Good day! I gave a staff training yesterday on "behavior is communication," and used your "What's a 'Behavior'?" article. I personally enjoyed the article and felt I had to share it with my staff. We took turns reading a paragraph and it was a great opening for the training. I also used it to close the training. As a result of your article, I've instructed staff to no longer say, "He had a behavior," but to say instead, "He was trying to communicate something." Your article was very concrete, informative, and brief (which is great for my staff). Everyone was able to understand it and relate to it. Thank you, and keep your beautiful words of wisdom coming!
Lauren Donato
Applied Behavioral Science Specialist
Young Adult Institute
National Institute for People with Disabilities
Brooklyn Regional Psychologist |
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Click on the titles below to open the PDF versions of the articles. If you use a screenreader and need access to plain text versions of the articles, please call us toll-free at 1-866-948-2222 and tell us which article(s) you need.
Independence Day
Isn't it time for Independence Day to have meaning for the millions of adults and children with disabilities in our country? Perhaps it will when we follow in the footsteps of our forefathers . . .
Activity-Based Goals = Success
What types of goals are we writing for children and adults with disabilities? Are they meaningful and relevant? Do they represent real-life activities that are truly beneficial to the person? And does the person who is supposed to achieve those goals know what his/her goals are? Imagine the possibilities for success when we use common sense to write goals!
Redefining Disability
What is a disability? Is it really the defining characteristic about a person or a collection of social constructs we've created? Oh, how things can change when we see things differently.
People First Language
That old "sticks and stones" saying is wrong: words are powerful and they can hurt! Other civil rights movements generated positive changes in language and attitudes; the Disability Rights Movement is doing the same, beginning with People First Language. (This is the original four-page version with examples.)
A Few Words About People First Language
This "short" (one-page) version includes the basics, along with a chart of examples.
People First Language Chart
These examples of People First Language are helpful reminders of more accurate and respectful language to use when describing individuals who happen to have disabilities.
People First Language/Spanish
This is a translation of the 4-page "original" article; it's from 2005, so it's not the 2009 version, but it includes the same important lessons. (Note: If anyone would like to volunteer to translate the 2009 version, please click here to contact me.)
People First Language/Russian
This is a translation of the 4-page "original" article, and it was provided by Sue Fox, Real Choice Project Director, Institute on Disability, University of New Hampshire. Sue recently did a self-advocacy training in Belarus. She shared the English version of the article during the training, and some good folks there translated it into Russian! Sue added, "The discussion on values and People First Language had a huge impact and one participant said he planned to change the name of his agency, currently called The Society for the Handicapped."
Presume Competence: Challenging Conventional Wisdom About People with Disabilities
In our judicial system, a person is presumed innocent. Similarly, in every day life, people are presumed competent. But millions of children and adults are routinely presumed to be incompetent, on the basis of disability! It's time to end this prejudicial practice, once and for all.
What's a "Behavior"?
"He had a 'behavior'," is heard far too often today. What are we really saying, and what's the person with a disability trying to tell us with his behavior?
The Case Against "Special Needs"
Like other words in Disability World, this term is so commonly used we seldom think about what it means. Have you considered that it promotes pity, negative attitudes, and segregation? It's time to throw this descriptor into the junk heap!
Inclusion: The Natural State
Inclusion is not a right that must be earned; it is the natural state, for every person is born included! So why are so many people with disabilities still segregated? Imagine the possibilities when a belief in inclusion is our highest operating principle.
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