Calling someone a “client” is disempowering Sinead Pentony, TASC
T
he word “client” is disempowering, while calling someone a “customer” implies they have a choice, said Sinead Pentony, head of policy at TASC, a think-tank on economic inequality. Ms Pentony was present at the Advocacy Initiative conference when President Michael D Higgins made his speech about language usage. “He raised important questions and it was an affirmation of the work of the Community and Voluntary Sector. “If you think of people as clients or customers, it implies they have a choice which you don’t if you’re in need of, for example, unemployment assistance. Community work involves advocating on behalf of the voiceless.” “Public services are there for citizens and a lot of health professionals would be appalled to think of their patients as “customers” and people already pay for these services through taxes. “Using the word “client” is disempowering. Telling someone they’re a client doesn’t really give that person the sense that they should have any input into the design or delivery of the service they’re using.
“It isn’t that hard to know what language to use. Call people what they are! A man, a woman, for instance,” suggested Ms Pentony. In February, Ms Pentony was one of the guest speakers at an event organised by LCDP company, Wexford Local Development, where she said the
cuts to community development initiatives had undermined efforts to develop participative structures. She also spoke of the need to strengthen civil society, active citizenship and economic citizenship www.tascnet.ie
Sinead Pentony, TASC
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