Disability Pride Month: Advocates feel the phrase ‘special needs’ has become a derogatory term, prefer the phrase be eliminated completely

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, [email protected] or @townsquaretalk.

Is it ok to use the term 'disabled'? A disabled former public affairs specialist for the National Council on Disability thinks so. There's the belief that the word is necessary in that it connects members of the community through a common history — a lineage of those who fought, protested, and persisted. But when it comes to using the term 'special needs', there's a different view.

One law, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed 32 years ago on July 26, 1990, was put in place to insure that those with a disability are afforded the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.

In this episode, we are talking about the rights of those who live with a disability, and what changes society needs to adopt to make a more inclusive world.

Guests:

Carson Tueller (Paralyzed from the chest down)

Motivational speaker, coach, and activist

Lawrence Carter-Long (Born with cerebral palsy)

Former Public Affairs Specialist for the National Council on Disability

Director, Discourse & Development at DisArt, and Founder of #SayTheWord

Vivian Shudde

CEO, The Brookwood Community

Eileen Edmonds

Associate Director of Education, Theatre Under The Stars

Kevin Kern

COO, The Center For Pursuit

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