Label Jars, Not People

Handicapped parking, disabled toilets, wheelchair-bound – these are among the terms often being bandied around in mainstream newspapers in Malaysia when reporting news related to disabilities. Many disabled persons are also using such terms freely and has unwittingly propagated its utilization. It reeked of discrimination but is mostly used out of ignorance.

The disability movement is constantly evolving. Terms that were once acceptable may become otherwise now. Even the usage of “disabled person” and “person with disabilities” has seen disagreements from various groups, especially those with orthopedic impairments.

During one of the training courses that we attended together, my good friend Christine Lee expounded her views on why, for the lack of better terms, she prefers “disabled person” over “person with disabilities.” After listening to the points she raised, I tend to agree.

“Person with disabilities” puts the burden fully on the person. Her condition is blamed instead of the causes that are making it difficult for her. On the other hand, “disabled person” has the connotation that the person is “disabled” by external factors such as a non-barrier free environment, prejudices and misconceptions. Remove those and the person is no longer disabled.

This is still an issue because advocates prefer to put the person first before the disabilities; hence the term “person with disabilities” or its acronym PWD, is widely used. Admittedly, there are no universally acceptable terms. Nevertheless, there are some words that are incorrect when applied in such situations.

The adjectives “handicapped” and “disabled” are erroneously used to describe amenities like hotel rooms, toilets and parking lots. The word “handicapped” alone evokes pity and helplessness. If I had not known better, I would have thought a “disabled room” to mean a faulty room instead of one adapted for use by those with mobility impairments. It makes better sense to label them as “accessible room”, “accessible parking” and “accessible toilet”.

“Wheelchair-bound” is another inappropriate and misleading identifier. We do not call someone who needs glasses “spectacle-bound” even though he cannot function without it. Instead, we say he needs glasses to see. Likewise, I need a wheelchair to move around. It is a means to improve my independence. Preferably, I would like to be known as Peter instead of being labelled like an object. However, if there is a real need to identify me by the mode of my mobility, “wheelchair user” is the more acceptable term.

Society has a tendency to stereotype people who they perceive as different. They like to harp on those dissimilarities. Disabled persons have a condition. That is it! It does not make us any less a human. We, too, have feelings and dignity. We can be hurt by callous words. Cripple, retard and spastic may not be specifically directed at us when used but the implied meanings are still demeaning in nature, more so when applied as an insult. It would be wise and polite to think first before uttering such words, irrespective of the intention.

I will conclude this entry with an excerpt from the People First Language manifesto by Kathie Snow. It is a movement that advocates putting the person first before the disability. It states that disability is not the problem. Attitudinal and environmental barriers are, and rightly so.

People First Language isn’t about being “politically correct.” It is, instead, about good manners and respect (and it was begun by individuals who said, “We are not our disabilities!”). We have the power to create a new paradigm of disability. In doing so, we’ll change the lives of children and adults who have disability diagnoses’ and we’ll also change ourselves and our world.

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Photo by Wuan.

Andrew Hee and I were Resource Persons for the follow-up training on Peer Counseling at Institut Latihan Majlis Kebajikan dan Pembangunan Masyarakat Kebangsaan, Bandar Baru Sentul today. Eight Peer Counselors participated in the one-day event funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Kenji Kuno, the JICA Expert/Advisor for this project was with us throughout the entire day. I covered two topics – History of Peer Counseling and The Promises of Peer Counseling. It was a good learning experience, not only for the participants, but for me as the questions posed allowed me to understand Peer Counseling on a deeper level. The next training will be on September.

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How To Kill A Disabled Person

It is not difficult, really. The solutions are plentiful but I have an easy-to-follow two-step guide that is very effective and widely used here. First: Plant a lamppost right in the middle of a walkway. Provide very little space for a wheelchair to pass through. Wait and watch out for one wheelchair user who is foolish enough to attempt the feat and witness the slightest misjudgement that will see him tumbling onto the road. It will not take long for a bus to pass by and run over him as he lies helpless on the road. Easy, yes?

If however he is so lucky as to escape that gruesome death, move on to step two. Ignore his complaints of the apparent danger. He will eventually get tired for being such a grouch and use the road instead. Due to the extreme difference in height, a man on a wheelchair may fall onto the blind spot of a driver high up in the cab of a speeding truck. The impact of five tons of hurtling metal against a wheelchair would be spectacular. Believe me, it is, the flying body and all! This, ladies and gentlemen, are two ways among many to kill a disabled person.

Scenes from an overactive imagination and paranoia? Not really. I should know better because Wuan and I fell onto the road while we were manoeuvring around a lamppost at Pandan Perdana. We suffered superficial injuries. My wheelchair was damaged. We were fortunate not to be hit by a vehicle while we were sprawled out on the road.

What hurt me most were not the wounds but the deafening silence to my complaints that were forwarded to the Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ), the municipal council whose jurisdiction covers Pandan Perdana. The letter was also copied to the Menteri Besar of Selangor, several relevant Ministries and government departments via post and email. Four weeks have passed. None have bothered to reply or acknowledge it.

This non-responsive attitude by MPAJ is not only disheartening but also renegades on its client charter. It states that they will reply to complaints within one week. What are we as ratepayers and citizens in the eyes of the council then when their client charter is not worth the paper it was written on? It speaks volume of how much lives are worth to the powers that be that run the municipality. Even Datuk Seri Shahrizat had pointed out that local councils think disabled persons and senior citizens are not important. There you go.

As a pedestrian, I put my life on the line every time I go out. The authorities do not have the sense to build amenities that are safe and accessible. They allow vehicles to park on walkways thus forcing me to use the road instead. They build walkways without kerb ramps. Pedestrian crossings are severely lacking. Such bad architecture and the lack of enforcement not only affect disabled persons but all pedestrians in general. Still, I continue use these walkways. Do I have a death wish by foolishly subjecting myself to such risks again and again? No! But are there other alternatives for me? Are there alternatives for the mobility impaired community?

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