Language often shapes our perception.Using “people first” (“person with a disability”, “person with a visual impairment”) helps remind us and others that people with disabilities are people first, and are more than their disability.
Instead of:
Use:
Because:
The Handicapped
Persons with Disabilities
Handicapped is derived from “cap in hand” and implies that someone is dependent on society.
The Disabled
Persons with Disabilities
One is a person before one is disabled.
Wheelchair Bound, Confined to a Wheelchair
Uses a Wheelchair or Wheelchair User
A wheelchair is not confining- it allows movement from one place to another.
Birth Defect
Congenital Disability
Persons with disabilities are not defective.
Crippled
Has a Disability
Crippled comes from Old English “to creed” and is also used as an adjective meaning inferior.
Mongoloid
Persons with Down Syndrome
Mongoloid is a racist term.
Mental, Crazy, Psycho, Insane, Nut Case
Person with Mental Illness
These are offensive and negative sterotypes.
Normal, Healthy, Whole
Non-Disabled
People with disabilities may also be normal, healthy, and whole.
Deaf and Dumb, Deaf-Mute
Person who is Deaf or a Person who Does Not Speak
Simply because someone is deaf does not mean they cannot speak, and they are not dumb.