Letter

Today I filled out a medical form for Courtney to participate in a certain therapy. I was surprised that the form (in several places) said, "the Down Syndrome child", or similar wording.
Person First
When we state the person first, we acknowledge that they are people just like we are. They may have conditions that make them unique (just like anyone), but they are still people. The above statement SHOULD have said "the child with Down Syndrome".
Other Examples:
Good: My friend Sara who has Down Syndrome
Bad: My Down Syndrome friend, Sara
Good: The girl with Down Syndrome
Bad: The Down Syndrome girl
Good: People with Down Syndrome
Bad: Down Syndrome people
Good: My sister has Down Syndrome
Bad: My Down Syndrome sister
Good: She has a child with Down Syndrome
Bad: She has a Down Syndrome child
This goes for all people. It is offensive to talk about anyone using their disability first. Instead, think of them as people first who have a disability. I wouldn't say my paralyzed friend-instead I would say, my friend who is paralyzed.

So what did I do? I wrote a very polite letter informing the organization about how the form could be improved and I will include it with my paperwork when I turn it in.

Just something to be aware of and for you to teach your children about.

The BSA has a great merit badge that has a little book that talks about this concept. I thought that their explanation of things was very well written. It was a good resource for me.