Girl with the Toe Thumbs

Something that has been ingrained in me since college was the concept of using person first language.  To not label someone by their disability, but to see them as a person first.  If someone had autism you wouldn't refer to them as autistic, but someone who has autism.  Language is powerful and is something that can really hurt people.  I think that lack of education and awareness has made it okay for some people to label people by their disabilities or use the "r" word.  I am thankful for organizations like Spread the Word to End the Word and for people who have different disabilities speaking up and making their voice heard.  If I were to be labeled by my oddly shaped thumbs, that many friends and family call my toe thumbs, I may be called toe thumb girl.  However odd and funny they may be, I would not prefer to be labeled by them and would not want others to see me in that way only.  We are doing an injustice to people when we identify them only by their disability.  I encourage you to try and use person first language and to encourage others to use it too.