clevermanka | Language is important

I talk a lot about gender and LGBTQ issues, body positivity, and women's rights, but able-ism is another Big Thing for me. My dad used to be in education (before he quit to become a motivational speaker--Go, Dad!) and he worked with kids with development issues (physical, mental, and emotional). I also have a cousin who is severely mentally disabled and incapable of living alone. I'm sensitive their rights and needs and anyone who uses the word "retarded" as a pejorative is automatically put on my Not-So-Cool list. So I was incredibly grateful to be educated about an aspect of abled-thinking that I'd never considered before.

"What pisses me off the most about the term 'special needs' isn’t that it’s cutesy or euphemistic, but the presumption that my needs are special when abled people’s needs are just how they are. If I need transcripts for audio homework assignments, suddenly that’s special, but if an abled student requests transcripts for audio materials, that’s just another student request. Why are my needs special and not yours? 'special needs' is part of ablenormativity." --Lydia Brown

Isn't that brilliant? And, once pointed out, obvious? Thank you, Tumblr. Check out the website of the author if you're so inclined. She seems pretty awesome.

I've got another post about internalized, systemic misogyny brewing. But I'm working on about five (non-consecutive) hours of sleep after a week of the same and my brain's a bit mushy. Look for it later this week!