Autistic Person-First Language

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Do you pay attention to how you phrase your sentences when talking about disabilities? Many people don't, but words are a powerful force and hold heavy meaning. Language has the ability to hurt or build trust, and utilizing it in the proper way to build meaningful relationships is important. When speaking about disabilities there are three stances most people hold: identity-first language, people-first language, or neutral. We're going to focus on the first two for now. Think about the following ways of discussing disability:

A disabled person or a person with a disability?
An autistic person or a person who has autism?
A blind man or a man who is blind?
Which one of these do you prefer using? The first one in each list is an identity-first approach, while the second is person-first language. Within the professional world, especially mental health fields, there has long been a push for the latter under the belief that it emphasizes the humanity of a person. The CDC has recommended this as well and offers a quick reference with examples of people-first language versus language to avoid. However, not everyone agrees with this.
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There are a variety of reasons for this, but the debate isn't quite as clear-cut as that. There are valid arguments for both sides and a clear moral to the debate regardless of your personal preference. In this post, I will explore each side of the debate, my personal preference, and the most important aspect of communication regardless of which position you