The Power of Words: Person-First Language

Imagine how frustrating and demeaning it would be to constantly be referred to as a diagnosis or physical characteristic you've ever had, such as "chicken pox boy" or "gap-tooth girl." While the chicken pox and the gap between your teeth are usually temporary (thank goodness for itch cream and braces), think of the various diagnoses and physical traits that are not.  How would it feel to be described solely based on them on a daily basis with no relief?  During my undergraduate career, the importance of person-first language was lectured on frequently.  At times, many of my classmates and I would wonder why we spent numerous days on such a simple concept.  It wasn't until I put myself in their shoes and truly considered how belittling it would be to only be known for my diagnosis or physical trait that I fully understood the importance of person-first language.  Person-first language is simply taking the time to rearrange statements like "down syndrome girl" to "the girl with down syndrome."  By putting the diagnosis in a sentence before the person, you define him/her solely based on the diagnosis when in reality that is only one small part of who he/she is as an individual.  Our words carry much more weight than we realize.  All it takes to solve this problem is taking a couple extra seconds before speaking to consider the power behind your words.  As an occupational therapy student and future OT, it is my privilege and responsibility to effectively advocate for my future clients.  This advocacy can take place on a small scale when I am simply practicing what I preach.  It can also take place on a larger scale as I do my best to inform others by word of mouth or by laying it all out in a blog post 😀. It's my hope that I have done so in an easily understood way for everyone taking a look at my blog. 

Thanks for reading!