[games_access] disability or limitation?

Tue Nov 3 13:10:51 EST 2009

Agreed, Steve.  I'd like to see more emphasis put on self-esteem (and equally the perception of others... the selfless-esteem), and less emphasis on the label (as long as it's not completely inappropriate).

On the other hand, we use the term "disabled" universally.  So, a person without a leg is "disabled" just as a person with minimal brain function is "disabled".  Why don't we just say "the legless man/woman"?  We don't say "John is a diseased person" and lump all diseases together (which can personal and uncomfortable topic in and of itself).  We say "John has cancer/AIDS/arthritis" etc.  What are the social limitations imposed by this concept?  Does it offer a silver lining?

I suppose I don't recall calling blind or deaf people "disabled" in social settings.  They are a "blind" or "deaf" person.  When it comes to one of the senses there's less of a "perception" attached - at least to me. I had a friend that lost her sense of smell due to a blow to the back of the head, but I never called her "disabled".  To me (what do I know?), my perception of the term "disabled" has historically been used in cases of mobility-disability.  As we surround ourselves with virtual worlds (phones, money, internet, games) people who did not have physical disabilities are now being lumped together in the "disabled" mold as they have a hard time navigating through the virtual worlds.  That's just my view that I conjured up a minute ago, and I'm probably wrong... because I'm uninformed and young.  If I'm at least partially on the right track, I wonder if new groups of people will be lumped in the "disabled" mold before more are extracted from it.

I think the "light" analogy is completely off base in Javier's message - there's something called the sun, and genetically... we're largely meant to "see" to some extent.  Although it's a great feat of human society to think we can classify "disabilities" as a social disfunction it's truly out of touch with nature.  No matter how far we progress socially nature can take that all away, and our perception of equality and disability in terms of human society must always be marked with an asterisk.  Humans have not severed themselves from nature, no matter how hard they try.  That much I'm sure of.  Ha.

From: steve at ablegamers.com
To: games_access at igda.org
Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 05:48:05 -0500
Subject: Re: [games_access] disability or limitation?

Purely speaking as someone who is disabled, I really don't understand all the fuss about what word someone would use to describe me. There is only one word that I can't stand to describe my disposition and that starts with the C.  as far as disabled, I think it's just calling it what it is.

I don't think short people want to be called vertically challenged, just as I don't see a need to call me physically challenged. I'm just never going to tell someone that I possess a limitation, again nothing against the idea, but purely speaking as someone who is disabled. The key of that sentence is, I am disabled.

On the same subject, about three years ago people started trying to use “handi-capable” … that word was obviously started by people who are trying too hard. Personally, I couldn't stand that phrase. To me it feels patronizing for someone to say that I'm not handicapped I’m hand-capable.  Political correctness just goes too far sometimes, I would fully support any word the list would like to use publicly, but as far as I'm concerned I'm disabled and I'm going to continue to say “disabled.”  And that's because to me, disabled is not a negative, it simply a description such as Tall, Dark, or Handsome.

Steve Spohn
Associate Editor
www.AbleGamers.com 

From: games_access-bounces at igda.org [mailto:games_access-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Javier Mairena
Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 4:17 AM
To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [games_access] disability or limitation?

Good question Sandra!!

In Spain we are changing the world that people use.
We have been using disabled people or handicapped. But these words have bad means. They are not disable people!! is the society that is not accesible for them!!

Who is the disabled people in a dark room??  the blind or the not blind??
Why the not blind is not disabled in this society?? becaouse we have adapted the room with a light.

We are now changing to the word "functional diversity". We say people with funcional diverity in visuals, or mobility, or cognitive, or auditive.
But yet most people use the older terminology.

2009/11/2 Sandra Uhling <sandra_uhling at web.de>
Hello,

What do you think about this?

We always use the word "disability".
Maybe it would be better to use another word?
E.g. limitations?

Lot of the features do help all gamers.
And every gamer can be sometimes "disabled".

Best regards,
Sandra

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