List of disability-related terms with negative connotations

The following is a list of terms, used to describe disabilities or people with disabilities, which may carry negative connotations or be offensive to people with or without disabilities.

Some people consider it best to use person-first language, for example "a person with a disability" rather than "a disabled person."[1] However identity-first language, as in "autistic person" or "deaf person", is preferred by many people and organizations.[2]

Language can influence individuals' perception of disabled people and disability.[3] Views vary with geography and culture, over time, and among individuals. Many terms that some people view as harmful are not viewed as hurtful by others, and even where some people are hurt by certain terms, others may be hurt by the replacement of such terms with what they consider to be euphemisms (e.g., "differently abled" or "special needs"). Some people believe that terms should be avoided if they might hurt people; others hold the listener responsible for misinterpreting terms used without harmful intent.[citation needed] For example, crazy should be avoided in describing persons or their behaviors, but is less likely to cause offense if used as an intensifier as in "crazy speed".[4]

For some terms, the grammar structure of their use determine if they are harmful. The person-first stance advocates for saying "people with disabilities" instead of "the disabled" or "a person who is deaf" instead of "a deaf person".[5][6][7] However, some advocate against this, saying it reflects a medical model of disability whereas "disabled person" is more appropriate and reflects the social model of disability.[8] On the other hand, there is also a grammar structure called identity-first language that construes disability as a function of social and political experiences occurring within a world designed largely for nondisabled people.[9]

  1. ^ "Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability". gov.uk. 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  2. ^ Haller, Beth (7 January 2016). "Journalists should learn to carefully traverse a variety of disability terminology | National Center on Disability and Journalism". Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  3. ^ Andrews, Erin E.; Balter, Rochelle; Forber-Pratt, Anjali J.; Lund, Emily M.; Mona, Linda R.; Pilarski, Carrie R. (2019). "#SaytheWord: A Disability Culture Commentary on the Erasure of "Disability"" (PDF). Rehabilitation Psychology: 1–8. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  4. ^ Gold, Jessica (27 November 2019). "No, You Shouldn't Call Someone 'Crazy.' But Do We Have to Ban the Word Entirely?".
  5. ^ Vaughan, C. Edwin (March 2009). "People-First Language: An Unholy Crusade". Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  6. ^ Folkins, John (December 1992). "Resource on Person-First Language – The Language Used to Describe Individuals With Disabilities". American Speech–Language–Hearing Association. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Disability Etiquette – Tips On Interacting With People With Disabilities" (PDF). United Spinal Association. 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  8. ^ Egan, Lisa (9 November 2012). "I'm Not A "Person With a Disability": I'm a Disabled Person". XoJane. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  9. ^ Dunn, Dana S.; Andrews, Erin E. (2015). "Person-first and identity-first language: Developing psychologists' cultural competence using disability language". American Psychologist. 70 (3): 255–264. doi:10.1037/a0038636. PMID 25642702.

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