I just found out about this, and I wish I had known earlier to post this. But I found out from Knowledge Safari that yesterday was End The R-Word Day.
To be honest, I never really thought of banning the word. Of course it’s not a word I use, and it does irk me when I hear people say it. Of course they don’t have the same connotation as I do. People throw out the r-word like it’s the same as “dumb” and “stupid”. And it kind of is. But, like it says on their website, our language frames how we think about others. Isn’t that the truth. So why not…let’s ban this word! Does it have any importance? Isn’t there a more respectful way to say the same thing?
This is food for thought for me. What do you think?
Have you ever thought about the impact labels have on society? I think they can be very powerful, in so many capacities. One type of label I never thought about before I had Emma, was labels for children with special needs. To be honest, even after Emma received her diagnoses, I didn’t realize the impact labels would have on her and on us. And frankly, we use them for good and for bad. Yes, I have taken advantage of labels because I feel like that’s the compromise that we can give. For example, those special seats for people with disabilities? We’ve sat in them. In fact, we had 2nd row seats to the Wiggles Concert (aren’t you jealous?) because I purchased seats reserved for those with disabilities. My daughter has a visual impairment…I WILL use those seats, thank you. My daughter was wearing a half-body cast (I’ll tell you that story another post), floor seats work out perfectly, thank you. And in my head I’m always thinking about how we can get to the front of the lines at Disneyland!!
And then there are the labels that precede the child. I know this from 1) being a teacher and 2) being the parent of a child with special needs. Before teachers ever meet the students, they have their file that lists every disability the child may or may not have. There was a point where I thought the more labels she had, the worse off we were. Of course no one wants their child to be labeled negatively, but again it’s how you use those labels. Finding the “opportunity” in every label can be important to your child’s success and opportunities given to them. For example, when applying for the Department of Developmental Disabilities, I had to surrender all sorts of paperwork “proving” Emma’s labels. And do you know what that got her? PT (Physical Therapy), OT (Occupational Therapy), and Speech provided by therapists that come to the house. It also qualified her for Respite and Habilitation hours, which are fancy ways of saying “babysitter”. A good friend of mine told me early on that with every diagnosis she receives, she can potentially receive more help and therapy to aide her progression. I have tried to look at it from that light ever since.
There is another way of looking at labels that has changed for me. I don’t have a special needs daughter…I have a daughter with special needs. Emma’s special needs don’t define who she is. Yes, they are a part of her, but there are so many facets to my little Emma! Did you see the video of her dancing in ballet? She’s a natural! Okay, maybe not quite yet, but you can see how much she loves it! Other things that Emma loves include reading books, her dogs, and her family. She loves to run and laugh and play with her friends at school. Do people know she has special needs? Yes, once they spend some time with her. But her labels don’t need to precede her in life…in my view that puts limitations on her. I don’t want her to think she has limitations, or that she can’t do whatever she wants to do.
I will get off my soap box now. Was I on a soap box? My goal in this is to encourage and uplift parents of kids with special needs. It’s not doom and gloom and if we can see things in a different light, it’s not all that bad!
I want to hear from you…how have YOU been impacted by labels?
