Blog
Concerns regarding 'non-trauma'
We’re increasingly hearing that our members and others within the SCI community are uncomfortable about the use of the phrase “non trauma” when it is used to describe people whose spinal cord injury (SCI) was caused by something other than a physical injury or accident.
We know that whatever the cause, an SCI can have a devastating impact on people’s lives. The use of “non trauma” as a phrase to describe an SCI caused by illness or congenital condition might imply that it is somehow less challenging than an SCI caused by an accident. This is clearly not the case. We want people to understand that all SCIs are extremely serious and therefore we’re stopping using the phrase “non trauma”. Instead, we will say … acquired through illness or medical condition.
We’re also going to be encouraging others to use language that better reflects the personal experiences of the SCI community.
We hope that this decision will help people be more comfortable with the language we use to describe SCI. The personal experiences of our members and the wider SCI community will continue to be central to our communications as we work towards a fulfilled life for everyone affected by SCI.