Friday, June 20, 2014

Join The Lexicon Project!

There is something I would like to add to the Disability Thinking Blog, and I’d like some help with it.

One of my favorite blogs for general political discussion, from a particular point of view (generally liberal / progressive), has a three-part “Lexicon”, which gives funny, insightful “definitions” for all sorts of formal and informal terms related to politics, and particularly how politics are discussed on the Internet. You can check them out at these links:

Balloon Juice Lexicon:
What I have in mind is a similar Lexicon for disability-related issues, culture, and Internet discourse. Here are some of the terms I'd like to start with:

Disability Lexicon
Ableism / Disableism
People First Language
Spoon Theory / Spoonie
Handicapped
Differently-Abled
Appropriation / Appropriative
Intersectionality
Medical Model
Social Model
Reasonable Accommodation
Accessibility
Universal Design
Autism Speaks
Neurotypical
Intellectual Disability
Retarded
Advocacy
Center for Independent Living
Assisted Living
Olmstead
ADA / Americans with Disabilities Act
Nursing Home
Home Care
Personal Assistance Services
Sheltered Workshop
Supported Employment
Developmental Disability / Developmentally Disabled
Special Needs
IEP / Individualized Education Plan
Special Education
Vocational Rehabilitation
Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Assistive Technology
Devotee
Microaggression
Stimming

I’d like it if all the definitions could have a somewhat humorous, sarcastic tone, but also be more or less accurate. Or, at least accurate from a more or less “social model”, “crip culture” perspective. For that reason, I have mostly left out disability types, since I can’t really think of any sarcastic things to say about them at the moment.

Would anyone like to take a stab at any of these definitions? Would this even work? Should use a different approach … maybe straightforward, without sarcasm?

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