Student Services

Office of Student Services
10425 South Kolmar Avenue
Oak Lawn, IL 60453
Phone 708-423-8363
Fax 708-857-5742

	Leanne DeHaan Director of Student Services 4201 W. 93rd Street Oak Lawn , IL 60453 708-423-0150	Janice Carr EC Supervisor/Brandt Principal 10425 South Kolmar Avenue Oak Lawn , IL 60453 708-423-8363
	Beth Elliott Program Supervisor 10425 South Kolmar Avenue Oak Lawn , IL 60453 708-423-0150	Anne Donovan School Psychologist 10425 South Kolmar Avenue Oak Lawn, IL 60453 708-423-8363
	Melissa Miller School Psychologist 5345 W. 99th Street Oak Lawn, IL 60453 708-499-6400

“TAKE A MOMENT”

It’s the person first, then the disability...

What do you see first?

The wheelchair? The physical problem? The person?

If you saw a person in a wheelchair unable to get up the stairs into a building, would you say, “There is a handicapped person unable to find a ramp?” Or would you say, “There is a person with a disability who is handicapped by an inaccessible building?” What is the proper way to speak to or about someone who has a disability?

Consider how you would introduce someone-Jane Doe-who doesn’t have a disability. You would give her name, where she lives, what she does or what she is interested in: She likes swimming, or eating Mexican food, or watching movies.

Why say it differently for a person with a disability? Every person is made up of many characteristics-mental as well as physical. Few people want to be identified only by their ability to play tennis or by their love for fried onions. In speaking or writing, remember that children or adults with disabilities are like everyone else-except they happen to have a disability. Therefore, here are a few tips for improving your language related to people with disabilities:

1. Speak of the person first, then the disability.
2. Emphasize abilities, not limitations.
3. Do not label people as part of a disability group. Don’t say “the disabled.” Instead, say “people with disabilities.”
4. Don’t give excessive praise or attention to people with disabilities; don’t patronize them.
5. Choice and independence are important. Let the person do or speak for himself or herself as much as possible.
6. A disability is a functional limitation that interferes with a person’s ability to walk, hear, talk, learn, etc. Use handicap to describe a situation or barrier imposed by society, the environment, or oneself.

(Source: Pacesetter (2000). A news magazine by and for parents of children and young adults with disabilities. Vol. 23, Issue 3.)