The words you use and the way you portray individuals with disabilities matters. This factsheet provides guidelines for portraying individuals with disabilities in a respectful and balanced way by using language that is accurate, neutral and objective.
Do not assume that people with disabilities are willing to disclose their disability. While some people prefer to be public about their disability, such as including information about their disability in a media article, others choose to not be publically identified as a person with a disability.
Choosing language that emphasizes what people can do instead of what they can’t do is empowering.
Use
Don’t Use
Person who uses a wheelchair
Wheelchair-bound; confined to a wheelchair
Person who uses a communication device; uses an alternative method of communication
Is non-verbal; can’t talk
People with disabilities are, first and foremost, people. Labeling a person equates the person with a condition and can be disrespectful and dehumanizing. A person isn’t a disability, condition or diagnosis; a person has a disability, condition or diagnosis. This is called Person-First Language.
Use
Don’t Use
Person with a disability, people with disabilities
Disabled person; the disabled
Man with paraplegia
Paraplegic; paraplegic man
Person with a learning disability
Student receiving special education services
Special education student
A person of short stature or little person
People with disabilities have different preferences when referring to their disability. Some people see their disability as an essential part of who they are and prefer to be identified with their disability first – this is called Identity-First Language. Others prefer Person-First Language. Examples of Identity-First Language include identifying someone as a deaf person instead of a person who is deaf, or an autistic person instead of a person with autism.
Do not use language that portrays the person as passive or suggests a lack of something: victim, invalid, defective.
Use
Don’t Use
Person who has had a stroke
Person with epilepsy
Person afflicted with epilepsy, epileptic
Person with a brain injury
Brain damaged, brain injury sufferer
Use
Don’t Use
Note that ‘handicapped’ is an outdated and unacceptable term to use when referring to individuals or accessible environments.
Terms like differently-abled, challenged, handi-capable or special are often considered condescending.
Examples of offensive language include freak, retard, lame, imbecile, vegetable, cripple, crazy, or psycho.
In discussions that include people both with and without disabilities, do not use words that imply negative stereotypes of those with disabilities.
Use
Don’t Use
People without disabilities
Normal, healthy, able-bodied, whole
She is a child without disabilities
She is a normal child
People with disabilities can be healthy, although they may have a chronic condition such as arthritis or diabetes. Only refer to someone as a patient when his or her relationship with a health care provider is under discussion.
Much work needs to be done to break down stigma around psychiatric disabilities. The American Psychiatric Association has new guidelines for communicating responsibly about mental health.
Use
Don’t Use
He has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder; he is living with bipolar disorder
He is (a) bipolar; he is (a) manic-depressive
Died by suicide
Is receiving mental health services
Mental Health patient/case
Person with schizophrenia
Person with substance use disorder; person experiencing alcohol/drug problem
Addict, abuser; junkie
She has a mental health condition or psychiatric disability
She is mentally ill/emotionally disturbed/ insane
Do not make assumptions by saying a person with a disability is heroic or inspiring because they are simply living their lives. Stereotypes may raise false expectations that everyone with a disability is or should be an inspiration. People may be inspired by them just as they may be inspired by anyone else. Everyone faces challenges in life.
The fact that someone is blind or uses a wheelchair may or may not be relevant to the article you are writing. Only identify a person as having a disability if this information is essential to the story. For example, say “Board president Chris Jones called the meeting to order.” Do not say, “Board president Chris Jones, who is blind, called the meeting to order.” It’s ok to identify someone’s disability if it is essential to the story. For example, “Amy Jones, who uses a wheelchair, spoke about her experience with using accessible transportation.”
Tearjerkers about incurable diseases, congenital disabilities or severe injury that are intended to elicit pity perpetuate negative stereotypes.
Guidelines: How to Write and Report About People with Disabilities, and “Your Words, Our Image” (poster), Research & Training Center on Independent Living, University of Kansas, 8th Edition, 2013.
Content was developed by the ADA Knowledge Translation Center, and is based on professional consensus of ADA experts and the ADA National Network.
The contents of this factsheet were developed under grants from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DP0086). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this factsheet do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.