Eram Sum Ero.
Oremus Mare.
I believe in you.
February 2, 2025
This text contains terms that some may find inflammatory, offensive, harmful, or hurtful. Words like “retarded” and other historically charged language are discussed critically to explore how labels shape identity and perception. The intention is not to cause harm or diminish anyone’s experiences, but to challenge societal assumptions about disability, ability, and identity.
If you have experienced these terms as slurs or sources of trauma, please proceed with caution. The goal of this paper is to foster productive dialogue and empowerment by rethinking how we define and engage with difference. Your experiences, feelings, and identities are respected and valued.
The word “disabled” carries a heavy weight. It defines people by what they cannot do, framing their identity around limitations and deficiencies. It’s a label that echoes with absence, casting a shadow over the full spectrum of human ability. But just as darkness is not the opposite of light but the absence of it, disability is not the end of ability—it’s the beginning of a new kind.
The term “disabled” suggests a binary: you either can or cannot. But life isn’t binary. Human experience is a spectrum of abilities, adaptations, and transformations. To be “disabled” is not to be broken—it is to engage with the world in ways that challenge conventional norms, fostering resilience, creativity, and growth.
Variabled (from “variable” = capable of change, adaptation, and dynamic function):
This term shifts the focus from inability to adaptability. A person isn’t disabled because they lack certain functions—they are variabled because they navigate life through different pathways. It recognizes that human ability is dynamic, not static, and that all people contribute to the world in unique, valuable ways.