A person’s self-image is tied to the words used about him/her. People First Language was started by individuals who said, “We are not our disabilities!”
People First Language puts the person before the disability, and describes what a person has, not who a person is. Are you “cancerous” or do you have cancer? Is a person “handicapped/disabled” or does he/she “have a disability?” Using a diagnosis as a defining characteristic reflects prejudice, and robs the person of the opportunity to define him/herself.
People with disabilities comprise the nation’s largest minority group. It is also the most inclusive: all ages, genders, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic levels are represented, and anyone can join it, at any time.
Say: | Instead of: |
Children/adults with a disability | Handicapped, disabled, special needs |
S/he has a cognitive disability | S/he is mentally retarded |
S/he has Down syndrome | S/he’s mongoloid/Down’s |
S/he has autism | An autistic person |
S/he has a learning disability | S/he is learning disabled |
S/he is deaf | The deaf |
S/he has a speech disorder | Mute |
S/he is blind, has a visual impairment | The blind |
S/he has epilepsy | An epileptic |
S/he uses a wheelchair | Wheelchair bound |
S/he walks with a assistive device | A cripple |
S/he is a little person | Dwarf or midget |
People without disabilities | Normal or healthy people |
Accessible parking, hotel rooms, etc. | Handicapped parking, hotel rooms, etc. |
