Why does The NY Times demean disability?

 

Mr. Philip Corbett
Associate Managing Editor for Standards, The New York Times

Feb. 25, 2013

Dear Phil:

I wanted to bring your attention to this headline yesterday:

Don't Call Him Mom, or an Imbecile

Was the writer intending to refer to someone with an intellectual disability?

Would an equally appropriate headline have been:

Don't Call Him Mom, or a Retard

Why not? Both words have the same origins?

I first wrote you about my concerns with routine use of the word “retarded” in your newspaper to describe people with intellectual disabilities on Oct. 9.

On Oct. 26 you wrote: Our health editor and our mental-health reporter both agree that we should give stronger guidance to the newsroom about the use of “retarded.” I will be working with them to draft a new style note.

What happened?

The words retarded and imbecile are not neutral, nor are they the chosen descriptors of people with intellectual disabilities (and your style guide counsels neutral language and respect for preferred group descriptors).

According to The American Psychiatric Association: “Mental retardation is no longer used internationally [as a medical term] or in U.S. federal legislation.” The APA’s proposed name change for its new diagnostic manual in May is intellectual development disorder.

Would you show the same kind of disrespect for more powerful minority groups?

I will be sharing this on the BLOOM blog with our readers who are parents of children with disabilities in 136 countries.

Please let me know when this will be rectified. Thank you, Louise