People First Language

Words with dignity! Avoid these words!

Say… Instead of…

people with disabilities the handicapped or the disabled

people with mental retardation the mentally retarded

he has a cognitive impairment he’s retarded

my son has autism my son is autistic

she has Down syndrome she’s a downs kid

he has a learning disability he’s learning disabled

I have paraplegia I’m a paraplegic

she has a physical disability she’s crippled

she has a mobility impairment she’s lame

he’s of short stature; he’s short he’s a dwarf (or midget)

she has an emotional disability she’s emotionally disturbed

he uses a wheelchair he’s wheelchair bound

he uses a mobility chair he’s confined to a wheelchair

typical kids, kids without disabilities normal kids, healthy kids

he receives special ed services he’s in special ed

congenital disability or birth defect

has a disability since birth

accessible parking, accessible bathrooms handicapped parking, handicapped bathrooms

she has a need for… she has a problem with…

she has epilepsy she’s an epileptic

seizure fit

he has… he’s afflicted with… or he’s a victim of…

a person who is deaf a deaf person

a person with a hearing impairment or a hearing impaired person

a person with hearing challenges

adapted from People First Language, A commentary by Kathie Snow 1/98 To learn more about Kathie Snow and to hear good news about people with disabilities, please check out www.disabilityisnatural.com.