What’s so special about ‘special needs’?

This is World Down Syndrome Day and an ad agency suggests we use the opportunity to consider the phrase “special needs.”

“The term ‘special needs’ is a euphemistic way to speak about persons with disabilities and their needs,” Publicis chief creative officer Andy Bird tells Ad Freak. “The reality is people with Down syndrome do not have different or special needs, although they may sometimes meet those needs in different ways. They have the same needs as all of us—jobs, friends, love and simply the need to be seen and treated equally.”