I just had to share with you what happened! I've known about People First Language [PFL] for awhile, and had read your article before. When I watch the news, it can be like nails on the chalkboard when they do stories about people with disabilities. Last night, I went on the website of my favorite local news station to see if our mountain was on fire because we had a ton of smoke in the air. While I was on the site, on a whim, I Emailed my favorite anchor and asked her to practice PFL when she reported. She replied, and was a tiny bit defensive, but promised to make the change. So this morning she reported on an abuse case "involving a 12-year-old boy who has autism." I kinda' shed a little tear—it's a tiny victory, but was music to my ears!

A few days later, another message from Lisa arrived, as follows:

Now everyone at this station seems to be doing better! The evening news featured three stories about children with autism and all the reporters used People First Language—my husband and I were screaming with joy at the TV—what a great day!

Lisa, New Mexico Partners In Policymaking