‘Thank you for correcting me’: Elvin Ng amends Instagram caption after commenter points out incorrect term
The star had initially used the term “wheelchair-bound”, which the commenter said was not the correct term for wheelchair users.
Amid the recent trend of cancel culture and calling out people for all manners of perceived slights, here is a wholesome conversation between actor Elvin Ng and a netizen on appropriate terms when referring to wheelchair users.
On Mar 2, Ng shared an Instagram post revealing his recent collaboration with local artist, Allan Tan, in a series of artworks.
Ng described the work and shared more about Tan in his post, saying that the artist had polio when he was three and had been in a wheelchair since.
“But he's always been brave and positive, and never gave up on his passion for art and sports like basketball,” added the 41-year-old actor.
It turns out, though, that Ng had to amend his caption after someone left a comment pointing out his earlier use of the word “wheelchair-bound”. The netizen politely corrected the star and suggested other terms when referring to wheelchair users.
"Hey, Elvin. With all respect, let's not use 'wheelchair-bound' to describe wheelchair users. We can get off our wheelchair sometimes, like for a bath, or to sleep on the bed, and are not completely 'bound' to the wheelchair,” commented the netizen, who ended the note with a smiley face and a heart emoji.
The Heartland Hero star took less than an hour to amend his post and even replied to the person’s comment. “Thank you for correcting me, I appreciate it,” Ng wrote.
And thanks, too, to both Ng and the netizen for proving that polite and respectful exchanges can lead to meaningful lessons for all.
