31 for 21: Person First

*I've joined a blogging challenge for the month of October: Blog every day in October in honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month (Down syndrome is medically defined as Trisomy 21, and there are 31 days in October, hence the name 31 for 21). My posts will not necessarily be about Down syndrome, but I am writing as a person who 1) loves many people w/Down syndrome and other disabilities and 2) desires for others to be able to see what I see: remarkably unique people with much to offer to the world*

I'm feeling too tired to be creative, and needing to go to bed too soon to force creativity.  So instead, just a little mini diatribe on what we call "person first" terminology.

Thankfully, this is becoming more of a mainstream idea, and the general public seems to have begun to pick up on some positive habits.  The idea is this: we describe people with disabilities as people with disabilities, not as disabled people.  We describe people with autism as people with autism, not as autistic people.  We describe people with Down syndrome as people with Down syndrome, not as "Downs kids," etc.  Just as you would not want to describe a loved one as your "cancerous aunt," but instead as an aunt who has cancer, we want to place an emphasis on the fact that a person is a person, before we lump them into a medical category. 

I know being politically correct gets tiresome.  But I promise: once you begin speaking this way, it will start to become more natural.  And once you've been in it as long as I have, your body will litreally cringe when you hear it said the other way.  I really do have a physical response to the word "autistic."  Just think of your cancerous aunt, and maybe you will understand. 

Diatribe now over: bed awaits.