Even though more and more people now understand how important inclusive and sensitive language is, we still read and hear the old words very often in our work. When we explain that we fund urgently needed surgeries for disadvantaged children with cleft lip and palate, people often ask: “Oh, so children with harelip?”. Even though the word is usually not used with bad intentions, we should not continue to use it out of respect for the people with cleft who do not like it. Instead, we try to make the medical terms such as “cleft lip”, “cleft palate” or “cleft lip and palate” more popular. A study by the Leipzig University Hospital found that, although the majority of medical workers at a large hospital used the medically correct terms, not all of them did. And if even some medical doctors still use outdated terms like “harelip,” it is not a surprise at all that people without such medical knowledge use the word.
Tolerance, support and treatment
“How are you?” instead of “What’s that on your face?”, “What do you need?” instead of “Why do you have that?”, “You’re great” instead of “You’re different”. Children with cleft lip and palate do not only have to deal with the functional consequences of their cleft, but also from other people’s reactions to their perceived “otherness”. In Germany, children with cleft lip usually receive treatment at an early age, which reduces the risk of health complications. But even in so, those affected are not always exempt from ridicule, exclusion and malice. The German cleft self-help association “Wolfgang Rosenthal Gesellschaft” has produced an impressive contribution on this topic called “Unique! A film by and for young people with LKGS” (in German). Here it becomes clear what influence language can have on a person’s life. In order to treat those affected with respect, we do not use demeaning terms such as “harelip” or the German “wolf’s maw”. More tips can be found in this guide by the UK Cleft lip and palate association (CLAPA). Please also help us make others aware of these issues.
You can also help the cleft children in our project countries with your donation. Without the help of donors like you, they may never have access to treatment: Their parents often cannot afford the operation, or they might not even know that the treatment exists. As a result, many people with cleft do not receive surgery and do not have their clefts treated until adulthood, or ever. They then often have to live with being excluded or disrespected by those around them for the rest of their lives. For them, the operation to close the cleft helps them live their lives the way they wish to.