Erin McElhone: The Language of Special Education

Words change meaning throughout time, what might have been perfectly acceptable to publish in a newspaper in the past, will cause major controversy today. Many are aware of the difficulty of vocabulary when publishing an article about race and ethnicity; reporters want to avoid stereotypes and offensive terms, while providing words that the general public will still know the meaning of. While reporters are pushing forward in racial and ethnicity vocabulary there are other areas that need special attention. When reporting on special education, it is inevitable to run into questions about referring to students with disabilities and to the disabilities themselves. Fortunately the National Center on Disability and Journalism has created a style guide to prevent the reporters from putting someone in a category they don't belong in. For example there really is only one definition of blindness, other terms include legally blind, limited vision, low vision, partially sighted, and visually impaired. It is recommended for a reporter to ask the person what adjective they prefer whenever possible. Beyond accuracy reporters want to be inclusive with their audience. There's a danger of defining people by what they can't do when you use improper vocabulary, implying that somehow that person is suffering or living a reduced quality of life. With the updated style guide for those that are seeking the appropriate and accurate language to use when writing or talking about people living with disabilities, this problem should lessen in the coming years. However, with language constantly evolving nobody can predict what slang words will appear, what words will become insults, and what new vocabulary will present itself for this specific situation.

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