Words Matter

This is my last week being 41 years old. If you had asked me even one year ago what I would be doing this year and into the next year of my life, I would not have guessed that I would be participating in a board that focuses on public policy and change-making in the disability community. It’s taken me a ton of time to get to where I am today, And now that I’m here, I hope God continues to bring me forward on this journey.

During today’s meeting, we were tasked with answering the question: What vocabulary needs to change In our community and society?

My answer was that we need to work on and eventually stop using the term able- bodied  to describe someone who does not have a disability. Instead, we need to start using the term non-disabled to describe someone who does not appear to have a disability. Furthermore, we need to be mindful of when, where, and how we use terminology because we might meet someone who has a hidden disability but is uncomfortable talking about it or identifying with the community. Lastly, the most important thing to remember is that anyone we meet who is disabled or not deserves to be called by their name, and that is it.
As I have said many times before, for half of my life, I tried to run away from my identity as a disabled woman because the way that questions and terminology made me feel was awful. I also believe that I fell into depression because I lost my best friend, Noel when I was 21 years old. She was 24, and when we talk that school, we talked about how we would change the world for the better for people with disabilities. I miss her every day, and I know that she is watching over me as I step into this God-given assignment and go forward in life.