What is dignity?

Dennis Reid looked to Webster's definition of treating people in a manner to be worthy, considered and honor. Skinner

Communicating in a way that conveys dignity

Discuss disability in a manner that the individual and their family find acceptable. Some people prefer identity first language while others prefer to be called Autistic or disabled. My clients may still have labels like mental retardation in their files, but advocates with intellectual disabilities have worked tirelessly so that this practice will end. How to refer to the people we support in general, many find the term client acceptable, customer, or participant. Agencies should gather this information and desiminate it with staff. Terms like low functioning or high functionings may be a shorthand for clinicians. It can be insulting or dismissive depending on how it is used. These terms do nothing to explain what a person's strengths or challenges are.

Ensure reciprocal deference, if a clinician uses Mr, Ms, or Mx, follow the same formality with consumers. Avoid speaking about people in front of them, this behavior wouldn't be tolerated with neurotypical clients. Don't adjust a person's age because of a test score or a specific challenge. I have sat in meetings where another professional explained to me the adult across from us scored similarly as a child on a standardized test. This was then justification for denying sex education. An adult is an adult is an adult. Am I going to go out of my way to correct their parent probably not, they have come to our meeting with their own adverse experiences.