Client Centered Disability Referencing Language
When developing a client-centered practice, it is important to consider the language one uses when referring to clients with disabilities. Language is a very powerful tool that if not used carefully can perpetuate stereotypes and limit a client's identity to that of their disability. So how do we as health professionals use language effectively when working with clients with disabilities? There are many ways we can do this, but here are a few ideas to put into practice. Use person first language. Have you ever heard a medical personal use language referring to a patient by their disability? For example a nurse may inform her colleague that she has an autistic kid in room one and a broken leg in room two. Rather than putting the emphasis on a patient's functional limitations, she should instead say she has a patient with autism in room one and a patient with a broken leg in room two. This person-first language humanizes people with disabilities rather than labeling th