On Labels

 Between speaking gigs, as we were enjoying the twenty-third story view of the mighty, muddy Maumee River in Toledo, I asked Ed Roberts what moniker (tag, label, dislabel, euphemism) he preferred for those of us living with disabilities, individually and/or collectively. Crip? Gimp? Person With a Disability? He told me that he was particularly fond of one he’d heard from a friend down the coast. “I like PABU...” he said with a pause...so as to allow me to drink in its essence...”People who are All Buggered Up.” It was perfect. We looked out at the river flowing by and just laughed and laughed.

Sing this:

“I'm disabled. You're disabled. He's disabled. She's disabled. Wouldn't you want to be disabled too? Be disabled ..."