There is a great debate in the special needs world and in the outer world about words. Names for things. Descriptions about special needs folks. What do they imply? Are they offensive? And there seems to be two camps that exist in their opinions on this topic. There are the people who feel a deep need to use the proper language to say what they mean without offending anyone. And then, there are the people who think that those people are wimpy and need to suck it up and get over it, already.
Well, it seems that Major League Baseball has chosen a side.
Recently, Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem changed the name of the disabled lists to the injured lists. The only thing that was changed was the name. How it works, the amount of days spent on it and everything else is exactly the same. If you would like to peruse a brief article on this topic, here’s a link:
The article shares that Mr. Halem has rebranded the name, effective immediately, at the suggestion of advocacy groups for the disabled.
Why is this important?
It has to do with evolving lexicon in society. Lexicon is simply the vocabulary of a language for a subject. It can also just be described as the general language one uses.
If you look back at the history of special needs folks in our country, their treatment has radically changed over time, especially in the last 60 years. What was once described as retarded is now described as challenged. Delayed. People who were once described as retards are now folks with special needs, disabilities, people who are differently abled, etc. And our society seems to be, more than not, rallying around these folks and embracing them as valuable members of our society.
Lexicon is important because the words that are used to describe people, especially young people, become their inner voice. Tell someone that they are retarded enough times and they will eventually begin to think of themselves that way. Tell someone that they are special and they will eventually begin to think of themselves that way, too.
The commissioner’s office released this statement on the reasoning behind the change: “The principal concern is that using the term ‘disabled’ for players who are injured supports the misconception that people with disabilities are injured and therefore are not able to participate or compete in sports.”
He said that using the wrong term can support a misconception. But how do we know what the right terms are? Even for me, who has accepted the term special needs enough to include it in the name of my blog, it is a tricky path. Everyone feels a bit differently about descriptive words for special needs folks. The best way that I have found to manage this dilemma is to be aware of those around me and what they prefer. The goal of using terms in conversation is to promote dialogue. It doesn’t do me any good to try to talk to someone only to offend them with my word choice inadvertently and have them shut down.
My intention is to be flexible. My word choice is also flexible. But the only way I know that a term offends someone is if they tell me. I invite you to speak up. Not just to me but to everyone in our community and make your preferences known.
Over time, we will find our way.
I am so happy that Major League Baseball, an iconic organization in our culture, has chosen to be flexible in their terms. While not seeming to be a big deal, it really is.
What words regarding the special needs community are in your lexicon? Please share in the comments below.