labels

[Henry Vandelinde <vandelinde -at- WORDTEK -dot- ON -dot- CA>]

Hi all,

I've been watching the discussion about handicapped/disabled/etc. with
interest.  I lost my right arm and walk with a limp because I had the
misfortune to keep going at 60 mph while the motorcycle I was on came to a
sudden stop.

All the labels which have been discussed have been applied to me at one
time or another, and to tell the truth, I don't really give a [expletive
deleted].  The truth of the matter is that I am not disabled or handicapped
in my life.  I play a variety of sports,  maintain my house, have three
sons, and make a living.  I don't go around thinking of myself as disabled,
or challenged, or special.  To quote a sailor I once knew, "I is what I is."

However, there are things I cannot do.  I had to sell my beloved '68
Firebird because it had a standard transmission.  I can't play a guitar.
I'm not much of a
 long-distance runner.  But then, I figure everyone has limits, and
everyone adjusts.  Mine just happen to be more visible.

But I don't go through life thinking I am handicapped/disabled/ etc.  One
on level, I am all those things, and softening it up or changing the
terminology doesn't grow my arm back or change the situation one bit.   All
labels catergorize, and changing them doesn't change the process or the
condition.  Labelling is necessary one some levels as it allows for the
understanding of a certain situation, but it when the label, regardless of
how 'sensitive' it is, takes over that we run into problems.

My suggestion, after this rambling preamble, is not to replace one term
with another but to use the terms with care, and to be aware of the
conditions in which they are used.  Lump categorization accomplishes little.

I have yet to meet a disabled person who objects to being called
disabled/handicapped/etc.  But if it stops there, then the [expletive
deleted] hits fan.

Henry


=================================================
Dr. Henry Vandelinde, WordTek Document Services Inc.
513 Kengary Drive, Ennismore, Ontario
Canada, K0L 1T0
Fax & Phone: (705) 292-1956
Email: Vandelinde -at- WordTek -dot- on -dot- ca -dot- 
 http://www.wordtek.on.ca

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