Words can influence and reinforce the public’s perception of people with disabilities. They can create either a positive view of people with disabilities or an indifferent, negative depiction.
Here are some general tips that can help make your communication and interactions with or about people with all types of disabilities more successful.
- Use disability or disabled, not handicap or handicapped.
- Never use terms such as retarded, dumb, psycho, moron or crippled. These words are very demeaning and disrespectful to people with disabilities.
- Remember to put people first. It is proper to say person with a disability, rather than disabled person.
- If you don’t know someone or if you are not familiar with the disability, it’s better to wait until the individual describes his/her situation to you, rather than to make your own assumptions. Many types of disabilities have similar characteristics and your assumptions may be wrong.
The following preferred words and phrases will help you choose language that is neither demeaning nor hurtful. People with disabilities prefer these terms.
| Instead of |
Please use |
|
Afflicted by cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, etc. |
Person who has cerebral palsy.
Person who has multiple sclerosis.
Person who has arthritis, etc.
Person with a disability.
|
|
Aged (the) |
Seniors |
|
Autistic |
A person with autism.
A person who has autism. |
|
Birth defect, congenital defect, deformity |
A person who has a congenital disability.
A person with a disability since birth. |
|
Blind (the), visually impaired (the) |
A person who is blind.
A person with a vision disability.
A person with vision loss.
A person with a visual impairment
A person with low vision. |
|
Brain damaged |
A person with a brain injury.
A person with a head injury. |
|
Confined to a wheelchair, wheelchair bound
|
A person who uses a wheelchair.
|
|
Crazy, insane, lunatic, psycho, mental, mental patient, maniac, neurotic, psychotic, unsound mind, schizophrenic |
A person with a mental health disability. A person who has depression.
A person with schizophrenia. |
|
Cripple, crippled, lame |
A person with a disability.
A person with a mobility impairment or, more specifically, a person who walks with crutches.
A person who uses a walker.
A person who uses a mobility aid.
A person with arthritis, etc. |
Deaf (the), hearing impaired (the) |
A person who is deaf (person with profound hearing loss who communicates using sign language.)
A person who is deafened (deaf later in life.)
A person who is hard of hearing (person with hearing loss who communicates primarily by speech.)
A person with a hearing loss.
When referring to the deaf community and their culture (whose preferred mode of communication is sign language) it is acceptable to use "the Deaf." |
|
Deaf and dumb, deaf mute |
A person who is deaf without speech. |
|
Deaf-Blind (the) |
Person who is deaf-blind (person who has any combination of visual and auditory impairments.) |
|
Differently Abled |
A person with a disability. |
|
Disabled (the) |
People with disabilities. |
|
Elderly (the) |
Seniors, older adults. |
|
Epileptic |
Person who has epilepsy. |
|
Fits, spells, attacks |
Seizures. |
|
Handicapped (the) |
Person with a disability.
The term handicapped may be used when referring to an environmental or attitudinal barrier as in "a person who is handicapped by a set of stairs leading to the entrance." |
|
Hidden disability |
Non-visible disability. |
|
Invalid |
Person with a disability.
|
|
Learning disabled, learning disordered, the dyslexics |
A person with a learning disability or people with learning disabilities
|
|
|
|
Mentally retarded, idiot, simple, retarded, feeble minded, imbecile |
A person with an intellectual disability. A person with a developmental disability. |
|
Midget, Dwarf |
A person of short stature. A person who has a form of dwarfism. A little person. A person diagnosed with "Achondroplasia, SED, or what ever their specific diagnoses is", a form of dwarfism. |
|
Mongoloid, Mongolism |
Person with Down Syndrome. One can use this terminology only when it is directly relevant.
A person with an intellectual or developmental disability. |
|
Normal |
Person who is not disabled. Person who is able bodied. Specifically, a person who is sighted, a hearing person, a person who is ambulatory. |
|
Patient |
Person with a disability. The word patient may be used when referring to a relationship between and medical professional and a client. |
|
Physically challenged |
Person with a physical disability. |
|
Spastic |
Person who has muscle spasms. |
|
Stutterer |
A person with a speech impairment or impediment. |
|
Victim of/suffers from/ stricken with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, etc. |
Person who has cerebral palsy. Person who has multiple sclerosis, etc. Person with a disability. |
|
Visually impaired (the) |
A person with a visual impairment. A person with low vision. A person with vision loss. A person with a vision disability. |