This is Offensive

I originally wrote this short letter to the minister of health in Alberta, but unfortunately the reply was rather dismissive. He basically said that Albertans have come to agree on the use of "severely handicapped" and "disabled" since the 1970s to refer to certain people in society because it resonates with them. If that's true, I don't think they've stopped to think about what they're implicitly calling people when they use names like this. Furthermore, just because the crowd wants something, that doesn't mean it should be so--that's an excuse for the worst of actions. In any case, I wanted to post it here to make the same point, especially since it's obvious that the Government of Alberta doesn't really understand how offensive these terms really are. I should emphasize though that the key is to understand that people simply have different abilities and needs and so need different kinds of support. But that doesn't mean they should all be classed under one pejorative heading like "severely handicapped" or "disabled."

August 6, 2013

Honourable Fred Horne

Legislature Office
208 Legislature Building
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5K 2B6

Dear Honourable Fred Horne:

I am writing to you regarding the use of language in AISH legislation and policy.

As you know, words have implicit cultural connotations, and so it is prudent to use language that reflects a respect for a diversity of peoples in Canada. Currently, the use of “handicapped,” or “people with disabilities” has negative implications. It arouses ideas of deficiency in relation to a norm, pity for an “other,” and helplessness. But while it is true that all people have different needs and abilities, those who have a different need or ability are not necessarily “deficient” or helpless, as the word would suggest.  For example, I may not be able to run as I once did, but I am still capable of many other things with the right support. If I have a need that others do not have, what I would most like is their support in helping me to be as self-determining as possible.  Yet these words embedded in legislation and policies have the effect of taking that from me. Calling me "severely handicapped" makes me feel like a sub-human being treated through legislation by government.

A leap forward would be to change the language in legislation to reflect a commitment to equality. So rather than stating that, for instance, people qualify if they have a “severe handicap” or "disability," it could be written that the Government of Alberta supports people who qualify, and that a doctor’s opinion is necessary to complete the process. This changes the focus from pity on a “deficient” human, as the original language implies, to support for those who have a reason supported medically. Of course, this is a tremendous undertaking but it is one crucial for equality.

Thank you for your time. I hope my comments are important and helpful to you.

Yours,

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