Dear news media: your language matters
A case study in how not to talk about disability
Last Monday, NPR’s All Things Considered aired a four-minute package, reported by journalist John Hamilton. A podcast episode from NPR about ventilators — specifically, post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) — recycled this package earlier this week. In it, I noticed an unsettling quote from a critical care specialist, Dr. Amy Bellinghausen of the University of California, San Diego:
Unfortunately, oftentimes, when they’re coming off the ventilator, it’s not the same person as who went on the ventilator.
“Not the same person.”
I’ve heard this a few times regarding patients who have PICS, or post-intensive care syndrome. It’s a disturbing talking point to say the least. What are we telling patients who survive COVID-19 when we talk about them like a ventilator irreversibly changed their very identity?
Personhood runs deeper than ability
The first patient featured in this package is David Williams, a COVID-19 survivor and “former Marine who spent a week on a ventilator”. He discusses his functional limitations and how his abilities return as he spends more time off the ventilator.
