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Person Before Disability

They are people with disabilities, not disabled people.

Sophie Rudloff

Jul 26, 2018

The Ohio State University

1202

Sophie Rudloff

PALS Cleveland

This is my friend Emma.

Emma loves to swim and is amazing at it.

She loves boys and hopes to one day get married.

She is a wonderful and considerate friend.

She is a very talented artist.

She also has Down Syndrome.

Sophie Rudloff

This is my friend Sa'vian.

Sa'vian loves to have his feet tickled.

He only likes the fried parts of chicken nuggets.

He is very naturally athletic and good at all sports.

He is kind and has a very contagious smile.

He also has Autism.

Sophie Rudloff

This is my friend Benny.

Benny has the best sense of humor.

He absolutely loves to sing and dance.

He radiates positive energy.

He always makes sure to greet someone with a smile.

He also has Spina Bifida.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of person-first language when it comes to discussing individuals with disabilities. It is pretty self-explanatory; they are people first. They are not their disability. They are artists, comedians, friends, performers, and athletes. They get heartbroken, excited, happy, enthusiastic and sad. Their disability is simply a part of them, but it does not define who they are as people.

If you were to go back and reread this article without the pictures, would you be able to tell my friends had disabilities before I mentioned it?

The answer is no.

Why? Because they are people first.

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Person Before Disability

They are people with disabilities, not disabled people.

This is my friend Emma.

She also has Down Syndrome.

This is my friend Sa'vian.

He also has Autism.

This is my friend Benny.

He also has Spina Bifida.

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No one best represents the struggle like our favorite 90s squad.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

2. When there is only one section of a popular course.

3. Receiving the 18,000 emails reminding you to register ASAP.

4. When you need to see an advisor, but they are too busy/unresponsive.

5. Trying not to dress like a bum for your appointments with your advisors/department heads.

6. When you have a perfectly planned out schedule, and one class ruins it.

7. Carefully moving things around to accommodate a different class/section.

8. Waking up at 6:00 a.m. for your enrollment time.

9. Concocting a new schedule at your enrollment time after your original plan gets changed.

10. Getting into a class and filling the last available seat.

11. When all of your classes finally go through.

12. Realizing that you forgot a class that was a pre-requisite for everything else.

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

"Nobody living in one of the most influential nations in the world should be worried about making ends meet."

What is the current minimum wage at the federal level?

What are the benefits of raising the minimum wage?

What are the states that have set a $15/hour minimum wage?

Told through Parks & Recreation GIFs

Because who understands your bitterness better than April?

1. When you have to provide an "interesting fact" for your first day ice-breaker.

2. When your professor is babbling on and on in his lecture.

3. When you edit your friend's paper and they get an A.

4. When it's 2 AM and you remember you have a test tomorrow.

5. When you finish taking the test and you're pretty sure you failed...

6. ...but then you get the test back and somehow passed.

7. When you've been up for 12 hours straight writing a paper.

8. And then you manage to stay awake in class the next day.

9. When you have to butter up your professor for an extra credit opportunity.

10. When you're assigned a group project.

11. And your group-mates are trying to chat about life instead of the assignment.

12. When it's your last class of the day and you're about to go home.

13. But then you remember rent is due tonight and the anger comes back.

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