Here at Be. Lab we believe that the language we use shapes how we think and act.
In 2011 when Minnie Baragwanath founded Be. Accessible, the term “access needs” was chosen intentionally to start a new conversation about the opportunity of accessibility. Much of the language used at the time set disabled people up as existing outside of, or as victims excluded by society. Minnie wanted to create space for a different conversation, one that wasn’t an “us vs them” binary. She wanted to use language whereby disabled people were empowered, and were seen as active, contributing members of society. This is why the term “access citizen” was coined.
The term “access citizen” was also intended to broaden who we think of when we talk about accessibility. This new term asked the question, who is being forgotten, and invisible in this conversation? (E.g. neurodivergent people, those with Health and Mental Health conditions, older people etc). “Access citizen” was intended to be more inclusive, and to bring more people into the conversation.
But it was also created to invite members of the business community into a leadership conversation, of how to become truly accessible for all members of society. Minnie wanted to make accessibility accessible to the business community, and to make it as easy as possible for organisations to engage meaningfully.
The new conversation explained that while accessibility creates better experiences for the 1 in 4 New Zealanders with a disability, it also benefits their friends, whanau and caregivers. It’s a reminder that every single one of us will have disabilities or access needs at some stage during our life, whether temporary or acquired. We can experience situational disabilities such as not being able to hear well due to being in a noisy room or not being able to see well due to bright sunlight.
And it also demonstrates access improvements that benefit disabled New Zealanders often have benefits far beyond their original intended uses. For example, an all-gender toilet could be of benefit to a member of the disabled community who is visiting with a support worker of a different gender. And the same all-gender toilet could also be of benefit to gender diverse folk. A ramp could benefit people using mobility devices such as wheelchairs or walkers, and also benefits parents with children in pushchairs.
So, behind the choice of language was a theory of change – by using different language, we can invite more people into the accessibility conversation.
At the same time, this language enables a new framework for creating accessibility which focused on:
The language of access needs, and the term “access citizen” was never intended to replace the language used by individuals or communities, which we believe should absolutely take precedence.
But by reframing what accessibility is, and who accessibility could benefit, we could help businesses see the true opportunities of becoming accessible for all.
To read more about the language of disability read our blog “Language matters: Identity-first and person-first language”.