In Donald Trump’s America, People Like Marlee Matlin Are Worthy Of Mocking

Stigma against people who are deaf can result in social exclusion, put people at a higher risk of depression, keep people from seeking help when they start to notice they have hearing loss, and illegally withhold opportunities at school and work. 

One simple way to be more inclusive of people who are deaf, and people with disabilities in general, is to remember that words have power, and that they can be deployed as weapons to dehumanize others and to limit their abilities and opportunities, notes the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. 

“’Retard’ and ‘retarded’ are derogatory and dehumanizing terms ? on par with the N-word used to describe African Americans, and various hateful terms used to describe members of the Jewish, gay and lesbian, and other minority communities,” the AUCD website says. “In addition, words and labels can cause others to think that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are not able to achieve the things that others can achieve.”

Here’s hoping Trump can learn something from the outrage caused by his remarks to Matlin, and change the way he speaks about people with disabilities — regardless of whether he wins the presidency.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.