We aren’t acronyms, we’re people

When you journey around the ballpark of learning disabilities, you run into lots of acronyms. LD, NLD, ASD, PDD, NOS, SPD. At this point, I say WTF? and try to remember something. We aren’t acronyms. We’re people. All those NT (that’s NeuroTypical! The acronym for people who think they don’t need one) people sometimes miss that. I think they’re suffering from HLS (Hyper Labeling Syndrome). (Remember, NLD people like me have no sense of humor).

Now, I will freely admit that I am screwed up somehow (but not stupid). I have a learning DISABILITY. There are things that nearly all humans can do easily that I cannot do at all, or only with great difficulty. But while I have an LD, I am a person. And whatever LD you, or your kids, or your student or anyone else in the world have, they are humans too. First, last, always. Anything that allows anyone to forget or minimize that humanness is evil. Not just mistaken, or misguided, or a little off. Evil.

Of course, only a tiny minority of the people who use labels do so with pernicious intent. But you know what they say about the road to hell.

We aren’t acronyms. We’re people. Just like you NT folk.