A work in progress: I am compiling a Dutch crip lexicon: a curated collection of terminology pertaining to epistemic injustice and ableism translated into accessible Dutch as to offer an instrument for self-advocacy, crip culture literacy, and community building. Not in the way of oversimplifying information, as in ‘Jip en Janneke taal’ - this is a concept in the Dutch speaking context that denigrates folks who haven’t had the privilege of developing an extensive vocabulary, while ignoring the complex embodied knowledges of their lived experiences that are on their way to being articulated.

For this lexicon, creative approaches to language relating to disability are envisioned, since a lot of embodied experiences pertaining to said identity have negative concepts to describe them. As such, this ‘body of words’ will come about by cripping, inventing and ‘tasting’ words, signs or sounds. Transcripts of interviews with disabled people about their experiences in healthcare will be complimented by images, poems, and data visualization. The lexicon becomes a tactile prompt to re-imagine collective language and culture. An accessible digital architecture could facilitate the development of vocabulary over time.