Adventures in Naming EBD Realities: How Words Matter for Special Education

Abstract

General labels tend to obscure objective realities upon which disability rights are based and can deny individuals with disabilities their educational and civil rights. Undoubtedly, stigma can come from labels unnecessarily categorizing people into separate groups. However, stigma does not reside primarily in disability categories/terms but in what people think of words’ referents. The replacement of the old disability categories/terms with new ones is a case of what is called the “euphemism treadmill,” showing how concepts and mentally represented realities, not words, are the key issue. However, in the case of disabilities, scientific names are unavoidable for the purposes of research, education, advocacy, and social welfare. Some people try to avoid naming special education and its derivatives just as they do in the case of disability categories. We argue that scientifically validated disability and special education labels are necessary and legitimate classifications required for progress in disability research and practice. They provide the most direct route to legally protecting and serving individuals with educational disabilities.