Overview

"If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together."¹ 

An exploration of the narrative around what it means to have a disability and the related language choices we make, particularly when it comes to people who have what are conventionally considered disabilities. Are they always disabilities or perhaps just differences and sometimes even a gain? 

The impact of categorization

Our brains naturally put things in categories for both social and survival reasons. This innate tendency helps us store information quickly and make sense of our surroundings. If left unchecked, automatic processes of any kind can produce undesired results. It’s beneficial to examine these instinctive thought processes to ensure we aren’t making an error or overlooking something important.

We learn to categorize ourselves and others in order to know where we belong and even how to spot possible signs of danger in more serious situations. There are many things that can group us: nationality, language, religion, education, career, finances, clothing, health and the list goes on. Keep in mind, that categorization affects us all. While our brains are doing this to others, theirs are doing it back to us.

Some groupings we make are comical in retrospect, although uncomfortable at the time. Remember those (dreaded) cliques in junior high and high school? Where do I fit in? Who do I sit with at lunch? Albeit usually painful at times, this was part of the process of forming our identities.

While some of this processing is based on how our brains impulsively operate, what if the distinctions we use to classify ourselves aren’t as clear-cut as we think? What if the lines between the groups we put ourselves in are blurrier than they are solid?

If we dropped the word “other” and used “us” instead, what might change? How might we benefit? It’s useful not to leave our mental, subconscious processes on autopilot but instead, directly consider how and why we assess the world the way we do, and then be open to expanding our point of view.

As the human race, we ultimately are one community. We have a shared humanity. We all want food, drink, shelter, connection, enjoyment and some level of fulfillment in life. Someone may not look or function like you, but these fundamental desires stay the same. At our core, we are made alike — body, soul and spirit. And every human life, however it looks, functions and expresses itself, has great value and enormous potential.

In the accessibility profession, I have the honor of working with people who are part of one of the most marginalized groups in society,²no thanks to cultural categorizations and the associated stigmas. It’s important to note that the disability community is the only minority group that anyone can join at any time.³ In other words, a person might be born with a disability, or it could develop later in life.

People in the United States who have at least one disability make up the largest minority group in the country.⁴ Especially since this group is so big, it makes sense to try to understand it better and re-evaluate any labels and assumptions we correlate with those who are part of it.