Different Terminologies for Disabled --- Disability Etiquette

Advice for Counselors - Disability Etiquette

Appropriate Language and Behaviour

Below is a set of guidelines on appropriate language and behaviour to use when interacting with disabled. Please note that these guidelines are not exhaustive and that some language which is considered appropriate by one person may not be considered appropriate by another. If you are unsure about the language you are using, then ask the disabled person what they feel most comfortable with and continue to use this language whilst in their presence.

Avoid/Inappropriate	Use/Appropriate
The disabled, the handicapped	People with disabilities
Cripple, physically handicapped or wheelchair bound. These terms are patronizing.	A person with a physical disability/impairment or wheelchair user
Spastic	A person with cerebral palsy
Deaf and dumb	A person with hearing and speech impairments
The Blind	People who are B/blind, partially sighted, visually impaired
The Deaf	People who are D/deaf, hearing impaired
Raising your voice or talking as if speaking to a child.	Maintain your usual pitch volume and rhythm when speaking
Interrupting a person with a speech impairment and trying to finish sentences for them.	Listen patiently and ask for clarification if you have not understood.
Putting your hands near your mouth when communicating with someone who is Deaf or hearing-impaired.	Ensure that they have a clear view of your face
Playing ‘guess who’ games with people who are blind or visually impaired	Introduce yourself by name to a person who is blind
Looking down at a person in a wheelchair for a prolonged period	Sit down and talk to them this makes eye contact easier and means they are not constantly craning their neck to look up at you.
Speaking to a disabled person’s friend or support worker when your conversation is directed at the person with a disability.	Speak directly to the disabled person

It is quite appropriate to continue using words such as see, look, walk, listen, when talking to people with various disabilities.

Here are a few examples of the preferred terminology for English¹.

• Although some disabled people prefer the terms "physically challenged" or "differently abled", these should not generally be used. The disability rights movement of South Africa accepts both the terms "disabled person" and "people with disabilities".



• Avoid "suffers from," "afflicted with" or "victim of", all of which cast disabilities as a negative. "Suffers from" indicates ongoing pain and torment, which is no more the case for most people with disabilities as it is for most people without disabilities. "Afflicted with" denotes a disease, which most disabilities are not. "Victim of" implies that a crime is being committed on the person who has a disability.



• Do not use "wheelchair-bound" or "confined to a wheelchair". People see their wheelchairs as a convenient mode of transportation, not prisons, and the "bound/confined" phrase belies the fact that many people with motor disabilities engage in activities without their wheelchairs, including driving and sleeping. The proper phrase is "uses a wheelchair".



• Use "disability" not "handicap." The word "handicap" derives from the phrase "cap in hand", referring to a beggar, and is despised by most people with disabilities. Other terms to avoid are "physically/mentally challenged" (who isn't?) "cripple" or "crippled."



• Use "able-bodied" or "people without disabilities." The terms "normal" and "whole" are inappropriate and inaccurate.



• Most disabilities are not a disease. Do not call person with a disability a "patient" unless referring to a hospital setting. In an occupational and physical therapy context, "client" or "customer" is preferred.



• Some diseases by legal definition are considered disabilities. Victimization imagery ("AIDS victims") or defining the person by the disease ("she is a diabetic") is inappropriate. Use "person with diabetes" or "people living with AIDS".



• People who consider themselves as part of Deaf culture refer to themselves as "Deaf" with a capital "D". Because their culture derives from their language, they may be identified in the same way as other cultural groups, for example "Shangaan". Never use the terms Deaf-mute or Deaf and Dumb.



• Avoid "deformed," "deformity" and "birth defect". A person may be "born without arms" or "has a congenital disability," but is probably not defective.



• Use "person with Down syndrome." Avoid "Mongol" or "mongoloid."



• Avoid "mentally retarded", "insane", "slow learner", "learning disabled" and "brain damaged". Use "person with an intellectual disability", or "person with a psychiatric disability".



• Avoid "cerebral palsied" and "spastic". Use "person with cerebral palsy".



• Use "person with epilepsy" or "child with a seizure disorder". Avoid "epileptic", either as noun or adjective.



• Avoid "dwarf" or "midget". Some groups prefer "little/short", but its best to use "person of short stature".



• Use "man with paraplegia" or "she has quadriplegia". Avoid "paraplegic" or "quadriplegic" as either a noun or adjective.

Negative and patronizing language produces negative and patronizing images. Words are important, so make sure your words do not offend or reinforce negative stereotypes.