It doesnt work! This is a space for talking about - or "unpacking" disability - trying to better understand this huge word that is also a culture, an experience, a movement. Speaking as someone with a few years of experience working with people with developmental disabilities the current politically correct term is what I just used. More Appropriate: Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, speech impaired, Less Appropriate: lame, paralytic, gimp, gimpy,withered hand. 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. And others need to recognize the limits of their power to regulate this practice. The terms used for people with disabilities all too frequently perpetuate stereotypes and false ideas. Disability is a normal part of human diversity. Roll with their example. How about it?! Dana S. Dunn, a professor of psychology at Moravian College, in Bethlehem, Penn. Humanizingphrases emphasize the person even if the adjective of the disability is included. This term can be used to reflect a power differential between groups and has a violent connotation for some tribes and tribal members. When is a word okay? In it, I was talking about how caring for an elderly man in the advanced stages of Alzheimers helped me to heal. 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. For example, use "people with mental illnesses" not "the mentally . The term mental retardation was introduced to replace words like "idiot" and "imbecile" that were used in the past to identify people with certain levels of intelligence. Members of Deaf culture want their label to be capitalized with a "D," which is a means for establishing unity and community. Paralyzed, spastic, and victim are no longer used terms. 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. It's a blanket term that refers to anyone who has a physical (or mental) disability. Lets try and follow a story arc. If combining subpopulations in writing, ensure American Indians and Alaska Natives from tribes located in what is now called the United States are not included in the immigrant category. Comment: Terms are inaccurate, demeaning. 4. I had a lot of fun with the gifs. 4 years ago, I wrote a post calledThe Choice to Suffer. political correctness (PC), term used to refer to language that seems intended to give the least amount of offense, especially when describing groups identified by external markers such as race, gender, culture, or sexual orientation. Dumb, mute ; Person who cannot speak, has difficulty speaking, uses synthetic speech, is non-vocal, non-verbal . It is hard to pinpoint exactly when the politically correct movement in the disability community started, but the movement has stirred some controversy. Person-first and identity-first language: Developing psychologists' cultural competence using disability language. When talking about people without disabilities, it is okay to say "people without disabilities." They are not necessarily more politically correct., More Appropriate: a person has a physical, sensory or mental disability, Less Appropriate: inspirational, courageous. They dont shift and change just to mess up nervous non-disabled people. Being disabled is not a tragedy; how society treats disabled people is the tragedy. One interesting thing to note is that nearly all of these insulting, offensive terms were once commonly accepted, even clinical descriptions for various disabilities. Saying disabled is fine; person with a disability is fine too, but see how the person wants to be referred to as. I can tell you that in my childhood and young adulthood I spent a LOT of time and energy being utterly disturbed by what I personally saw and heard, in terms of other peoples response to, understanding of, and interaction with my uncle Christian and other people who may be a little different from average. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. Term no longer in use: the handicapped. A second meaning of this adjective is inferior. (Often disabled individuals will use these terms in reference to each other but for others to use them, it might be similar to a white person using the term the N word. With that in mind, some basic guidelines for politically correct and the disabled: "Special needs" WAS an educational term, not a disability term. 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 . The add-on phrase "with a disability," for example, effectively dissociates the disability from the person. Some try to use language to reshape the entire concept of disability, or redefine it out of existence somehow. Synonyms for DISABLED: impaired, challenged, deaf, blind, paralyzed, differently abled, exceptional, incapacitated; Antonyms of DISABLED: nondisabled, abled . In itself, its not a negative or a positive necessarily in terms of describing the person or experience, but something which combines with everything else to make you, YOU. Instead, Im taking cues from advocates who are disabled themselves. She earned her BS in psychology from Michigan State University, and her PsyD in clinical psychology from Wright State University, in Dayton, Ohio. Suffers from or is afflicted with [condition], People with a pre-existing mental health disorder, People with a pre-existing behavioral health disorder, People with a diagnosis of a mental illness/mental health disorder/behavioral health disorder. "They are two distinct things. Disabled people prefer this. I will still make mistakes. Its not new at all. But my guess is that within the next few years, this term will fade away. Its a way of experiencing the world. Latinx has been proposed as a gender-neutral English term, but there is debate around its usage. Emily Ladau of Words I Wheel By had some very prophetic and profound thoughts on this. Say "person with disability" rather than "disabled person." Say "people with disability" rather than "the disabled." Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, schools are required to provide education services to students with disabilities. When people use the term "the homeless" or "homeless person" (even in the context of compassion and kindness, such as "helping the homeless," "feeding the homeless . Ask the people you are with which term they prefer if they have a disability. I suggest you read the entire essay. Michelle Swan. You have rejected additional cookies. 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. This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability. People will speak about other people as they see fit, and that is that. (Sorry, the link I had is no longer valid and I cannot find it). Terms like differently abled, physically or mentally challenged, exceptional, and special needs are generally well-intended, at least on the surface. The term disability is perceived as negative and not politically correct. And read things written by disabled people, too. Somewhere around 15-20% of the human population is disabled. 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 . The group urges using positive language that avoids referring to people with disabilities as "the disabled, the blind, the epileptics, a quadriplegic," etc. Calling my son anything else does not make him any less disabled. I learned early on the necessity for kindness. She raises tremendous amounts of money for families wanting to adopt children with Down syndrome from Eastern Europe (thus, Read More Sibling Series: Patti Guest Posts in an Interview with her kidsContinue, Im really glad you like it! But the way we refer to other people affects how we think of them. The first term handicap refers to an obstacle imposed on people by some constraint in the environment. Language for disability can pose a challenge, especially because no one wants to offend another person or to appear to be insensitive. For example "disabled people" should be used rather than "the disabled". Stutterer, tongue-tied ; Person with a speech impairment, who has a speech . We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. In that post she said, I also want to say that Im just one person, going through my process. Aim to be factual, descriptive, and simple, not condescending, sentimental, or awkward. It wasn't a matter of being politically correct, but a matter of common decency. Arrrrrghhhh! Person-first terminology is used . Persons aged [numeric age group] (for example, persons aged 55-64 years), Elders when referring to older adults in a cultural context, Elderly or frail elderly when referring to older adults in a specific clinical context, People who are at increased/higher risk for [condition], People who live/work in settings that put them at increased/higher risk of becoming infected or exposed to hazards, Referring to people as their race/ethnicity (for example, Blacks, Hispanics, Latinos, Whites, American Indians, etc. 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. CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data. Even U.S. law has changed from using the term "mental retardation" to the term "intellectual disability." Just Politically Correct? Politically correct words or terms are used to show differences between people or groups in a non-offensive way. Unhandicap Your Language. That is, its person-first language a person with a disability until the person sees disability as an identity, then it becomes identify first. A philosophical observation: By using the term impaired, society has expanded the meaning of the word, making it less precise. We choose the words we want to use for ourselves, not others! In Australia people with disability want to be acknowledged as people first. Term Now Used: disabled person, person with a 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. 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. Comment: These phrases describe people as their disabilities. CDC is aware that some individuals with disabilities prefer to use identity-first terminology, which means a disability or disability status is referred to first. The new term to say instead of Special Needs. Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. In addition, avoid terms such as "confined to a wheelchair" or "disabled toilet or parking space." Instead, use the terms, the student in a wheelchair or the student who uses a wheelchair, the accessible toilet or accessible parking space. 3. potatomoonlight 6 yr. ago. 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. 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. [/vc_message][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]When I first started my job at UC Berkeley, coordinating a program in conjunction with the state of California, Read More The Gift of a Moment: Understanding Difficult Times and ChoicesContinue, Anyone who says, its just a word is forgetting that the pen is mightier than the sword, forgetting that words wound more deeply than any knife could. for over a decade. 23) warns that "the word special in relationship to those with disabilities is now widely considered offensive because it euphemistically stigmatizes" persons with disabilities. 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). In general, there is no hyphen after inter, so interabled is the correct usage (not inter-abled). Invalid. Comment: Terms create a false impression: wheelchairs liberate, not confine or bind; they are mobility tools from which people transfer to sleep, sit in other chairs, drive cars, stand, etc. A few highlights of the document: Put the person first. Mortal flesh heals quicker than an immortal soul, and that soul is what has the potential to be hurt in a word. Personnally, I like . Dunn, D. S. (2015). Emphasizes the medical aspects of a condition instead of the person. Moron, idiot, cretin, mongo all fall under that as well as retard. Person with . Disability Disability is a term used to describe people who have a mental or physical impairment which has a long-term effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. Disabled people, their families and friends, their allies and casual acquaintances, and their antagonists cant agree on which words strike the right balance between accuracy, clarity, realism, and positivity. Avoid passive, victim words. The most essential guideline for disability language is to use whatever words each individual disabled person prefers. Totally agree. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Special needs WAS an educational term, not a disability term. "They are retarded" becomes "They are people with developmental disabilities.". Some groups consider the term people of color as an unnecessary and binary option (people of color vs. White people), and some people do not identify with the term people of color. If you describe one group, use the same type of description for all groups being compared. But that girl using a wheelchair says gimp or crip. Mental illness is a general condition. Acceptable: people with disabilities. They all sound . As I am trying to grow and learn about ableism, I have tried to go back and update the particularly cringe-worthy ones. Person-first language puts the person before the disability, using phrases like "person with a disability" or "person with autism" instead of "disabled person" or "autistic person." Advocates of this approach state that it focuses on the person who is affected by the condition instead of the condition itself; the first words you . Ugly is ugly and kindness prevails always! People use words so much, so, Read More Crip and Gimp: Word ReclaimationContinue, When funders focus on developing youth leadership they are nearly always assuming a nondisabled model. His scholarship examines teaching, learning and liberal education, as well as the social psychology of disability. You can read more of her thoughts in that link. So while moron and idiot in the 19th and early 20th centuries were clinical terms for different levels of intellectual disability, the horrifically disdainful and disgusted opinions about intellectually disabled people helped make those words insulting, at the time and especially today. We can name specific types of disability, like cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, amputee, or blind. Don't use insensitive terms ("crazy," "insane," "psycho," "nuts," "deranged") to describe someone displaying unusual or violent behaviors, or who may have a mental illness . Comment: People LIVE with a disability, they have to overcome attitudinal, social, architectural, educational, transportation and employment barriers. Despite my best efforts and intentions, I still am only a parent and not a disabled person. These are all terms which should never be used in conversation, and there would be little loss in communication if we did just stop using them except for historical or explanatory purposes (like their appearance in this article). You are a real hero!") 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. 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). Since we're talking about replacements for "crippled," we'll focus on the physical disabilities, which is why "disabled" still works as the best replacement. Bear in mind, of course, that some challenges remain. Common phrases that may associate impairments with negative things should be avoided, for example deaf to our pleas or blind drunk. Consider racial/ethnic groups as proper nouns and capitalize (for example, Black, White). Consider these guidelines when communicating with or about disabled people. The term "intellectual disability" is gradually replacing the term "mental retardation" nationwide. Avoid phrases like suffers from which suggest discomfort, constant pain and a sense of hopelessness. A disability is a condition or quality linked to a particular person. It may refer to a physical, sensory, or mental condition. Being disabled is not something to be ashamed of, and its not something to be scared of; its just a fact of life. But they are so obviously an effort to be kind, or nice, or positive and cheerleading that the effect on actual disabled people can be sentimental and condescending. You should also avoid using terms like 'able-bodied' as this implies people . American Indian and Alaska Natives are the only federally recognized political minority in the United States. Overwhelmingly, we prefer to be called "hard of hearing people.". He needs to communicate and to eat, go to school, get a job, have friends and leisure activities. The Down syndrome community is sick of it, the greater (cross-disability) disability is sick of it, and there we go. So here we go. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. And then the person over in that group over there is going to tell you its all balderdash anyway. What is the politically correct term for disabled? Erin E. Andrews, former co-chair of APA's Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology is board certified in rehabilitation psychology and currently serves as the supervisory psychologist at the Austin Veterans Affairs (VA) Outpatient Clinic, the largest freestanding VA outpatient clinic in the United States. Colorado State Universitysland acknowledgment is a statement crafted by a variety of Indigenous faculty and staff, as well as other officials at CSU. Use LGBTQ community (and not, for example, gay community) to reflect the diversity of the community unless a specific sub-group is meant to be referenced. General term used for a functional limitation that interferes with a person's ability for example, to walk, lift, hear, or learn. Comment: Terms are variations of the condition and describes someone as the condition and implies the person is an object of medical care. Why are we avoiding using the word disabled? In 2013, Dunn received the American Psychological Foundation's Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching of Psychology. 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." . 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). More Appropriate: people who are developmentally disabled have Downs Syndrome, Less Appropriate: Sam is epileptic, Tony is CP (cerebral palsied),- spastic, Helen is LD (learning disabled), is AD/HD. Handicap. 56. Older buildings that lack ramps for wheelchair access, for example, present a handicap for people who use wheelchairs. They are somebody's son, somebody's daughter. This style guide, which covers dozens of words and terms commonly used when referring to disability, can help. The term Indian Country describes reservations, lands held within tribal jurisdictions, and areas with American Indian populations. While some words/phrases are commonly used by many, including those with disabilities, usage is likely due to habit rather than intentional meaning. 2. A disability is present when activities usually performed by people (such as walking, talking, reading or learning) are in some way restricted. They're not strangers. The definition of politically correct language (abbreviated to PC) is choosing and using words that focus on empathy, fairness and justice. Don't use: "Schizophrenic, psychotic, disturbed, crazy or insane". I haven't said this since high school when a couple of my peers said to me, "Dude, we're not African. Ive been a person with a disability for most of my life, and a member of the Down syndrome community (thanks to my daughter!) Disabled is not a dirty word. More Appropriate: mental disability, behavior disorder, emotional disability, mentally restored, Less Appropriate: retard, a person with mental retardation, slow, simple-minded, idiot, Mongoloid. Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was either deaf and used sign language or both deaf and could not speak.The term continues to be used to refer to deaf people who cannot speak an oral language or have some degree of speaking ability, but choose not to speak because of the negative or unwanted attention atypical voices sometimes attract. Its for everyone out there like my friend who asked me to write this post because she was just confused by all the talk out there about what to call us! "Impaired" means weakened, diminished, or damaged. The following is intended as suggestion, not censorship, in choosing more appropriate terms. The term stakeholder is used across many disciplines to reflect different levels of input or investment in projects or activities. Refugees who leave their homes may be entitled to a range of legal protections and aid to which migrants are not entitled. How is a world okay? VERY DIFFERENT.. Remember that both approaches are designed to respect disabled persons, so both are fine choices. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. 4. The term migrant farmworker or migrant agricultural worker is often used to refer to persons who travel from their home base to another location within the same country, or from one country to another, to perform agricultural work. I will use them interchangeably too. Cookies used to enable you to share pages and content that you find interesting on CDC.gov through third party social networking and other websites. Some groups within the disability community, which is arguably the largest minority group in the U.S., have already established their language preferences. Doing so hinders understanding and can even trivialize other, more important qualities possessed by the individual. Check to see which term individuals might prefer. What if you SUCK and just MESS UP and someone catches you and you are proved to be a COMPLETELY INSENSITIVE and HURTFUL HUMAN BEING?!!!!!! People who use wheelchairs go for walks and people with visual impairments may be very pleased or not to see you. Do you say none of the words? Within context, there shouldnt be any confusion about it referring to the Asian country, India. If your key groups are organizations or people directly involved in the project/activity, use terms that describe the nature of their influence or involvement. Use language that respects disabled people as active individuals with control over their own lives. This difference may be because of race, gender, beliefs, religion, sexual orientation, or because they have a mental or physical disability, or any difference from what most people believe is normal. When in doubt, keep it simple. As you also know from your own experience, education is key to improving all of our lives. Do not use underserved when you really mean disproportionately affected. Frankly, that answer sounds a bit politically correct. Comment: Terms are demeaning and outdated. First I want to quote another parent like me, who did a similar post almost a year ago. This is our third Summer Blog Hop Series, and I want to kick this up a notch. For example, the National Federation for the Blind has long advocated for identity-firstlanguage, preferring "blind person" over the person-firstconstructions like "individual with blindness" or "person who is blind." It's a good idea to follow the AMA Manual of Style's lead with this one. And looking back, person first language seems to have been promoted mostly by non-disabled people for our benefit, not by us. volunteer, etc I have a keen interest in this topic, and a lifetime of experience. Most disabled people are comfortable with the words used to describe daily living. - Father Joe Carroll. Disabled. Say the word: disability. Even as I describe people as being visually impaired, I have already stepped into word doo-doo. They change as disabled peoples understanding of ourselves and our place in society changes, and as our aspirations change as well. The rules and implications of disability language are always evolving. Impairment This post is about the politically correct term for disabled and politically correct term for special needs. and received his PhD in social psychology from the University of Virginia. What if you want to use the actual meaning of the word in a correct context, like retard growth? Refugee and migrant are often used interchangeably. Obviously, its impossible to satisfy everyone. OMG thats so annoying. is not a good idea, either. Finally, non-disabled people shouldn't lecture disabled people on correct terminology. There are a dozen ways to analyze and justify or criticize this intellectually, but its also just the way things work with people who are marginalized or oppressed. The keyword here is 'people.'. Use of either positive or negative labels inevitably over-emphasizes one aspect disability of a person's life. 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.