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 |