The editor of the New People has “unreservedly apologised” for the use of a word which has been considered to be offensive to people with disabilities. A statement issued this afternoon says there is “no excuse” for the failure to spot the offence that the word would create adding that it “will not be used again.”
A statement continued: “Additionally, the New People notes the huge advances made in the past ten year since the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party and the Liberal Party took office in Gibraltar in relation to all matters affecting people with disabilities.
“That progress has arisen after many years of under investment.
“Additionally, the New People also notes how closely its articles are read and scrutinised and is pleased to see that it continues to set the political agenda. Our readers can be assured that we will continue to highlight the uncomfortable issues that our ideological political opponents wish they could avoid. We will also continue to point out their inconsistencies and failures. We shall ensure we do so without employing language that any collective may, rightly, find offensive and which might permit our opponents the luxury of umbrage.”
The Gibraltar Disability Society is outraged by the use of the derogatory word “retarded” in the recent New People article. It is disheartening to think that certain publications are so far behind the times that it does not occur to them that, by using such a term, it can cause a huge insult to a large percentage of our population. The Society calls for a public apology from the Editor of New People for the offense such language has caused. The Ministry of Equality has recently delivered staff training on general disability awareness and disability language and etiquette, so the Disability Society would go so far as to suggest that the Editor and Staff of this publication may wish to consider attending such a course.
The Governor today welcomed to the Convent Nicole Stewart and Hannah Pilcher, the Directors of the new charity PossAbilities, together with four Trustees, Jane Tunbridge, James Levy, Benjamin Borastero and Maurice Valarino. The other Trustee Michael Llamas was unable to attend and sent his apologies. The Governor is patron of PossAbilities and is very proud to support the charity, which provides a bespoke community support centre for those with Special Educational Needs and their families.
