Ky Wojciechowski

She wants you to view it as part of her identity, just like race and gender.

But Landre, who has spinal muscular atrophy type 2 and has been in a wheelchair most of her life, wants you to call her “a disabled woman.” She wants you to see her disability as more than a medical determination.

Landre knows that runs counter to what many people believe is respectful. Disability organizations and advocates for years have pushed for the use of “person-first language,” which calls for introducing the individual before the disability.