Vent: Stop saying "wheelchair bound" in your advocacy materials

I saw it three times in one brochure from a local disability group. We're not bound to anything, the chair gives us freedom to move. Has anyone else noticed how hard it is to get orgs to update their language?

2 comments

2 Comments

smith.blair22d ago

Wait, are you saying I shouldn't describe myself as "thrilled to be strapped to this hunk of metal"? Joking aside, yeah, it drives me nuts too. I have had people literally ask if I'm "stuck" in my chair like it's a trap or something. The whole "wheelchair bound" thing makes it sound like the chair is a cage, but for me it's the thing that lets me get groceries and see my friends. I think a lot of these orgs just write with old assumptions and nobody bothers to double check the language. It's exhausting to have to explain this over and over, but it matters.

ray_carr21d ago

The "cage" thing really hit home for me. I never thought of it that way before.