It's not 'special needs kids,' it is 'kids with special needs'

I am writing regarding the article titled "Special Needs Kids and COVID-19" on page 9 of the January issue. As a parent of three children with special needs I want to let you know the article was difficult to read. The reason for this was the lack of ‘people first’ language. The article reads ‘special needs kids’ and ‘special needs children’. The right way to say it, write it, and think it is ‘children, kids, or people with special needs’. Identifying people by a condition of their being suggests they are defined by that condition. This is not only untrue, it is harmful and hurtful.
I hope you’ll be able to receive this message with an open heart and mind.
Thank you and happy New Year.
Matt Diaz
Ericcson

Editor's note: We are grateful that Matt Diaz reached out. Language is changing to be more sensitive, and we need to stay current. It is regrettable that an article meant to help instead hurt. We asked Matt to review our article, and then made changes to our online version.We also plan to incorporate his input in future editions.