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Try Instead |
Cripple, Crippled - The image conveyed is of a twisted, deformed, unattractive, useless body. The effect is of strong stigmatization and all encompassing inferiority.
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People with disabilities. |
| Handicap, Handicapped Person or the handicapped - Not a synonym for disability, barrier imposed by society, the environment, one’s self or others’ attitudes. |
Disability, a general term used for a functional difference that changes the way a person walks, hears, learns or lifts. It may refer to a physical, mental or sensory condition.
Barrier free or accessible refers to structures or programs - i.e.accessible parking or barrier free museum. |
| Healthy - When used to contrast with “disabled”, “healthy” implies the person with a Disability is unhealthy. Many people with disabilities have excellent health. |
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| Normal - When used as the opposite of “disabled”, implies the disabled person is abnormal. |
People with and without disabilities, people who do not have a disability. |
| Afflicted with/suffers from - Most people with disabilities don’t regard themselves as afflicted or suffering continually. |
Person who has (name the disability). |
| Disease - Many disabilities, such as cerebral palsy or spinal cord injury are not caused by diseases. For example, you would not say “A broken legged man”. |
It is better to omit the word and use the name of the actual disease. |
| Homebound, Bed-ridden - Given the expanding mobility of persons with disabilities, this is not always a true assumption. Use it if it is impossible to go anywhere. |
Hard for the person to get out without exaggeration. |
| Special - Describes that which is different or uncommon about any person and most often has a cute and patronizing connotation. |
Do not use to describe persons with disabilities (except when citing laws or regulations.) |
Cerebral Palsied, Spinal Cord
Injured, etc.- Never identify people solely by their disability. |
Person with cerebral palsy, people with spinal cord injuries. |
| Victim - People with disabilities do not like to be perceived as victims for the rest of their lives, long after any “victimization” has occurred. |
Person with a spinal cord injury, polio, a stroke, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, etc. |
| Defective, Defect, Deformed, Vegetable. - Dehumanizing, degrading, and stigmatizing. |
Sam was born without legs or (name) has a disability. |
| Retard, Moron, Imbecile, Idiot - Children often use these in perceived jest but in fact these words are stigmatizing and offensive to people with and without disabilities. |
Where appropriate, try person who has a mental or developing disability. |
| Deaf and Dumb - This is as bad as it sounds. People who do not use words to speak or who do not hear are no less intelligent than the next person. |
Special Note: Some people do refer to themselves as Deaf, based on the particular culture such as Deaf Community. |
| Confined/Restricted to a Wheelchair. - Most people who use a wheelchair or mobility devices do not regard them as confining. They are viewed as liberating, a means of getting around. |
Sam uses a wheelchair or Sam walks with crutches. |
