Mental illness is a general condition. Evolving terminology allows . She received the 2013 APA Div. Incapacitated. She earned her BS in psychology from Michigan State University, and her PsyD in clinical psychology from Wright State University, in Dayton, Ohio. use a normal tone of voice, don't patronise or talk down; don't be too precious or too politically correct - being super-sensitive to the right and wrong language . Avoid passive, victim words. Which is the correct term, disability rights or handicapped rights? Use of either positive or negative labels inevitably over-emphasizes one aspect disability of a person's life. 23) warns that "the word special in relationship to those with disabilities is now widely considered offensive because it euphemistically stigmatizes" persons with disabilities. Mortal flesh heals quicker than an immortal soul, and that soul is what has the potential to be hurt in a word. I also know that there are people who disagree with me, and thats ok too. To take another quote from the blog post I mentioned earlier: Disability. (Cutesy-pie labels are uninformative and trivialize an important part of a persons identity. The terms used for people with disabilities all too frequently perpetuate stereotypes and false ideas. Latino (individual man, group of men, or group of people including men and women), Latina (individual woman or group of women), People who live in rural/sparsely populated areas, Using MSM (men who have sex with men) as shorthand for sexual orientation to describe men who self-identify as gay or bisexual, individually or collectively, Sexual preference, which is used to suggest someones sexual identity is a choice and therefore could be changed by choice, Lesbian, gay, or bisexual (when referring to self-identified sexual orientation). I'm a counselor, Hawai'i based global nomad. Using disability language that puts the people first, then mentioning their disabilities when appropriate, is the preferred and recommended language according to ADA guidelines and documents. Terms like "differently abled" do more harm than good. It is okay to use words or phrases such as "disabled," "disability," or "people with disabilities" when talking about disability issues. I will still make mistakes. Speaking as someone with a few years of experience working with people with developmental disabilities the current politically correct term is what I just used. But many disabled people increasingly feel that their disabilities are not invaders or merely inconvenient attributes, but something more central to who they are. Totally agree. Some work to curb the use of obviously insulting terms, while others take pride in the old adage about sticks and stones. Some hope to use language to lift disabled people up, while others prefer precision and linguistic elegance. The term "hearing impaired" was supposed to be the politically correct term to be used when referring to all deaf and hard of hearing people in a collective sense. A phrase like "stroke victim," for example, is not innocuous, as it suggests that a person succumbed or was passive. Using phrases like "person with a disability" and "individual with an amputation" emphasizes the person and not his or her condition. In it, I was talking about how caring for an elderly man in the advanced stages of Alzheimers helped me to heal. The definition of politically correct language (abbreviated to PC) is choosing and using words that focus on empathy, fairness and justice. (The debate over the use of handicap versus disabled has not been settled. Everyone is pretty sick of it. 22 Early Career Practice Award, and the 2015 James Besyner Early Career Award from the Association of VA Psychology Leaders. When is a word okay? Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Avoid medical labels. By doing so, a disabled individual intentionally chooses an identity rather than allowing others even well meaning others, such as family, friends and medical professionals to do so for them. Shifting your perspective can help you reframe how you think and speak about people with mental illnesses and similar stigmatized subjects. So the correct term is " Disability Rights .". Language in communication products should reflect and speak to the needs of people in the audience of focus. Note: Underserved relates to limited access to services that are accessible, acceptable, and affordable, including healthcare. By coming up with all kinds of phrases and words to avoid saying disabled/disability inherently implies that those words are so negative, they just shouldnt be said. Unacceptable: the disabled, the handicapped. You have accepted additional cookies. Its a way of experiencing the world. The following is a list of preferred, politically correct terms for students with disabilities: You are a real hero!") Dunn also blogs regularly for Psychology Today's "Head of the Class.". Person first was supposed to emphasize personhood in contrast with summing up people by their disabilities. And yet they have always carried the assumed prejudices of those times towards the people those terms represented. Debilitated. For instance, one person who has dwarfism might like to be referred to as a "dwarf," whereas another might prefer to be called a "person with dwarfism." Person issecondary to disability. sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or . [/vc_message][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]When I first started my job at UC Berkeley, coordinating a program in conjunction with the state of California, Read More The Gift of a Moment: Understanding Difficult Times and ChoicesContinue, Anyone who says, its just a word is forgetting that the pen is mightier than the sword, forgetting that words wound more deeply than any knife could. CDC is aware that some individuals with disabilities prefer to use identity-first terminology, which means a disability or disability status is referred to first. As Michelle Swan says in her essay My Needs are not Special, "My needs are not special, they are just my needs, and I have the same right to have my needs met as any other person.". The social psychology of disability. American Indian and Alaska Natives are the only federally recognized political minority in the United States. It should be noted however, that the same terminology does not necessarily apply in other countries. More Appropriate: Sam has epilepsy, Tony has cerebral palsy (CP), Helen has a learning disability, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Less Appropriate: special, person has special needs, Comment: Term is patronizing and distancing by those with disabilities. Less Appropriate: (the) disabled, (the) deaf, (the) blind, (the) mentally retarded, Comment: Terms describe a group only in terms of their disabilities (adjective) and not as people (noun). This is our third Summer Blog Hop Series, and I want to kick this up a notch. Lawrence Carter-Long, who founded the movement called Disabled, Say the Word, says, The language we use mirrors the ways we think, he says. "Visual impairment" is considered the accepted and politically correct term for describing the whole spectrum of vision, or the lack thereof, experienced by people with a visual disability. Whats the right way to refer to someone in a wheelchair, or a someone who cant see, or see well, or a person who cant hear, or hear well, someone who doesnt speak, who has noticeable trouble understanding things, someone who is sick a lot, or always in pain, or who just seems strange or off in some undefinable way? Emphasizes the heart string or telethon-ish perspective. and received his PhD in social psychology from the University of Virginia. Andrews has presented and published nationally on a wide range of disability topics. This is a space for talking about - or "unpacking" disability - trying to better understand this huge word that is also a culture, an experience, a movement. Comment: Terms create a false impression: wheelchairs liberate, not confine or bind; they are mobility tools from which people transfer to sleep, sit in other chairs, drive cars, stand, etc. When in doubt, then, the wisest and kindest choice is simply to ask people about their preferences. Its not something special we do for them. A note here about Person First vs. What is the politically correct term for special needs. Were not doing disabled people a favor by giving them a ramp. More Appropriate: people who are developmentally disabled have Downs Syndrome, Less Appropriate: Sam is epileptic, Tony is CP (cerebral palsied),- spastic, Helen is LD (learning disabled), is AD/HD. Since we're talking about replacements for "crippled," we'll focus on the physical disabilities, which is why "disabled" still works as the best replacement. They change as disabled peoples understanding of ourselves and our place in society changes, and as our aspirations change as well. That doesnt make their needs special and when we set the tone that they are special needs, it minimizes their rights. Or, we can use generic terms like disability or disabled, that at least attempt to encompass all kinds of physical, mental, cognitive, learning, or sensory disabilities. At the end of that post, I said this:Up next: Ill be tackling special needs. Because that vernacular is seeing a shift too. Dunn, D. S., & Andrews, E. (2015). What is the politically correct term for learning disability? - Father Joe Carroll. The contentious debate never seems to end over what are the right and wrong words and phrases to use to discuss anything to do with disabilities and disabled people. Roughly speaking, some want to use disability terminology to uplift disabled people or somehow repair the image of disability, while others aim for accuracy, simplicity, and a tone closer to neutrality. "Impaired" means weakened, diminished, or damaged. We choose the words we want to use for ourselves, not others! When describing a combination of racial/ethnic groups (for example, 3 or more sub-groups) use people from some racial and ethnic groups or people from racial and ethnic minority groups. No, theyre not. Healthcare Access & Access to Services and Resources, Non-U.S.-born Persons / Immigration Status, People Who are at Increased / Higher Risk, Working Partners & Community Collaborators, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Term "Intellectual Disability" Is Too Broad and, Therefore, Unclear. IMHO, and not too much of a mouth-ful (as developmentally disabled tends to be). As a nephew of a Downs uncle (whom I am proudly named after), and an enthusiastic supporter of the community, long-time S.O. Be aware that not every family is the same, and that some children are not being raised by their biological parents. Its also an understandable but ultimately wrongheaded effort to promote equality not by elevating disabled people, but in a sense trying to deny the reality of disability as a meaningful concept or experience. And others need to recognize the limits of their power to regulate this practice. In the words of Lawrence Carter-Long: A need isn't special if other people get to take the same thing for granted. This post is about the politically correct term for disabled and politically correct term for special needs. Even as I describe people as being visually impaired, I have already stepped into word doo-doo. The other strives to be more sober, but also elegant and comfortable when spoken and written. Please contact us with any questions or comments at HEGuidingPrinciples@cdc.gov. Comment: Terms are inaccurate, demeaning. 'Older people' and 'older folks' is almost always an appropriate alternative to 'senior citizen.'.

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