Inclusive language isn’t about restricting language or being politically correct, but rather interacting with disabled people in a respectful and constructive way. In general, you should speak to disabled people in the same way you would with a non-disabled person. While there are no set official rules, these should guidelines should provide you with a good starting point.
Avoid attaching emotion to a statement. Avoid phrases like ‘suffers from’ or ‘confined to a wheelchair’ which imply emotion. Instead stick to neutral phrases like ‘has’ or ‘uses a wheelchair’.
Don’t avoid using everyday terms. For example, there is no need to avoid saying “see you later” to a blind person. Most people would rather just be spoken like any other person.
| Avoid | Use |
|---|---|
| ❌ (the) handicapped, (the) disabled | ✅ disabled (people) |
| ❌ afflicted by, suffers from, victim of | ✅ has [name of condition or impairment] |
| ❌ confined to a wheelchair, wheelchair-bound | ✅ wheelchair user |
| ❌ mentally handicapped, mentally defective, retarded, subnormal | ✅ with a learning disability (singular) with learning disabilities (plural) |
| ❌ cripple, invalid | ✅ disabled person |
| ❌ spastic | ✅ person with cerebral palsy |
| ❌ able-bodied | ✅ non-disabled |
| ❌ mental patient, insane, mad | ✅ person with a mental health condition |
| ❌ deaf and dumb; deaf mute | ✅ deaf, user of British Sign Language (BSL), person with a hearing impairment |
| ❌ the blind | ✅ people with visual impairments; blind people; blind and partially sighted people |
| ❌ an epileptic, diabetic, depressive, and so on | ✅ person with epilepsy, diabetes, depression or someone who has epilepsy, diabetes, depression |
| ❌ dwarf; midget | ✅ someone with restricted growth or short stature |
| ❌ fits, spells, attacks | ✅ seizures |
Tips:
- Use a normal tone of voice, don’t patronise or talk down
- Speak to disabled people the same way you would speak to anyone else
- Don’t be overly cautious or politically correct.
- Don’t speak for or finish other’s sentenaces
- Speak directly to the disabled person, even if they are accompanied by an interpreter or companion.
This content was adapted from UK Government Guidance. Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability