Tips For Using Inclusive Language
The words we use have power - this includes the words we use when speaking about someone with a disability. Afterall, the language used to describe people has the ability to build bridges and connect us all, and a good place to start is by using inclusive language.
What Is Inclusive Language?
Inclusive language helps us to acknowledge that we are all different (and that is a good thing!), conveys respect to these differences and our individuality, promotes equality, and creates a sense of belonging.
How To Use More Inclusive Language
The ADA National Network has a helpful guide for using inclusive language, so that individuals with disabilities are portrayed and spoken to in a respectful manner that is “accurate, neutral, and objective.”
Examples from the ADA National Network guide include:
Using Person-First Language (PFL). For example, saying “person with a disability,” rather than a disabled person. This language is known as Person-First Language (PFL), which emphasizes the person, rather than the disability. Of course, it’s also important to ask the individual if they prefer PFL to describe them or Identity First Language (IFL), which is describing a person based on their disability.
Emphasize abilities, rather than limitations. For example, saying “person who uses a wheelchair,” rather than wheelchair-bound.
Using language that emphasizes the need for accessibility, rather than the presence of a disability. For example, saying “accessible parking,” rather than handicapped parking.
Additional Tips for Using Inclusive Language
In addition to shifting the words we use to describe people with disabilities, it’s also important to recognize assumptions that are rooted in language within the United States.
Recognize Medical Cultural Assumptions
The medical model of understanding disability promotes language that sees people with disabilities as “patients” with a “sickness” or “disease” that needs to be “cured.” This way of talking about disability has also contributed to the isolation and oppression of people with disabilities because disability is labeled as contagious or dangerous. However, with this language, there is an assumption that a person with a disability is suffering or is a victim.
Recognize Religious Cultural Assumptions
The religious (or superstitious) model of disability gave rise to phrases like “afflicted with” or “stricken by” or “suffers from” a disability – reflecting a belief that disability somehow resulted from divine judgment or that the person was a victim or somehow morally deviant.
This way of thinking has also contributed to the devaluing, oppression, and isolation of people with disabilities. These terms also assume that a person with a disability is suffering or does not have a high quality of life.
Practice Re-Examining the Stereotypes Our Culture Promotes About Disability
How many times have you seen a person with a disability portrayed on television as inspirational? Or as dangerous to others? Or as a person without any flaws?
Laurie Block, in her article Stereotypes About People with Disabilities, describes six common stereotypes to be aware of. She describes one such stereotype as the idea that a person with a disability is a “superhuman,” triumphing over adversity in a way that serves as an example to others. Another stereotype is that people with disabilities are “holy innocents with special grace, with the function of inspiring others to value life.”
The author also states, “These pictures of disability are not mistaken in any simple way; in fact each of them contains kernels of experiential truth about encounters between the able-bodied and those with disabilities. But when tacit theories and assumptions such as these underlie public policy and social relations, they tend to limit the full humanity of those who are affected by them.”
Lastly, don't forget: One of the most empowering, person-centered uses of language is to simply use a person's name.
We hope these above tips help to provide insight into an understanding of what inclusive language is and how to incorporate more inclusive language in your day-to-day life. Want to learn more about inclusion and empowerment?