People with a disability lead everyday lives. They go to school, go to work, get married, have children and excel in society like everyone else. Here are some A-Z tips and common courtesies to think about next time you are talking to, writing about or socialising with a person with a disability.
Ability - When communicating with or about people with a disability remember they may have only one disability—but they have many abilities.
A paraplegic, a haemophiliac - The use of ‘A' before the noun categorises the person based on their disability. Use person with haemophilia, man who has paraplegia.
Abnormal or sub-normal - Not acceptable. Use people or person with a disability.
Afflicted with or suffering from - Most people with a disability do not see themselves as afflicted or suffering.
Assistance - Always ask a person with a disability if they need help before rushing in.
Blind - Use only to describe a person who really is blind. In other cases use person with vision impairment.
Confined to a wheelchair - A wheelchair is not confining, it provides mobility to those who can't walk.
Cripple - Only to be used as part of a direct quote or an organisation's name.
Deaf - Only use if a person really is Deaf. In other cases use person with a hearing impairment.
Defect - Not acceptable. Use congenital disability, blind from birth.
Disabled - Use people or person with a disability, not disabled person. The person always comes first.
Disabled toilet or disabled parking space - The toilet or car park is not disabled! Use accessible toilet or accessible parking space.
Fits - The preferred term is seizures.
Guide dogs - Never pat or touch a guide dog while the dog is working or when the dog is in its harness. Always ask permission and remember that sometimes the owner may say no.
Handicap - This word should only be used to describe the obstacles that restrict an individual's participation, e.g. a person is handicapped by the lack of accessible transport.
Intellectual disability - Terms such as mongol, retard or mentally retarded are outdated. Use people with an intellectual disability.
Mental illness - Do not use insane, lunatic, mad or crazy. Use mental illness or the appropriate clinical name. e.g. person with schizophrenia.
Mongolism - Use person with Down syndrome.
Normal - This is a statistical term. Use person without a disability or terms such as sighted or hearing.
Patient - Should only be used when a person is actually receiving medical care. Use the same adjective as you would for a person without a disability.
Patronising language - Don't describe people as brave, special or suffering. Disability is part of
everyday life.
People with disabilities - Can imply that people have more than one disability. Use people with a disability.
Psychiatric disability - Can be used to describe a mental illness. Don't use insane, lunatic, mad or crazy.
Retarded - Derogatory, outdated and unacceptable—instead use people with an intellectual disability.
Spastic - Derogatory, outdated and unacceptable, unless used as part of an organisation's name. In most cases person with cerebral palsy is the acceptable alternative.
Sufferer - People don't suffer just because they have a disability.
The blind, the deaf - Avoid using ‘the' in this manner as it unconsciously eliminates the person and creates a generalisation based purely on disability.
Vegetables - Are what you cook and eat—not people who are unconscious or in a coma.
Victim - People are victims of war, crime or exploitative wages. People with a disability prefer not to be referred to as victims.
Visual impairment - Implies a person is unattractive to look at! Use vision impairment or sight impairment.
Wheelchair user - When talking to a person who uses a wheelchair place yourself at eye level. Do not push anyone who uses a wheelchair unless you are asked.
SMP would like to thank Link Disability Magazine for developing and allowing us to use this list
