“(Language) is evolving because people with disabilities are being
heard and are showing people a different way,” Kolp says.

With this evolution comes person-first language, a form of
speaking that puts a person before their diagnosis or disability.

“A person with autism” is an example of person-first language.

“I always tell people to air on the side of caution, and person-first
language is the way to do it. You aren’t putting the disability
first, you are putting the personhood first, because we are peo-
ple. We are defined by more than our disability, so putting it out
front, I think focuses too much on the disability and not enough
on the person,” says Ian Watlington, a senior disability advocacy
specialist for the National Disability Rights Network.

As a person with a disability, one of Watlington’s main focuses
throughout his years at NDRN has been awareness training and
language-based training in the D.C. community. He says that shifts
in language can help with normalization within the community and
help people with disabilities to become more visible in mainstream
society. “Now people [with disabilities] are your colleagues, or your
community members or your neighbors,” he says. “I think as
our visibility is increased, our ability to shape the language has
increased. But I also think the language has increased our visibility.”
Identity-First Language
“(Terminology) is highly individualized, and we go back to the
person and how they like to refer to themselves,” says Kolp.

With identity-first language—for example, “autistic person”—
the comfort level of being able to choose your labels and take pride
in what makes you who you are is added. That differs from the
concept of person-first language, in which the speaker makes the
decision. But the conversation around language isn’t over yet.Watlington,
a long-serving outspoken advocate in the community, says he
experiences discrimination when it comes to his disability. “I still
deal with condescension and people treating me like a child, or not
treating me as equal, and I can tell by their language and by their
voice. There is still a lot of that to get beyond,” he says.

However, Watlington recognizes the strides the community
has made in shaping their language and hopes they continue the
progress in years to come. T
Editor’s Note: For years, we called our monthly column about
families living with disability “Your Special Child” because that was
the most accepted language at the time that column started. But
we know that language has evolved beyond that title, and we are
considering new names. If you have a suggestion, please email us at
editor@washingtonfamily.com. However, while person-first language has formed into the stan-
dard, both Watlington and Kolp say that there is a new wave of
language forming: identity-first language.

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