Bert Visscher's Website

I Appreciate the Right Words

In earlier posts, I talked about differences between Dutch and English. In this post I would again like to talk about language, but this time, I'd like to go into the wording used when describing or asking about disabilities and people with disabilities.

I recently watched the video you see below, made by Marissa Meleske. This is what has inspired me to craft this blog post.

I do my best never to be offended by anyone, not only because the language used might not be intended offensively, but also because reacting offended doesn't solve any problems. So, what do I do, instead? Here are some guidelines I try my best to adhere to:

• If I hear a false statement, then I ask why they believe what they said.
• If I hear any statement with improper words, then I reply with something like, "if you mean so-and-so, then you're right/mistaken," filling in what they said with the proper words.
• If I hear a question based on an assumption which, as far as I know, is wrong, then I ask what the assumption is based on, or I state that (I believe that) the assumption the question is based on is wrong.

People might use improper language, not because they're rude, but because they don't know the proper way to say something. I always appreciate when people use proper language, but I would not want someone to be kept from telling or asking me something, just because they don't know the proper words and don't want to risk hurting my feelings.

I'd like you to know the following about me. Because of my strong desire to think logically, you'd be hard pressed to offend me. Also, I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about my disability, but I haven't quite got the hang of reading minds yet.

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