Today (3 December) is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Corine Sheratte reflects on the role of language in embracing disability inclusion.
The words we use matter, both within the workplace and wider society. As a result, the “fear of getting it wrong” has led many to stay silent in favour of making a mistake.
While mistakes happen, and they should be graciously forgiven in pursuit of learning and growth, we should proactively educate ourselves to ensure we are well-equipped to mitigate any negative impacts of what we say.
This is critical to ensure that what we say, and how we say it, engenders a working environment where minority/marginalised groups feel a greater sense of belonging and inclusion. Many of us are well-intended in what we say and don’t know when we might hurt others when we speak.
Small but harmful
Non-inclusive language often manifests itself through microaggressions – small, subtle, often well-intended but potentially harmful, statements that an individual may be able to brush off once in a while.
But if they happen frequently, they can be extremely detrimental to wellbeing, culture, and productivity.
Engrained micro-aggressive language often shows up in the lived experiences of those with disabilities. In fact, despite about 1.7 billion people worldwide reporting to have some form of disability, disabled people often experience widespread discrimination and oppression through ableist language society uses every day.
Ableism has been defined as ‘stereotypes about people with disabilities that act as a barrier to keep them from achieving their full potential as equal citizens’.
Some of our most common and engrained expressions can represent some of those barriers for disabled people. In fact, they can often have an erasing impact on those who see their disability as a pivotal part of their identity and take pride in it.
Such ableist language might include common phrases such as: “turning a blind eye” or “falling on deaf ears”.
Such embedded ableist expressions obscure the reality of the situation they describe while reinforcing a certain stereotype.
For example: “turning a blind eye” implies that being blind is an involuntary state, and yet turning a blind eye is an intentional choice to pretend not to notice certain situations.
From this, we can see how such ableist language, whilst engrained in our society and often well-intended, may be contributing to the marginalisation and oppression of those with a disability, or those who may become disabled – be it through ageing, an accident, health concerns, or any other way.
Phasing out ableist language
Organisations should try and align themselves with the social model of disability, which asserts that people are disabled by barriers in society, rather than by their impairment or difference.
This means that to become an all-inclusive and accessible society we need to change the way we view disability and take more accountability for removing barriers for people.
And that starts with having greater awareness of the inclusivity of our words, and the potential impact they may have on minority groups.
Beyond what we say, it is also how we go about saying it. When it comes to inclusive language, disability-confident individuals tend to:
- Promote a common inclusive and positive language around disability, whilst acknowledging and respecting that people use their preferred language.
- Be guided by their network’s higher purpose of identifying and removing organisational and personal barriers when deciding how to address issues of language.
- Not let concerns about language prevent action that would improve the lived experience of disabled colleagues.
Of course, we may get the language we use wrong as language evolves but collaborating with Disability & Accessibility Inclusion networks and other colleagues with a disability, is a key part of facilitating their inclusion and sense of belonging.
This starts with being intentional by asking questions in a psychologically safe environment, avoiding assumptions about people with disabilities, and considering whether our choice of words could contribute to an increased sense of oppression.
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