I have thought a lot about product labels this week in response to the American President’s proposal on trade tariffs. It’s clearly more important than ever to buy Made in Canada goods. While labels are helpful to make these decisions, they only tell you so much about a product. We learn where it is made and some of the ingredients, but there is much the label does not tell us. We don’t learn about the working conditions for those who make the product, the environmental impact of the manufacturing, or the product’s impact on our health.
The labelling of people is also on my mind these days as there seems to be a resurgence of powerful people using labels in ways that are hurtful and disrespectful. I thought the world had moved away from labeling people with disabilities to insult or disparage others. Apparently not.
The problem with “people” labels is they don’t tell us much about the person. Calling someone “disabled” is very different than calling someone a person with a disability. The emphasis on the word “person” invites us to learn about them, not just their disability but what makes them a person like us. Their hopes, their dreams, their contributions, their personality, and what is important to them in their daily life. It communicates: you are a person like me, you are important and you are unique.
The return of labels on people to be cruel or funny or to bully others is dangerous. Not only do we hurt someone, but we ignore and waste the abundance of capacity that resides in every person to contribute to society. That is why an organization like DDA spends a great deal of time working with every individual to develop a comprehensive understanding and plan for the whole person not just a label someone might place on them. We don’t put people in a box defined by a word. As captured in the DDA mission statement – we support and advocate for people with developmental disabilities as they strive to achieve their full potential as citizens.
We have a long way to go to educate people about the harmful effects of labeling people with disabilities. The DDA Board of Directors is in the early stages of developing a public awareness campaign to support our mission. We have done this in the past with a campaign called “Your Perception is Our Biggest Disability”. Sadly, it seems it is needed more now than ever.
