Although the Person First Respectful Modernizaion Act of 2006 has been put into place nearly 10 years ago, the majority of the population here in the US has yet to recognize respectful language for everyone. When you use "Person First language", this puts the person before the disability. If I broke my arm, I wouldn't expect to be referred to as "broken arm Valerie", and a child with autism should not be referred to as the "autistic child". We should recognize individuals as just what they are- people, not their disability. I think as OTs and OT students is important for us to be examples in using Person First Language and to educate the general public on exactly what it is and how it plays an effect on our society.
Resources:
Person First Language: Guidelines. (2006, July). Retrieved April 14, 2017, from https://odr.dc.gov/page/people-first-language
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