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The harmful ableist language you unknowingly use

Sara Nović

18d ago· 9 min readenInsight

education personal language & linguistics disability & inclusion

Summary

This article examines how common everyday language contains ableist terms and expressions that can be harmful to people with disabilities, even when used unintentionally. The author, who is deaf, explores phrases like "turning a blind eye," "falling on deaf ears," "crazy," "lame," and "dumb," explaining their origins and the negative impact they have on disabled communities. The piece argues for greater awareness and offers alternatives to ableist language, emphasizing that intent doesn't negate harm, and that changing our vocabulary is part of creating a more inclusive society.

Source

bskyThe harmful ableist language you unknowingly usebbc.com

Key quotes

· 4 pulled

I like being deaf. I like the silence as well as the rich culture and language deafness affords me. When I see the word 'deaf' on the page, it evokes a feeling of pride for my community.

The problem is that many of us don't know we're hurting others when we speak.

Intent doesn't negate harm. Just because you didn't mean to cause offense doesn't mean you haven't.

Language is a powerful tool that shapes our perception of the world and the people in it.

Snippet from the RSS feed

Some of our most common, ingrained expressions have damaging effects on millions of people – and many of us don't know we're hurting others when we speak.

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