3 WAYS TO LISTEN
1. Click the icon on the right to listen to the full article.
2. Right-click here and “save as” or “save link as” to save an mp3 of the article to your computer.
3. Listen to sections of the article by pressing the play buttons that appear before a set of words in the article below (coming soon).
What Labels Should We Use?
Mariana López
BEFORE YOU READ:
1. Read the box on the right. What are the different ways of describing people? What do you think about them?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using labels to describe people?
All Kinds of People
For all of human history, there have been all kinds of people. Humans are very diverse. Some people can move their bodies very well. Others cannot move as fully. Some people have access to all five senses. Others may not be able to hear or see very well. Some people learn best one way. Others learn best a different way.
All Are Able
The problem comes when we label people as disabled. That’s a mistake. All people are able in some way! People with disabilities can do so many different things! They may not be able to do all the things that other people can do, or they may do them in a different way, but they are still able!
Access and Respect for All
People with disabilities struggle because society discriminates against them. Our buildings and sidewalks are not accessible. Schools and workplaces are not set up for people with different abilities. Sometimes, people with disabilities are treated like children, and are not given respect.
If you label someone as “disabled,” you reduce that person to their disability. People with disabilities are so much more than their condition. They deserve to be treated as what they are: a person, a human being who is able to do as many things!
AFTER YOU READ:
1. What argument is the author making? How does she make her case?
2. For another perspective, read the article on pp. 3- 4, where the two writers have different preferences for how they use the word disabled.
3. How would you describe your identity?
Mariana López is a student at Ysleta Community Learning Center in El Paso, Texas. She likes helping other people. She was raised Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.