Blog
Pronouns In The Disability Space
As the world is slowly becoming more inclusive and recognises the growing gender diverse population, a space that is constantly left behind is those with a disability. There is a growing number of people with a disability who are gender diverse and often find themselves without the support of the LGBTQIA+ community, leaving them isolated, alone and confused.
When thinking of a person with a disability, the vast majority of people with imagine someone with a visible and physical disability, however the vast growth of people with a mental disability in the past decade has grown astronomically. Whether it’s mental health or cognitive, living with a mental disability and adding gender diversity requires extra support.
At Living Communities we are proudly LGBTQIA+ owned and operated by a team of individuals who all have experience living with a disability. We aim to help raise the voices of our participants and actively provide them with a safe and supportive space to be completely themselves.
Accidentally misgendering people is so easily and often done as the English language is so gender focused. We refer to someone’s gender at first glance, and determine the type of person they are by gender markers and pronouns on paperwork. We encourage all to use non gendered language and ask for pronouns when communicating with participants, this small change ensures that not only all are informed and this information can be passed on company wide but also sets the precedence for inclusion and safety, ensuring as little exposure to misgendering as possible. We provide regular inclusion training to all staff in the areas of the LGBTQIA+ gender diverse community.