A Few Words About Words

“I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word.”

—Emily Dickinson

Language has a profound impact on attitudes and values. Our perceptions of and judgments about others are both expressed and perpetuated by the words that we use. Despite the best efforts of proponents of person-first language, dehumanizing language remains in common use in the U.S. health-care system. Many health professionals continue to label people by their diagnoses, calling them “paras,” “quads,” “cords,” and so on. When we do this, we define people by their health conditions, reducing them to mere one-dimensional shadows. How can a person be a spinal cord?

Another common practice among health professionals involves referring to people as “patients” when this term no longer applies. Most of us think of ourselves as patients only while we are utilizing the services of another clinician. As soon as we walk out of the health professional’s office, we cease being patients and revert to our accustomed roles. In thinking/writing/speaking about people with disabilities, however, we often refer to them as patients whether or not they are utilizing the services of health professionals. The implication is that they remain dependent on health professionals indefinitely. Once a patient, always a patient.

In writing this text, we have attempted to avoid language that dehumanizes people who have spinal cord injuries. Instead of labeling people by their diagnoses, we have chosen language that affirms their personhood. Thus, rather than referring to “a C6 tetraplegic,” for example, we have referred to “a person (or individual) who has C6 tetraplegia.”

In a similar manner, we considered eliminating the word patient from the text because it can have implications of dependency and powerlessness. Another word might more appropriately convey the role of the person undergoing rehabilitation. But what word to use? Client evokes images of business suits and impersonal, formal interactions. Student may better reflect the role of a person learning to live with spinal cord injury. However, health professional students and others reading the text may find the word confusing. For lack of a better term, we retained the word patient but have attempted to avoid its overuse.

And then there’s gender. Gender is the way an individual perceives themself and what they call themself. People of all genders sustain spinal cord injuries, and people of all genders are involved in their rehabilitation. In an attempt to use gender-sensitive language, we have chosen to omit gender references throughout the text where gender is not necessary to understand the content being shared.

As a result of our attempts to minimize the use of the word patient, achieve gender sensitivity in writing, and affirm the sexuality of people with spinal cord injuries, we may at times have resorted to some verbal gymnastics. We beg the reader’s indulgence if we did so.