Terms and Expressions

Today people with disabilities are seeking to speak in unison on the issue of language.

The following list illustrates examples of generally acceptable and unacceptable terminology:

OUTDATED                                        PREFERRED

Handicapped person                           A person with a disability

A blind person                                   A person who is blind

A deaf person                                    A person who is deaf

Mute                                                 A person without speech

Retard                                              A person with a developmental disability

Birth Defect                                      A congenital disability

Confined to a wheelchair                     A person who uses a wheelchair

Crazy, Insane                                     Mental/emotional disability

Avoid these words which have negative connotations:

Abnormal, Afflicted, Confined, Crippled, Defective, Deformed, Imbecile, Invalid,

Lame, Maimed, Palsied, Retard, Stricken, Sufferer, Victim and Withered.