I thought we were past the pitying language of disability "confined to" "limited by" "visionless" "crippled" etc. Well, What do I end up running across? An announcement about a rehabilitation institute which now has a wheelchaire capable of climing stairs. What bothered me was the little snippit I saw:

Institute for Rehabilitation Offers 'Stair-Climbing' Wheelchair

For most people confined to wheelchairs, elevators and ramps are essential to daily travel. Everyday tasks such as reaching a high shelf, grocery shopping,
or even talking to people face to face is sometimes impossible or requires assistance. But with the new INDEPENDENCE(r) iBOT(r) 4000 Mobility System, now
offered to patients with mobility impairments at the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation (BIR), life in a wheelchair may become a little easier.

This is probably a wonderful piece of technology. I don't doubt that it could make things easier. But it bothers me that a rehab institute would still use the term confined. I understand that thit can feel this way at times. But it makes me wonder, how do they feel about their clients? Are they really helping their customers have a positive self image if they use this language.

I wish that more places that help people with disabilities would start trying to project the positive images of disability to the media. How can we ever get the media to tackle the prejudices toward our disabilities if the institutes and centers that supposedly work for us don't project that positive image? I didn't know one word could tick me off so much, but it does. I don't think I know anyone who is confined by their wheelchair. They do everything I do, just differently. And using an elevator or ramp isn't all bad. What about making places more accessible to people with or without disabilities? Why should a person have to look forever to find the elevator?

Okay, I'm done. I just had to vent.

Hugs!
Nickie,