Debilitated. Do not use disabilities as nouns to refer to people. The correct term is "disability"a person with a disability. Because my son uses a wheelchair and because quite often we go out in public just the two of us, we often have trouble accessing doors. Very few adults refer to their disabilities as special needs, which should maybe cause us to rethink using the term for kids and youth with disabilities. What is the politically correct term for the disabled? As I am trying to grow and learn about ableism, I have tried to go back and update the particularly cringe-worthy ones. Others look around, confused, wondering when the disability words they once learned as progressive suddenly became not only pass, but provocative. I'm a counselor, Hawai'i based global nomad. Moron, idiot, cretin, mongo all fall under that as well as retard. Term Now Used: disabled person, person with a disability. Jamie Davis Smith also echoes my sentiments, which apply to this issue and the People First Language issue. When will people realize how precious our Downs community is, and how much they have to teach the rest of us about loving kindness. They are individuals who can do some things and cant do other things. We recommend using this section as a guide and inspiration to reflect upon word choice and choose words carefully, inclusively, and appropriately for a specific use and audience. Create a free online memorial to gather donations from loved ones. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website. This is where Ive come to, but if you look back through my blog, youll see a few years ago I was a very different person. The Gift of a Moment: Understanding Difficult Times and Choices, 4 Ideas for Developing A Strong Leadership Pipeline with Disabled Youth, by Corbett OToole, Sibling Series: Patti Guest Posts in an Interview with her kids. These conditions, or impairments, may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory, or a combination of multiple factors. More Appropriate: Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, speech impaired, Less Appropriate: lame, paralytic, gimp, gimpy,withered hand. This claiming can be about disability more generally or with regards to a particular disability. But my guess is that within the next few years, this term will fade away. Organizations that value differences reflect it in their communication. For instance, one person who has dwarfism might like to be referred to as a "dwarf," whereas another might prefer to be called a "person with dwarfism." 2. Comment: These phrases describe people as their disabilities. Dwarfism is a medical or genetic condition that usually results in an adult height of 4'10" or shorter, although in some cases a person with a form of dwarfism may be slightly taller than that. Disability and disabled work elegantly simply to describe the shared social identity of all people who have any kind of disability. Person with a disability is now referred to as a disabled person. - Father Joe Carroll. "Blind" means unable to see, sightless, lacking the sense of sight. Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. Why we, as parents should rethink using the term special needs. "Person with a Disability" is a more inclusive, less biased term to describe someone who is disabled . Nothing about disability indicates ability (see. As Michelle Swan says in her essay My Needs are not Special, My needs are not special, they are just my needs, and I have the same right to have my needs met as any other person.. This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability. This is our third Summer Blog Hop Series, and I want to kick this up a notch. I couldnt agree with her more. Why? And then the person over in that group over there is going to tell you its all balderdash anyway. The keyword here is 'people.'. The add-on phrase "with a disability," for example, effectively dissociates the disability from the person. The terms used for people with disabilities all too frequently perpetuate stereotypes and false ideas. Certainly not by non-disabled people. Indian Country is generally used in context and is rarely used as a stand-alone it typically is used in writing only after American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) has already been used, and the writer wants to avoid continuing to repeat AI/AN or tribes and refer more broadly to the general wide community of AI/AN peoples and tribes. That is, people outside of our community who care about us and our kids, people who want to be our friends and allies, people who want to do and say the right thing. When referring to people who are experiencing symptoms (for example, depression, anxiety) but a condition has not been diagnosed or the symptoms may not reach a clinical threshold, consider: Persons experiencing persistent high stress or anxiety, Asylum seeker; people who are seeking asylum, Non-U.S.-born persons/foreign-born persons, Use accurate and clearly defined terms when referring to foreign-born persons. 2. Its also an understandable but ultimately wrongheaded effort to promote equality not by elevating disabled people, but in a sense trying to deny the reality of disability as a meaningful concept or experience. What is the politically correct term for special needs. Alternative words to the term disability are usually efforts to avoid the negative stigma ATTACHED to the word rather than seeing disability as neutral. The term "mental retardation" is finally being eliminated from the international classifications of diseases and disorders. But most disabled folks, Read More 4 Ideas for Developing A Strong Leadership Pipeline with Disabled Youth, by Corbett OTooleContinue, The second post in the weekly Sibling Series, exploring relationships between siblings with disabilities, we have a post written by Patti of A Perfect Lily . They say people with disabilities and you say disabled.. 22 Early Career Practice Award, and the 2015 James Besyner Early Career Award from the Association of VA Psychology Leaders. The backlash began in the United States in the early 1990s when conservative intellectuals began to use "political correctness" to criticize the left for imposing their views on . We choose the words we want to use for ourselves, not others! These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties. The Down syndrome community simmers down. You can review and change the way we collect information below. Language for disability can pose a challenge, especially because no one wants to offend another person or to appear to be insensitive. People will speak about other people as they see fit, and that is that. Personally I consider "disability" and "handicap" acceptable. More Appropriate: blind, legally blind, partially sighted, vision impaired, Less Appropriate: deaf and dumb, deaf-mute, dummy. Now I recognize that those tough times made me a stronger more compassionate person. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. Take note of their choices in written language. Please contact us with any questions or comments at HEGuidingPrinciples@cdc.gov. Stutterer, tongue-tied ; Person with a speech impairment, who has a speech . At the end of that post, I said this:Up next: Ill be tackling special needs. Because that vernacular is seeing a shift too. Advancing psychology to benefit society and improve lives, Contact the Office on Disability Issues in Psychology. To take another quote from the blog post I mentioned earlier: Disability. Roll with their example. The social psychology of disability. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. The following provides some preferred terms for select population groups; these terms attempt to represent an ongoing shift toward non-stigmatizing language. Say the word: disability. Handicap. The handicapped are no longer covered by this term. Disability . 56. Well send you a link to a feedback form. I had a lot of fun with the gifs. Other terms, tribal communities/populations or indigenous communities/populations, could also be used to refer to groups with multiple tribal affiliations. Its the kind of situation where if you are part of the group you can use it for yourselves, but from other peoples mouths its an insult. 4. Latino (individual man, group of men, or group of people including men and women), Latina (individual woman or group of women), People who live in rural/sparsely populated areas, Using MSM (men who have sex with men) as shorthand for sexual orientation to describe men who self-identify as gay or bisexual, individually or collectively, Sexual preference, which is used to suggest someones sexual identity is a choice and therefore could be changed by choice, Lesbian, gay, or bisexual (when referring to self-identified sexual orientation). In practice, this means that instead of referring to a "disabled person," use "person with a disability." Any well-meaning persons reasons for the choices they believe in are largely secondary compared to respecting what how disabled person wants to be talked about and referred to. Traumatic Brain Injury Resources and Blog Posts, Cool Cats: Voices from the Disability Community, International Alliance of Writers for Down Syndrome: The T21 Alliance, The Right Things to Say to Someone with a Chronic Illness, The famous person or situation or whatever apologizes. He needs to communicate and to eat, go to school, get a job, have friends and leisure activities. You are a real hero!") Required fields are marked *, By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Comment: Terms implies mental incapacitation occurs with hearing loss and/or speech impairment. Ugly is ugly and kindness prevails always! Why do we need to remind society that disabled people are capable of doing things? Pay attention to the words adults with disabilities use most often. Whenever possible, describe specific groups and/or individuals with interest in an activity using relevant names, categories, or descriptions of the nature of their influence or involvement (for example, advisors, consultants, co-owners). To me, that is not how you educate someone. The National Association of the Deaf supports these terms, and they are used by most organizations involved with the Deaf community. What are politically correct terms? Paralyzed, spastic, and victim are no longer used terms. The meaning of POLITICALLY CORRECT is conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated. With that in mind, some basic guidelines for politically correct and the disabled: "Special needs" WAS an educational term, not a disability term. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk. Theres nothing wrong with trying to avoid offending others. The question resists all attempts to forge broad consensus. Nothing is ever 100%. People/communities of color is a frequently used term, but should only be used if included groups are defined upon first use; be mindful to refer to a specific racial/ethnic group(s) instead of this collective term when the experience is different across groups. The term has often been used derisively . is a former member of the APA's Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology (CDIP). Ive been a person with a disability for most of my life, and a member of the Down syndrome community (thanks to my daughter!) Exploring disability practices, policy, politics, and culture. I was born with a profound deafness and am fortunate that I was blessed with parents who did not let that be my identity (not that there is anything wrong with it). But after 8 years of blogging, it will take me forever to find every instance where it says special needs and replace it. Examples: contributors, community, community members, community impacted, community affected, community of solution, coalition members, allies, colleagues, clients, tribes, advocacy groups, interested parties/groups, implementing partners, working partners, funders. The term "hearing impaired" was supposed to be the politically correct term to be used when referring to all deaf and hard of hearing people in a collective sense. I suggest you read the entire essay. A politically correct word or expression is used instead of another one to avoid being offensive: Some people think that "fireman" is a sexist term, and prefer the politically correct term "firefighter." ), More Appropriate: Anita has a physical disability; Tom is unable to walk, Less Appropriate: sightless, blind as a bat, four eyes. And the weariness easily switches to wariness. But many disabled people increasingly feel that their disabilities are not invaders or merely inconvenient attributes, but something more central to who they are. However, many deaf people whose first language is BSL consider themselves part of the deaf community they may describe themselves as Deaf, with a capital D, to emphasise their deaf identity. Its the term to use when specific diagnoses are less important than the barriers we all encounter, the social position we all share, the ableism we all face. Thank you for taking the time to confirm your preferences. Disability itself does not create a strong person, that strength comes from within the person. Ask the people you are with which term they prefer if they have a disability. Disabled people prefer this. "It is fine to say 'person with a disability,' but terms like 'challenged' and 'the disabled' have fallen out of favor." When in doubt about what term to use, ask. Disabled people have the right to do everything we do. More Appropriate: acknowledge the persons abilities and individuality, Less Appropriate: isnt it wonderful how he has overcome his/her disability?. But its widespread use as a generic term for a set of common experiences and social positions make these terms as close to value neutral as can be possible, and therefore useful in the much more achievable goals of accurate identification, equality, and basic respect. Consider using words other than stakeholder when appropriate for your audience and subject matter, recognizing it may not always be possible to do so. Quinn West, a disabled artist living in Chicago, grew up going to a mainstream school and felt the impact of the term "special needs." "Abled people assume that saying 'special' means a 'good . Im learning. American Psychologist, 70, 255-264. Even the term "disability" is not universally accepted. In this case, a wheelchair user is handicapped her mobility through use of her wheelchair is disrupted by the missing ramp. It also groups all parties into one term, despite potential differences in the way they are engaged or interact with a project or activity. An inclusive and diverse environment isn't just about hiring people that "look good" on the brochure. The term alien (person who is not a citizen of the United States) may be stigmatizing in some contexts and should only be used in technical documents and when referring to or using immigration law terminology. How is a world okay? There are nouniversal agreed-upon guidelines. 4 years ago, I wrote a post calledThe Choice to Suffer. A disability is a condition or quality linked to a particular person. People with lower socioeconomic status should only be used when SES is defined (for example, when income, education, parental education, and occupation are used as a measure of SES). For example, a statement comparing parents with parents of color implies that White parents are the norm against which others (parents of color) are compared. Dont automatically refer to disabled people in all communications many people who need disability benefits and services dont identify with this term. Members of Deaf culture want their label to be capitalized with a "D," which is a means for establishing unity and community. Finally, non-disabled people shouldn't lecture disabled people on correct terminology. Comment: Terms are variations of the condition and describes someone as the condition and implies the person is an object of medical care. Answer (1 of 5): I think handicapped is more commonly disliked because some people think the etymology is "cap in hand" i.e. Emphasizes the medical aspects of a condition instead of the person. Hearing-impaired - This term is no longer accepted by most in the community but was at one time preferred, largely because it was viewed as politically correct. Identify-first is: deaf person, blind person, disabled person. More Appropriate: walks with a cane, uses crutches, has a disabled/handicapped hand, Less Appropriate: crazy, insane, psycho, nut, maniac, former mental patient. An impairment may just mean that some things are done in a different way. Inaccurate reference; a person is NOT a condition. We are all at different points on our journey and learning and language and vernacular are constantly changing. I mean, first of all, good God anyone who knows any Downs person knows what a blessing these people are to the lives of everyone who knows them. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Several months ago, I did a blog post about People First Language, and why it shouldnt be mandated. Used as a put-down in most cases. Stakeholders are persons or groups who have an interest or concern in a project, activity, or course of action. We do know that at some point, some people decided that terms like "deaf" or "blind" were derogatory, negative, and should not be used. A few highlights of the document: Put the person first. In daily life, how should we talk about disability? Special needs WAS an educational term, not a disability term. Meriah, thank you for capturing and describing the angst of so many of us who wish to be sensitive in todays turbulent social bullying environment! Disabled people who choose identity-first language claim and celebrate, rather than distance themselves, from their disabilities. Older people. In that post she said, I also want to say that Im just one person, going through my process. By doing so, a disabled individual intentionally chooses an identity rather than allowing others even well meaning others, such as family, friends and medical professionals to do so for them. You can change your cookie settings at any time. In the words of Lawrence Carter-Long: A need isn't special if other people get to take the same thing for granted. Considering using terms that are inclusive of all gender identities (for example parents-to-be; expectant parents). They referred to me as the wheelchair and my four year-old shouts, Shes my Mum! I was really proud and the dudes were embarrassed, and learned something. In general, there is no hyphen after inter, so interabled is the correct usage (not inter-abled). Disabled is a describing word and should not be used to categorize a group of individuals. Dunn is the author or editor of 29 books and over 150 journal articles, chapters and book reviews. Is there any alternative to person-first language? Here are a few tips to sort through the competing schools of thought on disability language, and ride the various waves of popularity and revision that disability language goes through. She earned her BS in psychology from Michigan State University, and her PsyD in clinical psychology from Wright State University, in Dayton, Ohio. Not all people who have had a mental or emotional disability have it forever or to the same degree all the time. Published: 2009-01-28 - Updated: 2020-05-03 Author: Disabled World | Contact: www.disabled-world.com Peer-Reviewed Publication: N/A Additional References: Disability Awareness Publications Synopsis: Examples and information on the language of disability awareness to make your talks more sensitive, accurate and inclusive . Being disabled is not something to be ashamed of, and its not something to be scared of; its just a fact of life. But the way we refer to other people affects how we think of them. With that in mind, some basic guidelines for politically correct and the disabled: Meriah Nichols is a counselor. Instead, Im taking cues from advocates who are disabled themselves. A phrase like "stroke victim," for example, is not innocuous, as it suggests that a person succumbed or was passive. A disability may be present from birth, or occur during a person's lifetime. To declare oneself or another person as deaf or blind, for example, was considered somewhat bold, rude, or impolite. "Handi-capable", "People of all abilities", "Different abilities", "Differently abled" can be lumped together with "special needs.". It should be noted however, that the same terminology does not necessarily apply in other countries. The term stakeholder is used across many disciplines to reflect different levels of input or investment in projects or activities. I think the important thing though is NOT whether either is "politically correct" but what is helpful or hurtful! You should also avoid using terms like 'able-bodied' as this implies people . Over the years, with a lot of self maturity I learned to share my disability so that others would not just deem me rude when I didnt respond to them. Recognize obviously insulting terms and stop using or tolerating them. My oldest childhood friend is a person with a disability. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. More Appropriate: mental disability, behavior disorder, emotional disability, mentally restored, Less Appropriate: retard, a person with mental retardation, slow, simple-minded, idiot, Mongoloid. Bear in mind, of course, that some challenges remain. Other disabilities are not necessarily apparent, for example, acquired brain injury or chronic depression. The new term to say instead of Special Needs. People who use wheelchairs go for walks and people with visual impairments may be very pleased or not to see you. And others need to recognize the limits of their power to regulate this practice. Similarly, placing people with disabilities on a pedestal ("You are so brave to keep trying despite your disability! The argument is straightforward: use of these honest, candid and less euphemistic terms and phrases enables groups and the individuals within them to "claim" their disabilities with pride.