PEOPLE FIRST: A Language Guide
"Sticks and Stones
Can Break My Bones
And Names Can Really Hurt Me"
Language is powerful. It reflects, reinforces, and shapes our perceptions of others. Words that reflect positive attitudes and acceptance help develop positive communications.
Words about disability have been strongly affected by legal, medical and political terms. Consequently, our daily language is filled with technical terms that often do not convey our intended social message. The suggestions on this handout are provided as a guide to improve language usage. Most suggestions are just common sense; but others are a matter of becoming aware of appropriate and current terminology.
Using the right words can make a dramatic difference!
Positive communications accurately portray the situation by emphasizing the individual rather than the disability.
Example #1:
Instead of Saying: “Dr. Lee is a crippled professor and is confined to a wheelchair. All of his students are normal."
Say: “Dr. Lee is a professor with a disability. He uses a wheelchair. All of his students are non-disabled.”
Example #2:
Instead of Saying: “The college is sponsoring a class for the retarded and mentally ill.”
Say: “The college is sponsoring a class for people with mental retardation and people who experience mental illness.”
Example #3:
Instead of Saying: “We just hired a deaf mute to work in the lab. He talks with his hands.”
Say: “We just hired a man to work in the lab who is deaf and uses sign language.”
SOME WORDS TO AVOID:
-
Afflicted
-
Confined
-
Crazy
-
Insane
-
Cripple
-
Deformed
-
Deaf and Dumb
-
Mute
-
Defective
-
Invalid
-
Retarded
-
Spastic
-
Victim
-
Quadriplegic
-
Paraplegic
PREFERRED TERMS AND EXPRESSIONS:
-
Blind
-
Deaf
-
Developmentally Disabled
-
Hard of Hearing
-
Visually Impaired
-
Emotionally Disabled
-
Person with Mental Retardation
-
Mobility Impaired
-
Physically Impaired
-
Paralyzed/Paralysis
-
Persons with a Disability
-
Wheelchair User
Incorporate these words and phases into positive communications in a way that is respectful and expresses the strengths and dignity of the person.
We can educate, We can inform
We can politely correct
Inaccurate use of language
and
We can encourage A societal attitude
Where only positive, Accurate words are
Acceptable in the context
Of Any conversation