Individuals with disabilities have historically been marginalized and treated as if their disabilities defined them. Gone are the days that calling someone an \u201cinvalid,\u201d \u201chandicapped,\u201d or \u201cretarded\u201d is acceptable.\u00a0 In its place, we use person-first language to appropriately and respectfully describe and speak about individuals with disabilities.<\/p>\n
Instead of referring to a person with disability, \u201cperson-first language\u201d (also called \u201cpeople-first language\u201d) emphasizes the person first, not the disability.\u00a0\u00a0 It describes what a person has<\/em>, but not who a (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" About 54 million Americans, or 1 in every 5 people, report having a disability. Most Americans will experience a disability at some point, and for many, the disability will occur very suddenly and unexpectedly.\u00a0 It could happen to anyone, at…<\/span><\/p>\n