People First Language is a way of communicating that reflects respect for people with disabilities by choosing words that portray them accurately. Emphasis is placed on the person first, rather than the disability.
PREFERRED EXPRESSIONS
| Say/Write… | Instead of… |
| Child with a disability | handicapped child or disabled |
| Individual with cerebral palsy | palsied, CP or spastic |
| Person who has…. | Afflicted, suffers from, victim of |
| Nonverbal (with speech) | mute or dumb |
| Person with autism | autistic |
| Developmental delay | slow or retarded |
| Emotional disorder/mental illness | crazy or insane |
| Deaf or has a hearing impairment | deaf and dumb |
| Communicates with sign language | signer |
| Uses a wheelchair | confined to a wheelchair |
| Has a cognitive or intellectual disability | retarded |
| He has epilepsy | epileptic |
| Adult with Down syndrome | mongoloid, suffers from Down syndrome |
| Has a learning disability | is learning disabled |
| Has a physical disability | is physically disabled/crippled |
| Non-disabled; with disabilities | normal, healthy |
| Congenital disability | birth defect |
| Condition | disease (unless it IS) |
| Seizures | fits |
| Cleft lip | hare lip |
| Has mobility impairment | lame or crippled |
| Paralyzed | invalid or paralytic |
| Has quadriplegia | quadriplegic |
| Has paraplegia | paraplegic |
