PART 1
COMMUNICATION GUIDANCE Part of what makes communicating challenging is that people with disabilities are not a homogeneous group. A good practice is to ask how someone prefers to describe themselves and, if you inadvertently offend someone with your language, apologize and ask them to share with you their preferred language. There are generally two ways to approach this: person-first or identity-first. Neither is right or wrong; we should simply honor an individual’s preference.
TIPS
USE
DO NOT USE
Emphasize abilities, not limitations
Person who uses a wheelchair
Confined or restricted to a wheelchair, wheelchair bound
Person who uses a device to speak
Can’t talk, mute
Do not use language that suggests the lack of something
Person with a disability
Disabled, handicapped
Person of short stature
Midget
Person with cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy victim
Person with epilepsy or seizure disorder
Epileptic
Person with multiple sclerosis
Afflicted by multiple sclerosis
Emphasize the need for accessibility, not the disability
Accessible parking or bathroom
Handicapped parking or bathroom
Do not use offensive language
Person with a physical disability
Crippled, lame, deformed, invalid, spastic
Person with an intellectual, cognitive, developmental disability
Slow, simple, moronic, defective,afflicted, special person
Person with and emotional or behavioral disability, a mental health impairment, or a psychiatric disability
Insane, crazy, psycho, maniac, nuts
Avoid language that implies negative stereotypes
Person without a disability; non- disabled person
Normal person, healthy person
Source: Center for Disease Control (CDC)
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