Today’s blog post comes from my friend and fellow SCBWI Wisconsin author Liza Wiemer. When I was interviewing Liza about her book The Assignment for a First Chapter Friday video an interesting topic came up. Ableist language. As a word nerd, teacher, parent and human who attempts kindness in all things, I am very aware of my words, but the way I use words in relation to abilities (or disabilities) was an area I hadn’t considered before. Thankfully, Liza changed that for me. Hopefully after you read her thoughts below with an open mind you’ll use this additional lens when considering your future word choices.

EVERY DAY I WAS USING HURTFUL LANGUAGE WITHOUT REALIZING IT. ARE YOU?

Have you heard the term, 'ableist language?' No? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. That’s why I am sharing this post. Once I learned about it, that knowledge had a huge impact on my writing and how I communicate with others.

The first time I was introduced to ‘ableist language' was in February, 2020. I saw a tweet that caught my attention. It had over a thousand likes and many, many comments. It talked about ableist language and how harmful and hurtful it is to people with disabilities. The person who wrote the tweets pleaded with people to stop using it. That was the beginning. I immediately did a Google search and found a lot of information.

Definition:
”Ableist language is language that is offensive to people with disability. It can also refer to language that is derogatory, abusive or negative about disability. Ableism is the systemic exclusion and oppression of people with disability, often expressed and reinforced through language.” - People With Disabilities (organization)

Words like lame, stupid, dumb, insane, psycho, blind are just a few that are on the ableist list. WOW! All of these words had been a part of my vocabulary and conversation.

This fantastic post helped me to discover more and there are many suggestions for alternatives that I found helpful. Once I learned about ableist language, I realized that I had to eliminate it from my novel, The Assignment. After all, The Assignment is about speaking up against injustices. Now that I was aware of ableist language and why it’s offensive, I wanted to eliminate it from the pages of my novel. Armed with information, I contacted my editor, Beverly Horowitz, and asked if I could still make changes. My novel was scheduled to go to the printers, and I wasn’t sure if the door had closed. Thankfully, I got in touch at the perfect time. I was given a short deadline. Due to previous commitments, I had about thirty-six hours to comb through my entire manuscript and submit alternatives that had to be approved. It wasn’t easy, but I have absolutely no regrets.

Language evolves. But it can’t be done in a vacuum. We need to make that happen!

One of the most common ableist language phrases that was in my novel was, “We stand with you.” Not at all surprising since The Assignment is about speaking up against hatred, bigotry, racism, antisemitism, and other forms of injustice. It’s a common phrase people use, one that I hear on a regular basis connected to social justice or when we want to give support to a cause or individual. You might be wondering why is “I stand with you” offensive? There are people who can’t stand. By using that phrase, even though it’s common in our culture, it isn’t inclusive.

I saw the following post on Facebook that really brought this message home for me.

This little boy couldn’t stop staring at a Target ad that showed a child in a wheelchair. Just like him. The mother’s response touched me deeply. It was the exclamation mark for my decision to eliminate ableist language in The Assignment.

This is how that decision altered my cover:

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So, I hope you’ll think about your own language. If you’re an educator like me, then you know that we have the ability to make a difference for our students. We can help language to evolve. Model for students by calling it out in the class discussions and on papers.. Discuss it in your classroom. With time, it will get easier and easier to substitute words and make those substitutes your nature, go-to language. If you’re like me, you’ll become super-aware of how often these terms are used in conversations. I’ve caught myself, corrected myself during conversations and even presentations. I’ve shared my journey with others, explaining why I’ve chosen to do better. Change is never easy. But our language must reflect our respect for our beautiful diverse world.

I hope you’ll join me in this effort.

Liza Wiemer is an award-winning educator with over twenty years of teaching experience. Her second young adult novel, The Assignment, published by Delacorte Press, Penguin Random House, has received multiple honors, including the Sydney Taylor Notable Award. In addition, Liza has published two adult nonfiction books, another young adult novel, and several short stories included in the New York Times bestselling Small Miracles series. A graduate of UW-Madison, Liza has two married sons and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her husband, Jim. Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. To learn more about the book The Assignment, click here. To listen to a first chapter read aloud of it (followed by the Word Nerd’s insightful interview with her, click here.

The Holocaust Education and Resource Center (HERC) is providing free sets of The Assignment to be utilized in schools with a curriculum guide. To inquire about this, please contact Executive Director, Samantha Abramson Samanthaa@milwaukeejewish.org.

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