Maybe we should look at the historical context for the words and realize that it wasn’t long ago that we as a province committed some pretty horrific injustices against people with developmental disabilities. The term itself is just a word but it was a word used to dehumanize a segment of the population and in doing so made people more likely to feel worse about themselves. As with any word it is only a word without any real power but the history and the attitudes behind the word and how the impacted group feels about it makes me think that I don’t need to use it.
I would rather my kid not make another kid feel bad on the playground so perhaps I should apply the same philosophy to my own life.
Also we should still treat people with disabilities better regardless of what words you decide to use.
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