People First Language puts the person before the disability, and describes what the person has, not who a person is. Review the following examples of People First Language:
Say: | Instead of: |
---|---|
People with disabilities | The handicapped or disabled |
He has a cognitive disability/diagnosis | He’s mentally retarded |
She has autism (or a diagnosis of...) | She’s autistic |
He has Down syndrome (or a diagnosis of) | He’s Down’s; a mongoloid |
She has a learning disability (diagnosis) | She’s learning disabled |
He has a physical disability (diagnosis) | He’s crippled |
She's of short stature/she's a little person | She’s a dwarf/midget |
He has a mental health condition/ diagnosis | He’s emotionally disturbed/mentally ill |
She uses a wheelchair/mobility chair | She’s confined to a wheelchair/ wheelchair bound |
He receives special ed services | He’s in special ed |
She has a developmental delay | She’s developmentally delayed |
People without disabilities | Normal or healthy people |
Communicates with her eyes/device/etc | Is non-verbal |
Customer | Client, consumer, recipient, etc |
Congenital disability | Birth defect |
Brain injury | Brain Damaged |
Accessible parking, hotel room, etc | Handicapped parking, hotel room, etc |
She needs... or she uses... | She has a problem with... or has special needs |
Excerpted from Katie Snow’s People First Language article available at disabilityisnatural.com.