Language Is A Powerful Tool

Just as any tool can be powerful in a positive or negative way, language can either work to your advantage or it can result in negative effects. Without being aware of what is current and appropriate language, a person may inadvertently offend a person or convey a message that they did not intend.

Use…

  • Person with a disablility
  • Person who has…
  • Person with…
  • Person who uses a wheelchair
  • Person with a disability or Non-didabled
  • Person who is deaf
  • Person with a mental illness
  • Seizures
  • Person with mental retardation
  • Person with a learning diability
  • Congenital disablility or a disablility that has existed from birth
  • Person who has Down Syndrome

Remember, people with disablities are simply people who happen to have disabilities.

Avoid trendy terminology like “challenged,” “handi-capable,” “differently abled,” or “physically challenged.” These terms are mostly invented and used by people without disabilities. Some people with disablilites choose these terms but the majority feel that they are condescending and do not prefer them. Most people with disabilites prefer to be called just that: people with disabilities

Avoid…

  • Cripple, Handicap, Invalid
  • Victim of, stricken with, afflicted with
  • Confinded to wheelchair, Bound or restricted to a wheelchair
  • Normal (infers that people with disablilities are abnormal)
  • Deaf, mute, deaf and dumb
  • Crazy, insane, deranged
  • Fits, spastic
  • Retard, imbecile, moron
  • Slow
  • Birth defect

People first language Second

 Remember that a person with a disability is a person first. Do not refer to a person by a disablility, for example “an epileptic” or “the deaf teacher.” Instead use “a person who has epilepsy” or “a teacher who is deaf.” First and foremost they are people, secondly, they may have a disability.

People with disabilities perfer to be call just that, people with disabilities. Mention a person’s disability only if it is relevant to the issue. If it is not relevant, why mention it? Use common sense, but let common sense be guided by an awareness of sensitive teminology.

Don’t be intimidated by terminology. Simple terms are fine. But remember, simple does not mean childish. Treat adults like adults.

People with disabilities are an integral part of the general public. Be careful not to use language like “we/they” that suggests segregation.

Avoid grouping all individuals with disabilites together. For example “the disabled,” “the deaf,” or “the blind.”

People with disabilities are often portrayed in two extremes: either they are protrayed as brave, couageous, inspirational, or superhuman beings that have defeated a terrible fate against all odds, or they are portrayed as objects to be pitied, in need of sympathy, burdened, suffering, unfortunate, pathetic and needing to be treated with special attention. These terms promote inaccurate and unnecessary stereotypes. Use of these terms is discouraged.

Important DefinitionsIt is important to understand the definitions of Impairment, Disability, Handicap. You may hear these terms used interchangeably, but each has a distinctly different meaning.

  • IMPAIRMENT: A deviation from normal development, structure, or function. Examples where impairments can occur are: hearing (nerve damage), visual (glaucoma), mobility (crushed vertebrae causing paralysis).
  • DISABLILITY: Refers to a functional limitations. Example of disabilities are: 75% loss of hearing, tunnel vision, or paralysis from the neck down.
  • HANDICAP: A situational disadvantage that people with disabilities often face. Examples of handicaps would be: a place of service not having a TTY so that a peson with a hearing loss can directly communicate with them by phone, or a person with tunnel vision not being able to obtain a drivers license. A handicap for a person with paralysis who uses a wheelchair would be when that person can not get into a building because the only entrance has stairs.
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