Talk:Stephen Hawking

Edit dispute

There's currently a small dispute over the use of specific wording on this article. Please use this section to resolve the dispute. The article will remain protected for a minimum of one week to dissuade any further edit warring attempts so that this can be resolved peacefully. --Sajuuk 15:59, April 29, 2016 (UTC)

Thanks Sajuuk. I apologise for the back and forth editing, I'm rather new to wikia, (in fact I made an account specifically to change this one thing) and don't yet know how to converse without, as you said, edit warring.

Anyway, as probably noticed, I am a wheelchair user and the way that disability is being talked about on this page (Steven Hawking) is outdated and is now considered offensive to wheelchair users. The phrasing "confined to a wheelchair" implies that we are bound by our chairs, as if they are an unremovable part of us. They are actually a tool, used to get around the world. We're not chained to them, the idea that we are is just inaccurate and slightly silly.

One of the counters to this was that Steven needs his wheelchair, therefore he is confined to it. This is inaccurate. Just because someone needs something it does not mean that they are bound by it. Some people might need walking sticks, but we do not say that they are "stick bound" or "confined to a cane". We say they use a walking stick or cane.

Here's some resources on the matter, as written by wheelchair users and other disabled people. Also some by non-disabled language professors:

http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/18/abliest-word-profile-wheelchair-bound/

http://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html

http://www.mobility-advisor.com/disability-etiquette.html

http://rds.colostate.edu/language

https://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090512211542AAgoHtm

http://themighty.com/2014/09/dear-media-nobody-is-bound-to-a-wheelchair/

http://www.tennis.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/appropriate_terminology1.pdf

Romanpixie (talk) 16:12, April 29, 2016 (UTC)