Excuse my ignorance, but what the hell is an invalid?
Firstly, apologies for the tone of this but I’m annoyed. Trust vernacular to bring me back from blogging oblivion.
Now, call me what you like, but when I last checked, the dictionary definition for the word ‘invalid’ read something like this:
invalid 2 |inˈvalid| |1nˈvøləd| |ɪnˈvalɪd|
adjective
not valid, in particular
• (esp. of an official document or procedure) not legally recognized and therefore void because contravening a regulation or law : the vote was declared invalid due to a technicality.
So why the hell are people with impairments still being described in such insulting, archaic language? There’s a headline over at stuff.co.nz at the moment which reads, “Invalid attacked in Christchurch”, and it just makes me really angry that journalists can still use such disgustingly disempowering language.
Are they still calling blacks ‘negroes’ and gays ‘faggots’, too?
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Are we living in the f***ing middle ages??!!
The beauty of the english language is the same word can mean many things. You are perhaps describing the word when it is used as an adjective. The same word as a noun means either "a disabled chronically ill person" or "dismiss from active service because of illness, etc". At least that is the way I think it works, it was a long time since I was at school. Your same point could also apply to the word disabled.
I use the word 'diffabled', from 'differently-abled', which is what I am, and you are.
So use diffabled – at least by using the term you put a more positive spin on things. I ain't 'dis-abled', merely 'differently-abled'.
I use disAbled, as you can see Chris the 'dis' is littler case then the 'Abled' it highlights the word 'Abled' more, but like your idea to.
Hey, Red,
re the word 'Invalid' – what's always bothered me is the famous 'Invalid's Benefit'…
Honor K.
Chris, be PROUD being disabled as there is nothing wrong having a disability!!
@ Cassi
Good idea, but I think my suggestion moves the focus away from a 'dis' (meaning loss – think, disrespect, dishonour, disobey, disability, disinterested, disloyal, disoblige, displease, etc) and towards the 'diff' of differently, which places a, well, different spin on things.
What's different? The noun following – which in this case is 'ability', hence, diff-abled.
@ Matt
Nothing at all, and I hope you're PROUD enough to correct people's assumptions when they use the word 'disabled' – which is what I am driving at with diff-abled.
heya Red,
i work in MH and I do workshops on stigma and discrimination around people who experience mental illness. I talk about the in valid benefit and how society does not value people who are different than the so called norm, then I tell them that 70% of all creative thought in the world comes from people with bi-polar disorder and that they need us mad buggers.
i am aware that invalid does mean chronically ill, but you can you guess what came first, language grows around it’s use and will change it meanings over time. great example of that is Gay, when I was young, it meant happy and bright, now you have to be careful who you describe as Gay because some people don’t appreciate it.
Sorry Red,
just did the poll, I prefer something else, people with disabilities, or a person with experience of xxxxx.
Importance of this, is that the person comes before the disability, we are people first no matter what and I would everyone to remember it.
Barbz – you have it in a nutshell!
We are people———- who happen to have a disability.
Those who are able bodied expect to be referred to as people. So should we.
I am a person who has a disability.