Do Words Hurt?

Do words really hurt… or does it depend on who you ask?

In Episode 4 of What’s Bugging You?, we’re diving into a real, unfiltered conversation about language and disability. Titled “Do Words Hurt?”, this episode features people with disabilities sharing their honest thoughts—no scripts, no filters.

We ask the questions people don’t always feel comfortable asking. This episode is all about listening, learning, and understanding that people with disabilities get to define their own identities—not society, not labels.

If you’ve ever wondered what’s okay to say—or just want to hear real perspectives—this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Press play and join the conversation. What’s bugging you?

Transcript

This is the what's bugging you podcast where people with disabilities share examples of advocacy they have used to deal with issues that made life hard. This episode will keep you buzzing with positivity and better options and learn more about how to do life. In this episode, we will be explaining how words matter yes and that they can hurt. Stay tuned.
Please. Do you think the word handicap is hurtful? Why or why not?
Yes, because people don't think about others people's feelings, and also not everybody's handicapped. And people make fun of people all my life, and it needs to stop. They do that to me in the building. Pick at me constantly, and I feel very uncomfortable where I live at I want to move. I think the word
handicap is hurtful, because you you have to, you have to keep the handicap.
You don't need to call a person that because you don't know how they feel.
I used to, but not really, because we all are handicapped to a degree. We all do handicaps. So I think it all depends on how you look at it, and, um, rise above. My friends, rise above. I think
it is hurtful, because in a lot of because in a lot of situations, when it's used, it's typically used to describe someone that is believed not to be someone that's believed to be unable to do anything for themselves.
Do you think the R word is hurtful? Why? Why not? The R
word is hurtful because
people do not need to use that word, because it's really hurtful.
I think that's that's hurtful as well. Because just like the word handicap, it's usually used completely out of context for someone who's believed to not be able to think for themselves or make clear decisions just because you know they may not understand things as quick as other people or even people that may just have a speech impediment, people automatically assume that you know, they have the R word, and that's not fair. You know, just because someone looks or sounds one way that you may not be used to doesn't mean that they're mental, is, is enabled, or even sometimes, if they're they're mental capacity is not what everyone else's is. They can be very intelligent in other areas.
Yes, because people don't realize who they're hurting, it could be a family or friend or somebody they know.
Of course, I do. I think it's very hurtful because it's so it's it has been so daggering society to being such a insult, such an insult. And I think it's that's where I don't believe in using that word.
What about your disability that make you special and unique.
About my disability, I believe that makes me special is because my disability is blindness. I can't physically see the world around me. So it forces me to tap in to my other senses to see the world around me, so I may notice things that people that can see the world may not notice. And in that sense, it gives me a deeper view of the world, versus just looking around and seeing what someone looks like, I have to tap into what what. Their voice sounds like or how their voice sounds like, their tone, their energy. I have to listen to all of that to know if you know this person sounds like someone that I should be trusting or be around or even go with, even to travel, I have to tap into how the world sounds around me, traffic, if I'm crossing the street, I have to know which direction it's going when I walk into a store, I have to listen to the direction of the cash registers, or where people are if people are coming in my direction, just stuff like that. It gives me a deeper sense and a deeper view of the world.
Well, I think that my disability has allowed me to see people with disabilities such as myself are still people, and we all have different limitations, and we have to grow off them and grow through them and work with them to better our lives. Have your
disability made you feel unwanted by loved ones? Yes, can you
explain a little bit about that?
It made me feel unwanted because my family took advantage of me. They tried to take my money and they tried to use my money for not good reasons. So I had to, I had to do something that would make them understand that you can't do that to a person that was feeling unwanted.
Well, it's I feel that people have tried to take it a step back from me, because they're on the road where I act sometimes, and that just has helped me grow my faith stronger in our Lord and Savior.
Yeah, because people treat me different, I'm not on the same level as them, and they don't treat you with respect or nothing.
So how you feel when you feel like people don't treat you with respect,
it hurts my feelings. Yes, I've
had that happen several times throughout my life. I've been around friends or people I thought were my friends, and I've been invited out because I guess that's what they thought they should do, or they thought would be the right thing. And then they find out, they figure out a way to ditch me or not pick me up, or, you know, go to a different place. And they told me, I've been around my family members that's in my same age group. And, you know, they're making plans to go out do something, and I'm like, can I go, Oh, there's, you know, that's not going to be your scene. Or I've heard the phrase, there's no one to watch you. And I don't know why people think that, because you have a disability, you need to be watched, but I've definitely been in a position like that, it's it can definitely make you feel sad and alone.
Do you feel that your disability defines you? Are you your disability?
Yeah, because people treat me different, I'm not on the same level as them, and they don't treat me with respect or nothing.
So how you feel when you feel like people don't treat you with respect?
It hurts my feelings.
No, mine doesn't define me, because I don't want to define me. I keep
going, not at all, but my disability definitely has changed who I am and how I react to different situations, and that's just life in general.
I feel like my disability is a part of me, but it doesn't define me. It makes me who I am as in it. It strengthens me for the world. It. It makes me more aware of the world and. Because of all the trials and tribulations I've been through as a result of having my disability, it definitely thickens my skin to a lot of discrimination or hurtful words used in relation to my disability. So in that sense, what I like to tell people is, I'm just a woman, not who happens to be blind, not a blind woman.
The what's bugging you podcast. Would like to thank you for listening, and we want you to come on back for another episode. Remember that people with disabilities are people first, and we are buzzingly Awesome. You you.