Is O M G.. offensive

Thank you. A perfect answer. xx

Like Ronald, I have spent most of my career as an advocate for disabled people. Part of that job has always been to educate.

Iā€™ve learned that people who have no regard for others are usually not people that I wish to spend my time with.

So, Iā€™ll go back to making mosaics.

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Please donā€™t shoot the messenger !
I am merely conveying, quite accurately , what is happening out there in the area of disability and access. This is a pan-disability approach, which has involved many access and other institutions, disabled charities, disabled working groups and countless disabled people, many of them internationally.

It is society who will judge people ultimately, just as in the areas of race, colour, creed, sexism, ageism, etc.

I have no powers to stop anyone doing anything, let alone stop people using terms which might be considered derogatory or less sensitive to others. Only the law can change that. Some people might cause offence without realising it, but it is even more important that managers and their employees have an understanding of the approach to Equality, otherwise it could backfire on them.

There are several terms and phrases now considered unlawful, which were used in the common English language, a relatively few years ago. So the ā€œfreedom of speechā€ is already limited to a degree, and will become more limited over time.

I totally agree that the tonality of voice of course, can offend, as can use of certain types of body language when dealing with people. This is where training of staff and employees becomes so important, whether you are a receptionist, or a solicitor.

How many craft fair organisers have actually had formal training in disability awareness ? Very few, if at all. And it shows, with some problems occurring in events that I, and others have attended.

It has to be said there are some disabled people who donā€™t care either way about how they are referred to or their rights, but they are in the minority.

The way forward, is to have discussions and blogs and threads exactly like these, to see what others think, and then perhaps spend a bit of time engaging with a wide range of disabled people to seek a proportionate view. Also to read up on the approach by the major disabled charities like Action on Hearing Loss, RNIB, Guide Dogs, CAE, etc, all these and more are on the Web.

Hope this helps.

3 Likes

And in my opinion, this is a bad thing. It is not the words, it is the intent, and the physical access that needs addressing (and not just so a wheelchair can get in somewhere).

Iā€™m trying not to shoot the messenger :slight_smile: The example given by Kim May above is not in the same league as raising ones voice to patronise someone with cerebral palsy for example. Absolutely people should appreciate how their behaviour towards others can have an impact and might be taken as offensive - but not to the extent of changing the meaning of words, or moving a word in a sentence to make it ā€œless offensiveā€ to some other people.

Iā€™m going back to my book of Shakesperean insults :wink: