In special ed, words matter, says ASU associate journalism dean

Kristin Gilger, associate dean of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and director of the National Center on Disabilities, discusses with NPR Ed blog how journalists should refer to people with disabilities and to the disabilities themselves.

"Someone once said 'words matter,' and they do," Gilger said. "In the journalistic context, there's the matter of being accurate, and that's of course our primary concern."