At the American Copy Editors Society’s annual conference, Sarah Grey (of Grey editing) and Ashley Bischoff(of Friendly editing) presented a session entitled “What’s The Word?” Bischoff addressed the issue of ableist. I thought I knew a lot about it. It was a difficult problem to grasp and I didn’t know how large it could be until that morning.
What’s Ableist Language?
Any word or phrase that devalues someone with a mental or physical disability is called ableist language. This language is often not intended to offend but rather from our natural sense of normal. Our worldviews are shaped by us. Normal is what I see.
For people who do not have a disability, this is their normal. That normal is for someone who is blind or has autism or uses a wheelchair. We sometimes forget this and believe that everyone is the same normal.
Here’s where the problems start. It can be inadvertent, but it implies that people other than us are somehow abnormal. This language can also marginalize and isolate those with disabilities. It communicates to a reader: Something is wrong with you.
Even though ableist lang uage is rarely used in an intentional way, editors must make a conscious effort to eliminate it. Extreme cases are easy to avoid and most obvious. For example, a person experiencing mood swings and high levels of anxiety would not be referred to as a retard, or a psychotic. These are no-no terms. However, ableist language is often more subtle.
Consider the lame word. Bischoff used this example to illustrate the point. The speaker is saying that Nickelback is terrible or insipid or noisy. In this statement, lame was equated to one or more of these negative words.
Consider someone who is in a wheelchair. Is that a sign they are insipid, noisy, or horrible? But that could be the implication.
You are a thoughtful and kind person. People don’t necessarily read what your words mean, but what you have written or published is what they will read. Bischoff states, “Whatever we might have meant doesn’t really matter. The power of words is in how they are received.”
We are copy editors and represent all readers. Our job involves ensuring that our readers are able to access the information or entertainment value of a text without any problems. We must also be able see the text from the perspective of the reader, not just from the writer’s. This includes readers who are different from us.
You might think this is political correctness at its worst, or that people aren’t sensitive enough. Some people, regardless of their ability, aren’t easily offended. Avoiding ableist language doesn’t mean avoiding offense.
Bischoff states that these types of usages can affect how we see words. We silently suggest to our readers that mental and physical disorders can be avoided by using words such as crazy, insane and schizo.
When you see words like these in your editing, it is worth taking a moment to evaluate whether they are the right word. This little time can make a difference between demeaning a section of society and reinforcing what is true about people with disabilities: that they are just as normal as the rest.