About Language
The words we use to describe individuals with disabilities matter. According to the World Health Organization, the disability community is the largest minority group in the world: an estimated 1.3 billion people – or 16% of the global population – experience a significant disability today. While there is no single preferred language style for all individuals with disabilities, it is crucial to use respectful and inclusive language when communicating with or discussing people with disabilities.
Disability Language Style Guide
As language and social norms change rapidly, it’s increasingly challenging for journalists and communicators to refer to people with disabilities. This style guide was developed by the National Center on Disability and Journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. It was last updated in the summer of 2021.
Guidelines for Writing About People with Disabilities
This factsheet from the ADA National Network provides guidelines for portraying individuals with disabilities in a respectful and balanced way, using accurate, neutral, and objective language.
Communicating about People with Disabilities
These guidelines from the National Disability Rights Network are suggestions for writing, reporting, and speaking to or about people with disabilities.
I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much
In this TED Talk, journalist and comedian Stella Young breaks down society’s habit of turning disabled people into “inspiration porn.”
Language Matters
This article by NADSP training director John Raffaele explores how language in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities is rooted in medical and moral stereotypes and offers suggestions for using respectful and inclusive language.