MVUSD School Board Urges Use of “People-First” Language Regarding Student Disabilities

Words matter. And how we choose to use words to refer to students with special needs has a profound effect on how those students are viewed, by others and sometimes by themselves. At its regular meeting on June 16, the MVUSD School Board adopted a resolution urging the use of “people-first” language regarding students with special needs, such as “child with epilepsy” as opposed to "epileptic child." “We want our language to focus on the person first, not the special need,” explained School Board President Gary E. Baugh. “For example, we would never refer to a child with cancer as a ‘cancerous child.’ Why, then, do we use terms such as ‘autistic child’ or ‘special-need child’? When we put people first, those terms become ‘child with autism’ or ‘child with a special need.’” “The words and terms we use matter a great deal,” added School Board member Dr. Denise Fleming. “Our words, especially in an education setting, should model acceptance and respect. A special need is just one aspect of a person; it doesn’t define that person.” The resolution approved by the School Board also urges the state to use people-first terminology.