Diversity in our Diversity
My friend from college, Shulamit Levine-Helleman, points out that different communities (and individuals) may have different preferences. Shulamit says, “being autistic is part of who I am, not something I have, so I say I am autistic. My physical difficulties, on the other hand, are not an intrinsic part of my identity, and what is disabling is not my physical condition but the barriers placed by society, so I say I have a disability. We should respect the preferences of the individual, not impose person first language in all cases.” We humans really want to be right. But which way is RIGHT? Well, that depends!
I was taught to use “differently-abled” for anyone with a disability. That was the RIGHT WAY. (You know you are about to get into trouble whenever you think you know the one “right way.”) And then folks told me that they get to choose what they want to be called, and “differently-abled” isn’t it! Part of this work is dealing with the messiness and evolving language. I’m still growing into using “they/them” language and “queer” since I came of age back in the days of “wimmin” and “lesbian” Lol. Alex Haider-Winnett, Radical Copy-editor, has this fabulous comic about exactly this: https://radicalcopyeditor.com/…/person-centered-language/
Rev Maureen Killoran points out that [her grandkids] “exclusion is not from the language of “listening/hearing” but from the exclusive assumptions that shape our hearing world.” and Rev Michael Tino points out, “metaphors often shape those assumptions, so we need to use them carefully.”
Attending to Language as Transformative Prayer
Usually it is easy to switch to more inclusive language. And I love the thrill it gives me when I feel that sense of expansiveness…when I pause to notice the way I use language about bodies it invites me to be inclusive of the actual humans before me. It is a type of praying…From Words to Action
Does your ritual have a way for hearing impaired folks to hear you? Does your worship circle have an opening for people who use scooters or wheelchairs? Have you checked in with your neurodivergent folks to find out if the singing bowl will be painful to them? Is there a scent-free area? Slowing down long enough to rewrite your prayer or song or speaking part can be a powerful way to turn thought into awareness and awareness into action. And ultimately, inclusive action is how we remove the disabling barriers and create the beloved community.
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