NOTE ON LANGUAGE
USED IN THIS BOOK
Speaking of the Disabled Child —
‘SHE’ or ’HE’
Many studies have shown that more boys are disabled than girls. It is sometimes
argued that this is because boys are more exposed to physical stress and danger, or
because of sex-linked ‘genetic’ factors.
But there may also be other, more disturbing reasons why reports show so many more
disabled boys than girls:
• Of those who are disabled, more of the boys than the girls are taken to medical
centers where their disabilities are recorded.
• Disabled girls often are not cared for as well as disabled boys; therefore more of the
girls die when they are babies or small children.
In short, disabled boys often receive better attention than do disabled girls. This, of
course, is not surprising: in most countries, non-disabled boys also get better treatment,
more food, and more opportunities than do non-disabled girls.
Most literature on disabled children speaks of the disabled child as ‘he’. This is partly
because male dominance is built into our language. However, we feel this can only add to
the continued neglect of the so-called ‘weaker sex’.
In this book, therefore, we have made an effort to be fair. But rather than to always
speak of the child as ‘he-or-she’ or ‘they’, which is awkward, we sometimes refer to the
child as ‘she’ and sometimes as ‘he’.
If at times this is confusing, please pardon us. And if we sometimes slip and give
more prominence to ‘he’ than ‘she’, either in words or pictures, please criticize but
forgive us. We too are products of our language and culture. But we are trying to
change.
Speaking of the Author(s):
‘WE’ or ’I’
Although one person has done most of the writing of this book, many persons have
shared in its making (see the ‘Thanks’ page at the beginning of this book). Therefore,
when speaking from our authors-advisers’ viewpoint, we usually use ‘we’. This book is
a group effort.
A 12 ABOUT THIS BOOK