THEY

To me the word "they" is just as bad, if not worst, than the R word.
Of course the R word is not acceptable. But most people do not use it to address people who have a disability. They usually add it here and there, without thinking of the direct effect it has on a lot of people around them. They are not realising the huge implications their selected word have on others. They need to be made aware...
But, I have often experienced this, when people use the word THEY, they are directly talking to me about my daughter. It can be a neighbour, a doctor, an OT, a teacher, and so on.
I heard: THEY (meaning people who have Down syndrome) are so affectionate. (You should hear Emma complaining about her sister: she does not feel very affectionate when her sister tells to get out of her room). I heard: THEY are so perceptive. THEY are usually shorter (shorter than who? Emma who is in grade 2 is actually taller than a girl in her school who is in grade 4.)
And when they tell you this stuff, it seems that they know so much about the subject. They are improvised experts on the matter. Do they even know personally someone who has Down syndrome?
I am always in shock when someone uses the word THEY while talking to me about Emma. I used to give my interlocutor examples of how Emma and another child who has DS are different, unique in their personalities.
These days I am not so patient. I feel like SCREAMING. My daughter has a name, her own DNA, her very unique personality. You do not talk about her using the word THEY. Do I talk about your boys saying THEY (meaning boys) are more active than girls. THEY eat so much more than girls. I know better: these statements are not always the case.
Yes, Emma has Down syndrome. But she is her own beautiful entity. In no way does she react to situations exactly the same as all of the other children who have Down syndrome.
I don't want to hear the word THEY anymore...