Anonymous wrote:My Autistic teenager doesn’t like it. My friends with disabilities who are disability rights activists don’t like it. My sister with chronic illness (now a disability) doesn’t like it.

I never saw an issue until they told me why. They said it’s demeaning - as are “inspirational” videos or stories about people with disabilities who do amazing (or not so amazing) things despite their disabilities. They say they want to be seen as people, as individuals, not “special.” That they are disabled because they are unable to do some things that have societal, social, or physical barriers their conditions make it difficult to overcome. We should just call it education. Everyone deserves an education. Some need accommodations to make that education accessible.

However, the IDEA calls it “special education” so until that changes, that is what it is formally going to be called in schools.

Calling someone a "friend with disabilities" is offensive. Please stop. The preferred term is "disabled friend". Stop making disabilities seem toxic by introducing artificial distancing between the word "disability" and the people who are disabled.

Anonymous wrote:My husband about fell out of his chair in an IEP meeting in Arlington when the teachers were liberally using the term "sped class" and "sped students."

Did you remain stable in your chair?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is how the cycle goes. A word is used. People use the word as intended. Word develops a negative connotation because it refers to something that is, frankly, negative. People get offended. People find new word. New word is used as intended. Word develops a negative connotation because it refers to something that is, frankly, negative. People get offended. People find new word. And so on and so on and so on.

100%. I’m old enough to have seen this play out multiple times.

Euphemism treadmill.
Those who don't know history cry and scream to make educated people repeat it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemism

Anonymous wrote:The special education department at my school is still called the SPED department. What should it be called now?

It should be called SpEd.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is how the cycle goes. A word is used. People use the word as intended. Word develops a negative connotation because it refers to something that is, frankly, negative. People get offended. People find new word. New word is used as intended. Word develops a negative connotation because it refers to something that is, frankly, negative. People get offended. People find new word. And so on and so on and so on.

This is so true. Isn’t this what happened with Asperger’s? It is not used much anymore but kids had turned it into an insult - Are you Aspie? Is that why it was abandoned?

Dr Asperger was posthumously canceled for being an alleged Nazi, at the same time that the concept of autism was redefined to be a "spectrum" that meana everything and absolutely nothing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband about fell out of his chair in an IEP meeting in Arlington when the teachers were liberally using the term "sped class" and "sped students."

Yes. Because it's a descriptive. It's like the stupid parsing of Black, African-American, Native American, American Indian, etc. At some point, people need to stop trying to virtue signal that they're not discriminating and just use the words.

People who are not members of the group do not get to decide what words are slurs toward that group and what are not. That is not to say that all members of the group will agree, but it isn’t virtue signaling for outsiders to use or avoid words as preferred by most insiders.

It does Zero harm to you to stop using certain words; conversely you may cause harm, even if unintentional, by stubbornly sticking with them. There are SO MANY WORDS in the English language. You can find a better one.

We members of the group of sane human beings will not let nonmembers like you decide what words are slurs.
No one has the right to demand other people use different words when talking to yet other people just because you are too stupid to understand the difference what is said and how it's said. Your war on language harms all of humanity by destroying our ability to communicate.

Anonymous wrote:This is how the cycle goes. A word is used. People use the word as intended. Word develops a negative connotation because it refers to something that is, frankly, negative. People get offended. People find new word. New word is used as intended. Word develops a negative connotation because it refers to something that is, frankly, negative. People get offended. People find new word. And so on and so on and so on.

This is so true. Isn’t this what happened with Asperger’s? It is not used much anymore but kids had turned it into an insult - Are you Aspie? Is that why it was abandoned?

The special education department at my school is still called the SPED department. What should it be called now?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband about fell out of his chair in an IEP meeting in Arlington when the teachers were liberally using the term "sped class" and "sped students."

Yes. Because it's a descriptive. It's like the stupid parsing of Black, African-American, Native American, American Indian, etc. At some point, people need to stop trying to virtue signal that they're not discriminating and just use the words.

People who are not members of the group do not get to decide what words are slurs toward that group and what are not. That is not to say that all members of the group will agree, but it isn’t virtue signaling for outsiders to use or avoid words as preferred by most insiders.

It does Zero harm to you to stop using certain words; conversely you may cause harm, even if unintentional, by stubbornly sticking with them. There are SO MANY WORDS in the English language. You can find a better one.

I received special education services (aka SPED) as a student. I have no issue at all with using "sped" to describe the services I received so I could get help with my reading because I had a learning disability. What the heck else are we supposed to call it?

Anonymous wrote:Really? Sped is just short for special education in teacher lingo. Not that you would ever mention sped to a kid but it’s a quick way of saying special education when speaking with other staff members.

Kids absolutely hear you say "he's a sped kid" to other teachers. Don't do that.

Anonymous wrote:Really? Sped is just short for special education in teacher lingo. Not that you would ever mention sped to a kid but it’s a quick way of saying special education when speaking with other staff members.

What age students are you familiar with? In our kids' middle and high schools, sped is a student-on-student slur in active use. Also, you'd be surprised how much tweens and teens pick up from teachers who think they're talking only amongst themselves. You can't deny that this would complicate things for teachers.

I feel like "special education", as defined by IDEA, and "disabilities", "special needs", etc. are being conflated.

When you use "sped" as a descriptor/adjective for a person, that's problematic IMO. But when used to describe the educational services chlidren with identified needs are legally entitled to...I don't see a problem.

In the educational lexicon, special education just refers to the specially designed instruction that children with disabilities -- ranging from not being able to pronounce their /r/s to non-verbal autism -- receive to be able to make progress towards grade level standards (or alternate standards if the needs are severe enough). My had an IEP for speech for six years and was considered "special education"...she went with the speech pathologist for 40 minutes a week for help with pronouncing certain letter sounds and that's it. No academic or social concerns whatsoever.

My autistic child does not qualify anymore for special education, but he has a disability. He just doesn't need specially designed instruction (i.e., special education) at this time. He used to have an IEP though, and received "sped" services from a "sped" teacher. No different than going to class with his "bio" (biology) teacher or "PE teacher", it's just shorthand.

Anonymous wrote:This is how the cycle goes. A word is used. People use the word as intended. Word develops a negative connotation because it refers to something that is, frankly, negative. People get offended. People find new word. New word is used as intended. Word develops a negative connotation because it refers to something that is, frankly, negative. People get offended. People find new word. And so on and so on and so on.

100%. I’m old enough to have seen this play out multiple times.

Anonymous wrote:This is how the cycle goes. A word is used. People use the word as intended. Word develops a negative connotation because it refers to something that is, frankly, negative. People get offended. People find new word. New word is used as intended. Word develops a negative connotation because it refers to something that is, frankly, negative. People get offended. People find new word. And so on and so on and so on.

why are disabilities negative?

Really? Sped is just short for special education in teacher lingo. Not that you would ever mention sped to a kid but it’s a quick way of saying special education when speaking with other staff members.