Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!mintaka!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!260!204!Ann.Parsons From: Ann.Parsons@f204.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Ann Parsons) Newsgroups: misc.handicap Subject: Re: Terminology Message-ID: <13736@bunker.UUCP> Date: 28 Aug 90 01:01:25 GMT Sender: wtm@bunker.UUCP Reply-To: Ann.Parsons@f204.n260.z1.fidonet.org Distribution: misc Organization: FidoNet node 1:260/204 - Flower City Central, Chili NY Lines: 61 Approved: wtm@bunker.UUCP Index Number: 10019 Hi Adrienne, I was interested to see your reprinted article because of something that happened to me while I was on my recent trip to Europe. I left a friend on the patio of the hotel in which we were staying to go seek my room mate, in order to ask her if she'd like to have icecream with us. As I made my way across to the stairway, one of my fellow chorus members accosted me. "Ann, where is your girl?" "My what?!" I replied. "Your girl. I just saw her out there with you five minutes ago. Where is she?" I was so angry that if my cane had been a sword I am sure that I would have run him through on the spot! As it was, I held onto my cane and said "Oh, don't say any more." I made my way to the stairway and my chorister friend followed me. "Ann, can I put you on the elevator?" he said. I had had enough, I confess. I turned to him and said, "Excuse me, but I am a person not a package." Which brings me to terminology. I think that sometimes we are overly concerned about nouns when we should pay attention to verbs too. All of you know what I mean. there is a deffinite difference between the following questions. "Can I take you to the bathroom?" "Can I go with you to the lady's room?" "Can I put you on the elevator?" "Can I give you a hand with the elevator? Or, Hey Ann, are you going to take the elevator or do you want exercise?" Many people speak of taking a blind person someplace. This is demeaning in my view. It implies that the person you are with has no other function then to assist you. On the other hand the use of the verbs "go with" or "walk with" imply the sighted person is with a person who has other qualities then that of needing. Think about it folks. We need to retrain the able bodied to use the proper verbs as well as the proper nouns. As a finish to the above anicdote, my friend Sue, "my girl", and I have vowed to come to the reunion of the chorus from the European trip dressed in costume. I am coming as a victorian lady with a lorniette and Sue is coming as my maid. I don't think we'll ever stop laughing about this. Ann P. -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!260!204!Ann.Parsons Internet: Ann.Parsons@f204.n260.z1.fidonet.org