9:11am June 5, 2014

“That tone of voice.
That specific tone of voice.
Is the tone of voice that people with physical disabilities refer to when they say, ‘they talk to me like I’m Ret@rded’. I get what they mean. I don’t like being spoken to that way either. I really don’t. It grates, it demeans, it insults. I kind of hate it.
But here’s the thing.
I don’t know a single person with an intellectual disability who likes being spoken to that way either.
Not one.
So maybe we need to say “They speak to me like I’m lesser.”
Or, “They speak to me with a voice full of assumptions.”
Or, “They speak to me in a tone of voice that even puppies find offensive.”
Or, maybe best, “They speak to me in a manner that no one deserves.””

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