter has intellectual disabilities. The family is working with the school system to get special education services.
Khalifa’s daughter has Down syndrome. The family is working with the school system to get special education services.
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Avoid lumping people together under a label.
the blindthe disabled
the handicappedthe able-bodied
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Questions?
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Let’s improve these sentences
1. In 2014, Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. This legislation makes it easier for the disabled to find jobs.
2. The nurse checked to make sure the Down syndrome patient was comfortable and had eaten lunch.
3. A man with a cane, a woman with dyslexia, and a rabbi wearing dark glasses walked into a bar.
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Improved language
▸ In 2014, Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. This
legislation makes it easier for people with disabilities to find jobs.
▸ The nurse checked to make sure the Down syndrome patient was comfortable and had eaten lunch.
▸ A man with a cane, a woman with dyslexia, and a rabbi wearing dark glasses walked into a bar.
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Improved language
▸ In 2014, Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. This
legislation makes it easier for people with disabilities to find jobs.
▸ The nurse checked to make sure the patient with Down syndrome was comfortable and had eaten lunch.
▸ A man with a cane, a woman with dyslexia, and a rabbi wearing dark glasses walked into a bar.
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Improved language
▸ In 2014, Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. This
legislation makes it easier for people with disabilities to find jobs.
▸ The nurse checked to make sure the patient with Down syndrome was comfortable and had eaten lunch.
▸ A man with a cane, a woman with dyslexia, and a rabbi wearing dark glasses walked into a bar.
(fine as is)
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
How do we keep up with the state of the art?
▸ Resources on handout▸ Association of University Centers on
Disabilities (aucd.org)▸ Associated Press Stylebook (includes section
on disability)
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Let’s improve this blog excerpt.
Our new drug, Somalex, provides relief to people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS). In clinical trials, Somalex has been shown to help wheelchair-bound patients to improve their mobility by 28% over a placebo.
“Somalex has been a lifesaver,” says Clinton Smith, who has been afflicted with MS since he turned 22. Now 45, Smith found that Somalex has helped with his muscle spasticity and has improved his bladder control.
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Improved blog excerpt:Our new drug, Somalex, provides relief to people
who have multiple sclerosis (MS). In clinical trials, Somalex has been shown to help
patients who use wheelchairs to improve their mobility by 28% over a placebo.
“Somalex has been a lifesaver,” says Clinton
Smith, who was diagnosed with MS at the age of 22. Now 45, Smith found that Somalex has helped with his muscle spasticity and has improved his bladder control.
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Questions/Comments?
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Where does mental health fit in?
▸ Mental health issues▸ Mental health disabilities▸ Mental illness
Examples: depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia
Great resource: Melissa McCoy’s talk
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Avoiding stigma
“The weather in Boston has been schizophrenic this month, with temperatures ranging from 25 to 70 degrees.”
“The Seahawks have had a bipolar season—fans have experienced euphoria and despair in the course of each game.”
What’s wrong with this?
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
She could be bipolar.
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
He could have schizophrenia.
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Seek out neutral and positive mental health stories.
▸ New depression medication called off the market
▸ Group therapy at homeless shelter▸ Meditation helps with depression and anxiety
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Questions? Comments?
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Disability and Mental Health:Editing for Clarity and Accuracy
Anya WeberCopywriter and EditorInstitute for Community Inclusion
SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
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