It’s on the ASAN blog. (I wrote it for them!)
Loved the piece, but I have a question. ASAN is very pro-Identity First language, but you used person-first language “people with developmental disabilities.” Why didn’t you say “developmentally disabled people?”
I will admit that I’m not very knowledgeable of other mental disabilities outside of autism so I don’t know if developmentally disabled people (or people with developmental disabilities) prefer person-first language.
ASAN didn’t say anything about it- I think it’s because there are developmental disabilities that aren’t autism and where people who have them go with person-first? (Cerebral palsy and Down’s Syndrome come to mind as two that go for person first.)
Oh. Ok. I really should learn more about other developmental disabilities.
You have to remember that it’s the relevant community that decides. (The deaf community is recognized for rejecting person-first and, what I found surprising, much for the same reasons we do.)
True. I just kind of assumed that all disabled people (or people with disabilities) preferred identity-first.
It all depends on how they see their disability. Where we see it as an identity, others might see their disability as a sickness or just a general inconvenience. Person-first just seems to differentiate between identity or not. I wouldn’t think many physical or health disabilities (allergies included) would be considered identities.
