SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Disability and Mental Health: Editing for Clarity and Accuracy Anya Weber Copywriter and Editor Institute

SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Disability and Mental Health:Editing for Clarity and Accuracy

Anya WeberCopywriter and EditorInstitute for Community Inclusion



Sources of awkwardness

1. Fear of saying the wrong thing

2. Constantly shifting rules

3. Lack of consensus


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)


Quick poll: Where do you work?

▸ Journalism▸ Higher ed▸ Nonprofit▸ Corporate▸ Freelance▸ Other?


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


Ever-evolving rules

crippled


Ever-evolving rules

crippledhandicapped


Ever-evolving rules

crippledhandicapped

disabled


Ever-evolving rules

crippledhandicapped

disableduses a wheelchair


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


Person-First Language

Avoid language that makes the person sound like a victim:

“is afflicted with”“suffers from”“victim of paraplegia”


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)


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)


Better ways to say it

Marie is wheelchair-bound, so all the snow this winter created problems for her commute.



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



Khalifa’s daughter has mental retardation. The family is working with the school system to get special education services.



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.


Avoid lumping people together under a label.

the blindthe disabled

the handicappedthe able-bodied


Questions?


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.


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.


Improved language



▸ The nurse checked to make sure the patient with Down syndrome was comfortable and had eaten lunch.



Improved language



▸ The nurse checked to make sure the patient with Down syndrome was comfortable and had eaten lunch.


(fine as is)


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)


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.


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.


Questions/Comments?


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


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?


She could be bipolar.


He could have schizophrenia.


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


Questions? Comments?


Disability and Mental Health:Editing for Clarity and Accuracy

Anya WeberCopywriter and EditorInstitute for Community Inclusion


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SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL INCLUSION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Disability and Mental Health: Editing for Clarity and Accuracy Anya Weber Copywriter and Editor Institute