New Zealand Rehabilitation Association, Inc.

I met a lovely group of strapping young lads at a seminar recently who were espousing the virtues of their support group ‘Q-topia – a queer friendly social group’. It occurred to me that we had something in common, something black people who call themselves ‘niggers’ also share – an adoption of what was, and in some cases still is, a derogatory term. I myself am in the ‘crip’ camp, and really have no problem saying so. However, although we may own our labels, if someone were to come up to me off the street with no visible disability and say ‘hey crip…’, I might be a touch offended. By the same token, I’m sure if I went over to America and said to an African American, ‘excuse me 'nigger', can you pass me that salt shaker?’, I may end up with one or two missing body parts.

Why is it that minority groups own some words, and not others? In the same vein, I’ve given a great deal of thought to the way society has placed labels on various people, and how words have sculpted the way we engage with people on a day to day basis. People have told me on many occasions that had they known beforehand that I was ‘disabled’, they may not have wanted to either date me, or employ me. So strong are our associations with words, it begs the question, perhaps we need to be doing more to break down these stigmas attached to our little nest box of descriptive words.

It also occurred to me, after listening to a presentation for a research methods paper I completed earlier this year, I needed to question what was happening at the ground level. Kaupapa Maori research came about as a result of Maori themselves being fed up with research being done about them with no ensuing benefits for them. The results of research on Maori provided fodder for the media and other influential parties that further reinforced the stereotype of the poor, alcoholic, social misfit Maori. Now the prevailing thought is that Maori need to be involved at the grass roots level as the researchers, able to choose the topics to research and the way that research is conducted.

After that paper I decided it was no longer acceptable to lie on one's belly and have it scratched by academics as one dribbled in an ignorant state of mental stupor. Disabled people need to exercise some control over what is said and what is researched. I felt disheartened as I waded through journal articles that, time and again, were permeated with the stench of authority on how life is for those with disabilities – expressed by those without. 

I could be wrong but last time I checked I wasn’t unemployed, in pain, sexually frustrated from a lack of interested parties, and clinically depressed, and neither are most of the other disabled people I know.  And what scares me is that it is these journal articles that, in many cases, inform policy and influence media. Deep breaths.

So here I am, a hypocrite of sorts, as I embrace my ‘crip’ badge in one hand, and dismiss other terminology in the other, knowing full well I do not subscribe to societies interpretation of ‘disabled’, ‘handicapped’ or ‘invalid’ labels being placed upon me. So while I may fight against those words, perhaps it isn’t the words I should revolt against, but the ongoing virulent diatribe feeding into the demeaning making machine behind the words.