The Feb. 23 story, “Putting the person first,” was excellent. The movement toward the careful and respectful use of language for people with disabilities is extremely important. As the article pointed out, “How you speak influences how you think and vice versa.”
I strongly advocate for this kind of language when talking about homelessness or poverty. Thus, instead of saying “the homeless,” which sounds like a large group of people who are alike and who are a problem, we say “persons experiencing homelessness.” Likewise, “the poor” becomes “people experiencing poverty.” Each person who is homeless is a person first and is unique from every other person who is homeless.
With the use of just one or two additional words we can be respectful in language and thought.
Donna Howard
Duluth
The writer is a member of the Loaves and Fishes Community.
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