Disability and Mental Health History: Difference between revisions

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'''''See also'' Alexandra F. Morris and Debby Sneed, Society for Classical Studies  – Blog: A Brief Guide to Disability Terminology and Theory in Ancient World Studies'''
'''Also see Alexandra F. Morris and Debby Sneed, Society for Classical Studies  – [https://classicalstudies.org/scs-blog/alexandra-morris/blog-brief-guide-disability-terminology-and-theory-ancient-world-studies Blog: A Brief Guide to Disability Terminology and Theory in Ancient World Studies]'''
{{row hover highlight}}
{{row hover highlight}}
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-datatable" id="table"
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-datatable" id="table"
!scope=col | '''Term'''  
!scope=col | '''Term'''  
!scope=col | '''Contextual note'''
!scope=col | '''Contextual note'''
!scope=col | Time/Region
!scope=col | '''References'''
!scope=col | '''References'''
|-
|-
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“Typical” is preferred but still contentious.
“Typical” is preferred but still contentious.
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]
APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]


Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology
Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/07/08/introduction-to-disability-terminology/]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide
National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide [https://www.ndss.org/about-down-syndrome/down-syndrome/]


UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
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'''mutant/s'''
'''mutant/s'''
|Derogatory when used to describe an individual. Can be appropriate in a medical context i.e. “abnormal curvature of the spine”
|Derogatory when used to describe an individual. Can be appropriate in a medical context i.e. “abnormal curvature of the spine”
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability]
|-
|-
|'''addict/ion'''
|'''addict/ion'''
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'''intravenous drug abuser'''
'''intravenous drug abuser'''
|Refers to uncontrollable, compulsive use of substances as well as acts such as gambling and sex in the face of negative social and health consequences. Not all people who misuse substances have an addiction.
|Refers to uncontrollable, compulsive use of substances as well as acts such as gambling and sex in the face of negative social and health consequences. Not all people who misuse substances have an addiction.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
Line 95: Line 99:
'''unfortunate'''
'''unfortunate'''
|Carries the assumption that people with disabilities have a reduced quality of life. Can refer to any person with a disability. Frequently untrue that the person in question is “suffering”. Avoid descriptions that connote pity.
|Carries the assumption that people with disabilities have a reduced quality of life. Can refer to any person with a disability. Frequently untrue that the person in question is “suffering”. Avoid descriptions that connote pity.
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journal
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journal [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology
Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/07/08/introduction-to-disability-terminology/]


Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
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|'''airing court'''
|'''airing court'''
|A walled garden area leading off from 19<sup>th</sup> century asylum wards where patients were allowed to exercise without fear of “escape”
|A walled garden area leading off from 19<sup>th</sup> century asylum wards where patients were allowed to exercise without fear of “escape”
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|1800-, UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''albino/s'''
|'''albino/s'''
|Albinism typically refers to oculocutaneous albinism (OCA), a group of inherited disorders that results in little or no production of the pigment melanin. There is debate over whether albinism is a disability.
|Albinism typically refers to oculocutaneous albinism (OCA), a group of inherited disorders that results in little or no production of the pigment melanin. There is debate over whether albinism is a disability.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]
|-
|-
|'''alienist'''
|'''alienist'''
|An early 19<sup>th</sup> century word for the medical professional now known as a psychiatrist
|An early 19<sup>th</sup> century word for the medical professional now known as a psychiatrist
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|1800-, UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''alms'''
|'''alms'''
|Charitable donations of food or money to the poor or those considered unable to look after themselves
|Charitable donations of food or money to the poor or those considered unable to look after themselves
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''almshouse'''
|'''almshouse'''
|Homes built, from the medieval period onwards, to shelter elderly, disabled or other people considered unable to look after themselves
|Homes built, from the medieval period onwards, to shelter elderly, disabled or other people considered unable to look after themselves
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK, 500-
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''ambulant disabled'''
|'''ambulant disabled'''
|Refers to people who have a disability but are able to walk and do not use a wheelchair
|Refers to people who have a disability but are able to walk and do not use a wheelchair
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''American Sign Language'''
|'''American Sign Language'''
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|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|UK, USA
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability]


Historic England - Disability Glossary
Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''amputee'''
|'''amputee'''
|Considered derogatory when incorrectly used to label a person with a physical characteristic that is not the result of an amputation. Some prefer “limb difference”.
|Considered derogatory when incorrectly used to label a person with a physical characteristic that is not the result of an amputation. Some prefer “limb difference”.
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]
|-
|-
|'''attendant'''
|'''attendant'''
|A 19<sup>th</sup> and 20<sup>th</sup> century term for staff working with patients in asylums and workhouses
|A 19<sup>th</sup> and 20<sup>th</sup> century term for staff working with patients in asylums and workhouses
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|1800-
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''attention-deficit disorder (ADD)'''
|'''attention-deficit disorder (ADD)'''
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'''hyper/lazy'''
'''hyper/lazy'''
|Some debate exists as to the accuracy of an ADHD diagnosis as an actual disorder. ADD isn’t a standalone diagnosis anymore. ADHD is split into three sub diagnoses: ADHD-PI (predominantly inattentive, formerly ADD); ADHD-PH (predominantly hyperactive); and ADHD-C (combined). Sometimes written as deficit/hyperactivity disorder and abbreviated as AD(H)D.
|Some debate exists as to the accuracy of an ADHD diagnosis as an actual disorder. ADD isn’t a standalone diagnosis anymore. ADHD is split into three sub diagnoses: ADHD-PI (predominantly inattentive, formerly ADD); ADHD-PH (predominantly hyperactive); and ADHD-C (combined). Sometimes written as deficit/hyperactivity disorder and abbreviated as AD(H)D.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations
Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disability-related_terms_with_negative_connotations]


NHS - ADHD
NHS - ADHD [https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/diagnosis/]
|-
|-
|'''autism'''
|'''autism'''
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'''Aspie'''
'''Aspie'''
|Autistic spectrum disorder is a group of complex disorders related to brain development. Ableist when used to refer to somebody who does not have autism. Some experts classify autism as a developmental disorder rather than a mental illness. Some people with autism prefer the term ‘aspie’, some abhor it. Some do not classify it as a disorder at all, just a different way of processing information.
|Autistic spectrum disorder is a group of complex disorders related to brain development. Ableist when used to refer to somebody who does not have autism. Some experts classify autism as a developmental disorder rather than a mental illness. Some people with autism prefer the term ‘aspie’, some abhor it. Some do not classify it as a disorder at all, just a different way of processing information.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]




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Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]
|-
|-
|'''barren'''
|'''barren'''
|Ableist when used to refer to people who are infertile. Also carries sexist connotations.
|Ableist when used to refer to people who are infertile. Also carries sexist connotations.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|Women’s history
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]
|-
|-
|'''Bedlam'''
|'''Bedlam'''
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'''Bethlem'''
'''Bethlem'''
|Popular names used by the public for the Royal Bethlehem Hospital in London, the first English institution for people with mental illness
|Popular names used by the public for the Royal Bethlehem Hospital in London, the first English institution for people with mental illness
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''Billies in Bowls'''
|'''Billies in Bowls'''
|An 18<sup>th</sup> century slang expression to describe disabled people who moved themselves around by sitting in a small wooden bowl and propelling themselves with two small wooden blocks.
|An 18<sup>th</sup> century slang expression to describe disabled people who moved themselves around by sitting in a small wooden bowl and propelling themselves with two small wooden blocks.
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|1700-, UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''bipolar'''
|'''bipolar'''
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Ableist when used as an adjective to substitute  “switching very rapidly”, “indecisive”, or “shifting from one extreme to another”.
Ableist when used as an adjective to substitute  “switching very rapidly”, “indecisive”, or “shifting from one extreme to another”.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''blind'''
|'''blind'''
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Some people who are blind consider themselves visual thinkers so regard “visually impaired” or “visually challenged” as derogatory
Some people who are blind consider themselves visual thinkers so regard “visually impaired” or “visually challenged” as derogatory
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
 
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
Line 258: Line 280:
'''double-blind review'''
'''double-blind review'''
|Metaphorical references to low-vision or limited-sightedness.
|Metaphorical references to low-vision or limited-sightedness.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]
|-
|-
|'''blynde'''
|'''blynde'''
|Early English word for “blind”
|Early English word for “blind”
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''Board of Control (for lunacy and mental deficiency)'''
|'''Board of Control (for lunacy and mental deficiency)'''
|Government body established under the Mental Deficiency Act 1913 to replace the Lunacy Commission, and to oversee the treatment of mentally ill people and people with learning disabilities
|Government body established under the Mental Deficiency Act 1913 to replace the Lunacy Commission, and to oversee the treatment of mentally ill people and people with learning disabilities
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''bonkers'''
|'''bonkers'''
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'''maniac'''
'''maniac'''
|Ableist when literally used to refer to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities. Also derogatory when metaphorically used to mean “like a crazy person”.
|Ableist when literally used to refer to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities. Also derogatory when metaphorically used to mean “like a crazy person”.
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]


Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations
Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disability-related_terms_with_negative_connotations]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid
University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid
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'''combined system'''
'''combined system'''
|A form of sign language (also known as the combined system) introduced by Thomas Braidwood, who set up the first academy for the deaf and dumb in London in 1783.
|A form of sign language (also known as the combined system) introduced by Thomas Braidwood, who set up the first academy for the deaf and dumb in London in 1783.
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''brain damage/d'''  
|'''brain damage/d'''  


| Traumatic brain injury would be the medically correct term
| Traumatic brain injury would be the medically correct term
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
Line 317: Line 345:
|'''burn victim/s'''
|'''burn victim/s'''
|Refers to people who have survived burns and have visible scars from burns. Not considered derogatory by all.
|Refers to people who have survived burns and have visible scars from burns. Not considered derogatory by all.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]
|-
|-
|'''Care in the community'''
|'''Care in the community'''
|A system of care and support for people with disabilities and people with mental illness based on the belief that people should live in their communities rather than in separate institutions. The Care in the Community green paper of 1981 signalled the end of the asylum era.
|A system of care and support for people with disabilities and people with mental illness based on the belief that people should live in their communities rather than in separate institutions. The Care in the Community green paper of 1981 signalled the end of the asylum era.
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK, -1981
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''caretaker/s'''
|'''caretaker/s'''
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'''care-taker'''
'''care-taker'''
|You take care of property, you give care to people
|You take care of property, you give care to people
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''catatonia'''
|'''catatonia'''
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'''catatonic'''
'''catatonic'''
|Catatonia is a state in which a person does not move and does not respond to others. It is often used informally to describe someone who is in a stupor-like condition.
|Catatonia is a state in which a person does not move and does not respond to others. It is often used informally to describe someone who is in a stupor-like condition.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''Cerebral palsied (LCSH)'''
|'''Cerebral palsied (LCSH)'''
|Cerebral-palsied (and related terms like Cerebral-palsied children) is an uncommonly used term and not in line with the person-first language used in most LCSH.
|Cerebral-palsied (and related terms like Cerebral-palsied children) is an uncommonly used term and not in line with the person-first language used in most LCSH.
|Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH
|USA
|Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [https://cataloginglab.org/problem-lcsh/]
|-
|-
|'''charitable asylum'''
|'''charitable asylum'''
|An asylum established as an independent charity through the voluntary efforts of members of the public. Popular at the end of the 18<sup>th</sup> and beginning of the 19<sup>th</sup> centuries before state asylums became the norm.
|An asylum established as an independent charity through the voluntary efforts of members of the public. Popular at the end of the 18<sup>th</sup> and beginning of the 19<sup>th</sup> centuries before state asylums became the norm.
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|1750-, UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''chemophobic'''
|'''chemophobic'''
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'''idiopathic environmental tolerance'''
'''idiopathic environmental tolerance'''
|Also known as “toxicant-induced loss of tolerance”, “environmental illness”, or “sick-building syndrome”.
|Also known as “toxicant-induced loss of tolerance”, “environmental illness”, or “sick-building syndrome”.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]




Line 361: Line 396:
'''chronic disease'''
'''chronic disease'''
|Defined as a health condition lasting three months or longer, including illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, HIV/AIDs, heart disease, and heart disease. There is debate about whether someone with chronic illness has a disability.
|Defined as a health condition lasting three months or longer, including illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, HIV/AIDs, heart disease, and heart disease. There is debate about whether someone with chronic illness has a disability.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]




Line 369: Line 405:
|'''chronic lunatic'''
|'''chronic lunatic'''
|A 19<sup>th</sup> century term for a person with mental illness who is perceived as unlikely to recover from their illness
|A 19<sup>th</sup> century term for a person with mental illness who is perceived as unlikely to recover from their illness
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|1800, UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''colony'''
|'''colony'''
|A type of asylum institution established by the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act where both adults and children with learning disabilities lives in a “village” arrangement of a number of “villas” each housing up to 60 people
|A type of asylum institution established by the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act where both adults and children with learning disabilities lives in a “village” arrangement of a number of “villas” each housing up to 60 people
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|1913-, UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''comfortable works'''
|'''comfortable works'''
|Church teaching of the medieval period which encouraged people to support and give alms to poor and disabled people as a means of speeding their passage to heaven
|Church teaching of the medieval period which encouraged people to support and give alms to poor and disabled people as a means of speeding their passage to heaven
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''confined to a wheelchair'''
|'''confined to a wheelchair'''
|Refers to people with physical or mobility disabilities. Considered ableist because many wheelchair-users experience mobility aids as liberating, rather than as confining or restricting as this phrasing suggests.
|Refers to people with physical or mobility disabilities. Considered ableist because many wheelchair-users experience mobility aids as liberating, rather than as confining or restricting as this phrasing suggests.
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]


Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability]


University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid
University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid
Line 391: Line 431:
|'''congenital disability'''
|'''congenital disability'''
|Congenital is defined as existing from birth, it is not interchangeable with “genetic”
|Congenital is defined as existing from birth, it is not interchangeable with “genetic”
|
|
|
|-
|-
|'''conglomerate asylum'''
|'''conglomerate asylum'''
|A form of asylum consisting of miscellaneous structures, without any real unity of style and often composed of buildings of widely varying ages
|A form of asylum consisting of miscellaneous structures, without any real unity of style and often composed of buildings of widely varying ages
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''corridor asylum'''
|'''corridor asylum'''
|A form of asylum consisting of a series of connecting corridors with wards and other rooms opening them off
|A form of asylum consisting of a series of connecting corridors with wards and other rooms opening them off
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''cretin'''
|'''cretin'''
|Outdated term for people with intellectual disabilities
|Outdated term for people with intellectual disabilities
|
|
|
|-
|-
Line 417: Line 461:


“Creple” is the Early English form.
“Creple” is the Early English form.
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]


Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability]


University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid
University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid


Historic England - Disability Glossary
Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''crooked/ness'''
|'''crooked/ness'''
|An early English term to describe people seen as misshapen in their bodily form
|An early English term to describe people seen as misshapen in their bodily form
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''daft'''
|'''daft'''
Line 463: Line 509:
'''dim-witted'''
'''dim-witted'''
|Ableist terms used to refer to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities. Also harmful when metaphorically used to mean “like a person with a mental disability”
|Ableist terms used to refer to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities. Also harmful when metaphorically used to mean “like a person with a mental disability”
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


University of Arizona –Ableist words and terms to avoid
University of Arizona –Ableist words and terms to avoid


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


|-
|-
Line 488: Line 535:


The early English form is “Deaff”
The early English form is “Deaff”
|
|Boyd, Kyle ‘Visibility for Disability Digitization Project’ Digital Commonwealth Conference, April 2020
|Boyd, Kyle ‘Visibility for Disability Digitization Project’ Digital Commonwealth Conference, April 2020


Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)


Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH
Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [https://cataloginglab.org/problem-lcsh/]


National Association of the Deaf - [https://www.nad.org/resources/american-sign-language/community-and-culture-frequently-asked-questions/#:~:text=For%20many%20people%2C%20the%20words,what%20people%20can't%20do Community and Culture FAQ]
National Association of the Deaf - Community and Culture FAQ [https://www.nad.org/resources/american-sign-language/community-and-culture-frequently-asked-questions/#:~:text=For%20many%20people%2C%20the%20words,what%20people%20can't%20do]
|-
|-
|'''deaf-blind'''
|'''deaf-blind'''
|Indicates a person who has some loss of vision and hearing.
|Indicates a person who has some loss of vision and hearing.
|
|
|
|-
|-
Line 512: Line 561:
'''deaf-and-dumb'''
'''deaf-and-dumb'''
|Avoid these terms as they are often used inaccurately and offensively.
|Avoid these terms as they are often used inaccurately and offensively.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]
|-
|-
|'''deaf to…'''
|'''deaf to…'''
Line 520: Line 570:
'''turn a deaf ear to…'''
'''turn a deaf ear to…'''
|Metaphorical references to people who are hard of hearing.
|Metaphorical references to people who are hard of hearing.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]
|-
|-
|'''deluded'''
|'''deluded'''
Line 528: Line 579:


Also ableist when metaphorically used to mean “like a person with a mental disability”
Also ableist when metaphorically used to mean “like a person with a mental disability”
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]
|-
|-
|'''demented'''
|'''demented'''
Line 548: Line 600:


The terms “senile” and “senility” denote conditions brought on by aging and are often used incorrectly to denote dementia.
The terms “senile” and “senility” denote conditions brought on by aging and are often used incorrectly to denote dementia.
|Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations
|
|Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disability-related_terms_with_negative_connotations]
|-
|-
|'''depressed'''
|'''depressed'''
Line 557: Line 610:


This becomes ableist when not referring to people actually experiencing depression, but merely a shorthand for sad, upsetting, or disappointing.
This becomes ableist when not referring to people actually experiencing depression, but merely a shorthand for sad, upsetting, or disappointing.
|
|
|
|-
|-
Line 573: Line 627:
'''doy'''
'''doy'''
|Sounds meant to mock vocalisations that people with intellectual disabilities are stereotyped as making.
|Sounds meant to mock vocalisations that people with intellectual disabilities are stereotyped as making.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations
Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disability-related_terms_with_negative_connotations]
|-
|-
|'''developmental disability'''
|'''developmental disability'''
Line 591: Line 646:


The acronym “IDD” is used to refer to a group that includes people with an ID or DD, or both.
The acronym “IDD” is used to refer to a group that includes people with an ID or DD, or both.
|
|University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
|University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)


Line 600: Line 656:
'''Down disease'''
'''Down disease'''
|National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) uses the preferred spelling, Down syndrome. The condition is named after the English physician John Langdon Down, who did not have the condition. An apostrophe connotes ownership or possession. Down syndrome is a condition or syndrome, not a disease.
|National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) uses the preferred spelling, Down syndrome. The condition is named after the English physician John Langdon Down, who did not have the condition. An apostrophe connotes ownership or possession. Down syndrome is a condition or syndrome, not a disease.
|National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide
|
|National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide [https://ndss.org/about]
|-
|-
|'''disabled people'''
|'''disabled people'''
|Contended by some on the grounds that it implies a person as a whole is disabled.
|Contended by some on the grounds that it implies a person as a whole is disabled.
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]
|-
|-
|'''dissociative identity disorder'''  
|'''dissociative identity disorder'''  


|
|
|
|
|
Line 615: Line 674:
|'''narcissistic'''
|'''narcissistic'''
|Refers to various neurotypes and psychosocial disabilities, like antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorders
|Refers to various neurotypes and psychosocial disabilities, like antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorders
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


|-
|-
Line 622: Line 682:
'''diversabled'''
'''diversabled'''
|“Diversability” is a term coined by Tiffany Yu, a disability advocate. The intention is to frame disability within broader discussions about diversity.
|“Diversability” is a term coined by Tiffany Yu, a disability advocate. The intention is to frame disability within broader discussions about diversity.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''dumb'''  
|'''dumb'''  
Line 629: Line 690:


Also ableist when used as a metaphorical reference meaning “like a person with a mental disability”.
Also ableist when used as a metaphorical reference meaning “like a person with a mental disability”.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
Line 636: Line 698:
|'''dumbe'''
|'''dumbe'''
|An early English word for a person unable to speak.  From the mediaeval period until the 18<sup>th</sup> century it could signify that a person was deaf as well as unable to speak.
|An early English word for a person unable to speak.  From the mediaeval period until the 18<sup>th</sup> century it could signify that a person was deaf as well as unable to speak.
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|<nowiki>-1700, UK</nowiki>
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''Dwarfs (LCSH)'''
|'''Dwarfs (LCSH)'''
|In the USA, people with Dwarfism is preferred. There's been a move to separate the LCSH term into two categories - dwarves in folklore and people with dwarfism.
|In the USA, people with Dwarfism is preferred. There's been a move to separate the LCSH term into two categories - dwarves in folklore and people with dwarfism.
|Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH
|
|Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [https://cataloginglab.org/problem-lcsh/]


Metadata blog [https://inevermetadataididntlike.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/on-giants-and-dwarfs/]
Metadata Blog [https://inevermetadataididntlike.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/on-giants-and-dwarfs/]
|-
|-
|'''dyslexia'''
|'''dyslexia'''
Line 648: Line 712:
'''dyslexic'''
'''dyslexic'''
|
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''epileptic/s'''
|'''epileptic/s'''
Line 664: Line 729:
'''attacks'''
'''attacks'''
|
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability]
|-
|-
|'''eugenic/s'''
|'''eugenic/s'''
Line 684: Line 750:
'''degenerate'''
'''degenerate'''
|A movement prevalent in the later half of the 19<sup>th</sup> century (the temr “eugenics” was coined in 1883) and first half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. Based on the writings of Francis Galton, eugenicists believed in the sterilisation or even euthanasia of disabled people and others such as the mentally ill or “morally degenerate” to prevent what they described as racial deterioration.
|A movement prevalent in the later half of the 19<sup>th</sup> century (the temr “eugenics” was coined in 1883) and first half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. Based on the writings of Francis Galton, eugenicists believed in the sterilisation or even euthanasia of disabled people and others such as the mentally ill or “morally degenerate” to prevent what they described as racial deterioration.
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|1883-
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''facilitated communication'''
|'''facilitated communication'''
Line 690: Line 757:


“Augmentative and alternative communication” is the term used to refer to alternative methods that allow for written and spoken expression, this is very different from facilitated communication.
“Augmentative and alternative communication” is the term used to refer to alternative methods that allow for written and spoken expression, this is very different from facilitated communication.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''falling sickness'''
|'''falling sickness'''
|An outdated term for epilepsy
|An outdated term for epilepsy
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''feeble-minded'''
|'''feeble-minded'''
Line 702: Line 771:


A term used in the late 19<sup>th</sup> and early 20<sup>th</sup> centuries to describe people who would be described today as having moderate or mild learning disabilities or, as it was known at the time, “high grade mental deficiency”
A term used in the late 19<sup>th</sup> and early 20<sup>th</sup> centuries to describe people who would be described today as having moderate or mild learning disabilities or, as it was known at the time, “high grade mental deficiency”
|Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
|1800-, UK
|Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


Historic England - Disability Glossary
Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]


|-
|-
Line 713: Line 783:
'''natural fool/s'''
'''natural fool/s'''
|Early English word usually used to denote a person we would recognise as having a learning disability today. Could also sometimes be used to denote a mentally ill person. Also described people in the role of jester, but distinction was made between “artificial fools”, people pretending to be foolish, and “natural fools”, people “born foolish”.
|Early English word usually used to denote a person we would recognise as having a learning disability today. Could also sometimes be used to denote a mentally ill person. Also described people in the role of jester, but distinction was made between “artificial fools”, people pretending to be foolish, and “natural fools”, people “born foolish”.
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''freak/s'''
|'''freak/s'''
Line 722: Line 793:


Term used particularly between 1850 and 1914 to describe human performers in the popular Freak Shows and Circuses (also known as Human Zoos) of the period, who were exhibited because of their unusual bodily shapes or ‘deformities’
Term used particularly between 1850 and 1914 to describe human performers in the popular Freak Shows and Circuses (also known as Human Zoos) of the period, who were exhibited because of their unusual bodily shapes or ‘deformities’
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


Historic England - Disability Glossary
Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''furious'''
|'''furious'''
|Used in the 18<sup>th</sup> and 19<sup>th</sup> centuries to describe mentally ill people who are in a state of agitation or who are perceived to be potentially violent
|Used in the 18<sup>th</sup> and 19<sup>th</sup> centuries to describe mentally ill people who are in a state of agitation or who are perceived to be potentially violent
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|1700, 1800, UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''genetic defect/s'''
|'''genetic defect/s'''
Line 736: Line 809:
'''genetic disorder/s'''
'''genetic disorder/s'''
|A genetic condition is congenital, but a congenital condition is not necessarily genetic. Avoid derogatory words like “defect” and “disorder”
|A genetic condition is congenital, but a congenital condition is not necessarily genetic. Avoid derogatory words like “defect” and “disorder”
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''gifted'''
|'''gifted'''
Line 744: Line 818:
'''2E'''
'''2E'''
|“Twice exceptional” has been used to describe children diagnosed with one or more disability who have also been identified as “gifted”, meaning they excel in either intellectual, creative, or artistic fields. This terminology is controversial.
|“Twice exceptional” has been used to describe children diagnosed with one or more disability who have also been identified as “gifted”, meaning they excel in either intellectual, creative, or artistic fields. This terminology is controversial.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


|-
|-
|'''go cart'''
|'''go cart'''
|18<sup>th</sup> century slang term to describe a disabled beggar who used a wooden box on wheels to move around
|18<sup>th</sup> century slang term to describe a disabled beggar who used a wooden box on wheels to move around
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|1700, UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''handicap'''
|'''handicap'''
Line 759: Line 835:


“Handicapable” was coined by the writers of television show Glee in 2009 – its use is relatively rare.
“Handicapable” was coined by the writers of television show Glee in 2009 – its use is relatively rare.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
Line 772: Line 849:
'''happens to use'''
'''happens to use'''
|Implies a disability is incidental, even when the disability is the topic at hand, stemming from the idea that disability is inherently negative.
|Implies a disability is incidental, even when the disability is the topic at hand, stemming from the idea that disability is inherently negative.
|Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology
|
|Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/07/08/introduction-to-disability-terminology/]


|-
|-
Line 779: Line 857:
'''hare-lip'''
'''hare-lip'''
|Derogatory term referring to people with cleft-lift palate or similar facial deformities/cosmetic disabilities. The term “hare lip” is anatomically incorrect and stigmatising.
|Derogatory term referring to people with cleft-lift palate or similar facial deformities/cosmetic disabilities. The term “hare lip” is anatomically incorrect and stigmatising.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
Line 796: Line 875:


Considered derogatory to people with Down syndrome.
Considered derogatory to people with Down syndrome.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology
Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/07/08/introduction-to-disability-terminology/]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]
|-
|-
|'''homebound'''
|'''homebound'''
|
|
|
|
|
Line 812: Line 893:


Hysteria is a Victorian-era medical condition that was more often diagnosed in women.It wasn't removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until 1980. Today, people exhibiting hysterical symptoms might be diagnosed with a dissociative or somatic disorder or what is called “conversion disorder”.
Hysteria is a Victorian-era medical condition that was more often diagnosed in women.It wasn't removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until 1980. Today, people exhibiting hysterical symptoms might be diagnosed with a dissociative or somatic disorder or what is called “conversion disorder”.
|Women’s history
|
|
|-
|-
Line 829: Line 911:


Often, caretakers and professionals lean towards person-first language whereas people in the disability community lean towards identity-first language. There are also regional differences. IFL is preferred in the UK and Europe, PFL is more common in the USA.
Often, caretakers and professionals lean towards person-first language whereas people in the disability community lean towards identity-first language. There are also regional differences. IFL is preferred in the UK and Europe, PFL is more common in the USA.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|UK, USA
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology
Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/07/08/introduction-to-disability-terminology/]
|-
|-
|'''idiot/s'''
|'''idiot/s'''
Line 847: Line 930:


In earlier English the term “idiot” was used to describe “dull witted” people who could be seen as broadly equivalent to what we would defined as having a learning disability, but could be used in a wider sense to describe the labouring classes and the peasantry. Today, the term “idiot” is used pejoratively or abusively.
In earlier English the term “idiot” was used to describe “dull witted” people who could be seen as broadly equivalent to what we would defined as having a learning disability, but could be used in a wider sense to describe the labouring classes and the peasantry. Today, the term “idiot” is used pejoratively or abusively.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|1800- , UK
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


Mark Rapley, ''The Social Construction of Intellectual Disability''
Mark Rapley, ''The Social Construction of Intellectual Disability [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KdQS5Z_mGbQC&redir_esc=y]''


Historic England - Disability Glossary
Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''imbecile/s'''
|'''imbecile/s'''
Line 859: Line 943:


When classification systems were introduced in the 19<sup>th</sup> century, “imbecile” was used to denote the medium rank of intelligence and functional ability amongst people with learning disabilities, between “idiot” and “moron”. Similar to what we would define as a severe learning disability today. In the 19<sup>th</sup> century could also be used to describe a person with mental illness. Today used pejoratively or abusively.
When classification systems were introduced in the 19<sup>th</sup> century, “imbecile” was used to denote the medium rank of intelligence and functional ability amongst people with learning disabilities, between “idiot” and “moron”. Similar to what we would define as a severe learning disability today. In the 19<sup>th</sup> century could also be used to describe a person with mental illness. Today used pejoratively or abusively.
|Mark Rapley, ''The Social Construction of Intellectual Disability''
|1800-, UK
|Mark Rapley, ''The Social Construction of Intellectual Disability [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KdQS5Z_mGbQC&redir_esc=y]''


Historic England - Disability Glossary
Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''impotent'''
|'''impotent'''
|In its early English sense, “iImpotent” referred to people considered unable to look after themselves for reasons of age, infirmity, or disability. The “impotent poor” were distinguished from the “able bodied” poor in legislation.
|In its early English sense, “iImpotent” referred to people considered unable to look after themselves for reasons of age, infirmity, or disability. The “impotent poor” were distinguished from the “able bodied” poor in legislation.
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''injury'''
|'''injury'''
Line 871: Line 957:
'''injuries'''  
'''injuries'''  
|
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''insanes'''
|'''insanes'''
Line 881: Line 968:


Also derogatory when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.
Also derogatory when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]
 
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


Historic England - Disability Glossary
Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]


|-
|-
Line 900: Line 989:
'''madhouse'''
'''madhouse'''
|Asylums began as charitable institutions in England in the late 18<sup>th</sup> century, built and provided by the state from 1815.
|Asylums began as charitable institutions in England in the late 18<sup>th</sup> century, built and provided by the state from 1815.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|UK, 1700-
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]




Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


Historic England - Disability Glossary
Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''Invalids (LCSH)'''
|'''Invalids (LCSH)'''
Line 911: Line 1,001:
'''Invalid'''
'''Invalid'''
|Disabled people
|Disabled people
|AceDisability Network [https://www.acedisability.org.au/information-for-providers/language-disability.php]
|
|Ace Disability Network - The Language of Disability [https://www.acedisability.org.au/information-for-providers/language-disability.php]
|-
|-
|'''keeper'''
|'''keeper'''
|In the 16<sup>th</sup> and 17<sup>th</sup> centuries, referred to any male carer and did not imply any qualification
|In the 16<sup>th</sup> and 17<sup>th</sup> centuries, referred to any male carer and did not imply any qualification
|Historic England - Disability Glossary
|1500, 1600, UK
|Historic England - Disability Glossary [https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/about-the-project/glossary/]
|-
|-
|'''lame'''
|'''lame'''
Line 921: Line 1,013:
'''lamebrain'''
'''lamebrain'''
|Derogatory slang for people with physical or mobility disabilities. Also ableist when metaphorically used to mean “uncool”.
|Derogatory slang for people with physical or mobility disabilities. Also ableist when metaphorically used to mean “uncool”.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid
University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid
Line 932: Line 1,025:
'''leper/s'''
'''leper/s'''
|Hansen’s disease.
|Hansen’s disease.
|Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH
|
|Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [https://cataloginglab.org/problem-lcsh/]


The Lancet [https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30526-0/fulltext]
The Lancet - Why we should stop using the word leprosy [https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30526-0/fulltext]
|-
|-
|'''lunatic'''
|'''lunatic'''
Line 947: Line 1,041:


|Refers to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities. Also offensive when used as a metaphor to mean ‘like a person with a mental disability’.
|Refers to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities. Also offensive when used as a metaphor to mean ‘like a person with a mental disability’.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


|-
|-
Line 960: Line 1,055:


The term “Mad” has been reclaimed by some i.e. The Mad Pride Movement
The term “Mad” has been reclaimed by some i.e. The Mad Pride Movement
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


|-
|-
Line 971: Line 1,067:
'''Maniamanic-depressive illness (LCSH)'''
'''Maniamanic-depressive illness (LCSH)'''
|Refers to someone with bipolar disorder (used to be called “manic depression”). Also ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.
|Refers to someone with bipolar disorder (used to be called “manic depression”). Also ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH
Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [https://cataloginglab.org/problem-lcsh/]


|-
|-
Line 982: Line 1,079:


“Mentally handicapped” is an older LCSH.
“Mentally handicapped” is an older LCSH.
|Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH
|
|
|-
|-
Line 992: Line 1,090:
'''the mentally ill'''
'''the mentally ill'''
|Also ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.
|Also ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]
 
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines




Line 1,005: Line 1,105:
'''severely disabled'''
'''severely disabled'''
|These terms tell you little about the actual disabled person, instead highlighting which skills, abilities, and needs society views favourably and unfavourably. Functioning labels like “severe” have consistently been used in defense of ableist abuse and even murder.
|These terms tell you little about the actual disabled person, instead highlighting which skills, abilities, and needs society views favourably and unfavourably. Functioning labels like “severe” have consistently been used in defense of ableist abuse and even murder.
|Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology
|
|Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/07/08/introduction-to-disability-terminology/]
|-
|-
|'''Mongoloid'''
|'''Mongoloid'''
Line 1,016: Line 1,117:


|An outdated and derogatory term used to describe a so-called racial type and a person with the genetic condition ''Down Syndrome''. In modern day usage the term is used as a slur to describe someone regarded as “retarded”. The slur derives from the belief that people with Down Syndrome, regardless of race, look like people from East Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Native nations in the Americas, or the Pacific Islands. It carries the underlying assumption that people from these racial and ethnic groups are automatically unattractive and undesirable.
|An outdated and derogatory term used to describe a so-called racial type and a person with the genetic condition ''Down Syndrome''. In modern day usage the term is used as a slur to describe someone regarded as “retarded”. The slur derives from the belief that people with Down Syndrome, regardless of race, look like people from East Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Native nations in the Americas, or the Pacific Islands. It carries the underlying assumption that people from these racial and ethnic groups are automatically unattractive and undesirable.
|Tropenmuseum – Words Matter
|
|Tropenmuseum – Words Matter [https://issuu.com/tropenmuseum/docs/wordsmatter_english]




National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide
National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide [https://www.ndss.org/about-down-syndrome/down-syndrome/]
|-
|-
|'''mouth breather/s'''
|'''mouth breather/s'''
Line 1,027: Line 1,129:
'''mouth-breather/s'''
'''mouth-breather/s'''
|Invokes the idea of people who breathe only or mostly through their mouths (instead of their noses) as unintelligent brutes.
|Invokes the idea of people who breathe only or mostly through their mouths (instead of their noses) as unintelligent brutes.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


|-
|-
Line 1,038: Line 1,141:


Also ableist when used metaphorically to imply or state that a person is double-dealing, two-faced, manipulative, deceptive, or changing rapidly.
Also ableist when used metaphorically to imply or state that a person is double-dealing, two-faced, manipulative, deceptive, or changing rapidly.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


Trauma Dissociation . Com
Trauma Dissociation - Alters in Dissociative Identity Disorder [http://traumadissociation.com/alters]


|-
|-
Line 1,055: Line 1,159:
'''dumbness'''
'''dumbness'''
|A language disorder may inhibit a person’s ability to speak, read, write, or understand spoken or written language.
|A language disorder may inhibit a person’s ability to speak, read, write, or understand spoken or written language.
|Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
|
|Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]




Line 1,068: Line 1,173:
'''neurotypical'''
'''neurotypical'''
|
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


|-
|-
Line 1,075: Line 1,181:
'''obsessive compulsive disorder'''
'''obsessive compulsive disorder'''
|Ableist when used as a substitute for “fastidious,” “meticulous,” “anal-retentive,” or “high-strung”.
|Ableist when used as a substitute for “fastidious,” “meticulous,” “anal-retentive,” or “high-strung”.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


|-
|-
Line 1,083: Line 1,190:


|
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]
|-
|-
|'''paranoid'''
|'''paranoid'''
|
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]
|-
|-
|'''-phobic'''
|'''-phobic'''
Line 1,097: Line 1,206:
'''Islamophobia'''
'''Islamophobia'''
|Contended by some on the grounds that it appropriates description of specific mental illness.
|Contended by some on the grounds that it appropriates description of specific mental illness.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


|-
|-
Line 1,106: Line 1,216:
'''PTSD'''
'''PTSD'''
|
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''prelingually deaf'''
|'''prelingually deaf'''
Line 1,113: Line 1,224:


'''late-deafened'''
'''late-deafened'''
|
|
|
|
|
Line 1,126: Line 1,238:


Ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.
Ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]
 
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines




Line 1,140: Line 1,254:


Ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.
Ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


|-
|-
Line 1,171: Line 1,286:


In the USA in 2010, Rosa’s Law saw the term “mental retardation” replaced with intellectual disability.
In the USA in 2010, Rosa’s Law saw the term “mental retardation” replaced with intellectual disability.
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide
National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide [https://www.ndss.org/about-down-syndrome/down-syndrome/]


Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations
Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disability-related_terms_with_negative_connotations]


UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability]
|-
|-
|'''seizure/s'''
|'''seizure/s'''
Line 1,189: Line 1,305:
'''spastic attacks'''
'''spastic attacks'''
|Describes an involuntary muscle contraction and/or brief impairment or loss of consciousness resulting from a neurological condition such as epilepsy or brain injury. Do not assume that a person who had a seizure has epilepsy.
|Describes an involuntary muscle contraction and/or brief impairment or loss of consciousness resulting from a neurological condition such as epilepsy or brain injury. Do not assume that a person who had a seizure has epilepsy.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
Line 1,196: Line 1,313:
|'''Seeing Eye dog'''
|'''Seeing Eye dog'''
|Seeing Eye is a registered trademark
|Seeing Eye is a registered trademark
|
|University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
|University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)


Line 1,204: Line 1,322:


'''scatterbrained'''
'''scatterbrained'''
|
|
|
|
|
Line 1,215: Line 1,334:


Ableist when used as a metaphor for someone with psychiatric disabilities.
Ableist when used as a metaphor for someone with psychiatric disabilities.
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


NHS - Schizophrenia
NHS - Schizophrenia [https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/schizophrenia/overview/]
|-
|-
|'''short-bus'''
|'''short-bus'''
Line 1,225: Line 1,345:
'''short bus'''
'''short bus'''
|Ableist slang for people with intellectual, learning, or other mental disabilities.
|Ableist slang for people with intellectual, learning, or other mental disabilities.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


|-
|-
Line 1,232: Line 1,353:
'''Social disabilities'''
'''Social disabilities'''
|Socially disadvantaged
|Socially disadvantaged
|Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH  
|
|Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [https://cataloginglab.org/problem-lcsh/]
|-
|-
|'''spaz'''
|'''spaz'''
Line 1,246: Line 1,368:
'''spazy'''
'''spazy'''
|Derogatory term for people with cerebral palsy or similar neurological disabilities.
|Derogatory term for people with cerebral palsy or similar neurological disabilities.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


Heriot Watt – Disability Etiquette
Heriot Watt – Disability Etiquette [https://web.archive.org/web/20071112123214/http:/www.hw.ac.uk/welfare/disability-service/staff/disability-etiquette.htm]


UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability]
|-
|-
|'''special needs'''
|'''special needs'''
Line 1,264: Line 1,387:
'''specially abled'''
'''specially abled'''
|A term popularised in the US in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century. Usually refers to people with learning, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, but can mean any person with a disability. It is a euphemistic term for people with disabilities that is considered stigmatising.
|A term popularised in the US in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century. Usually refers to people with learning, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, but can mean any person with a disability. It is a euphemistic term for people with disabilities that is considered stigmatising.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|USA, UK
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology
Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2016/07/08/introduction-to-disability-terminology/]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]


|-
|-
|'''spina bifida'''
|'''spina bifida'''
|
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''Spinal cord injury'''
|'''Spinal cord injury'''
Line 1,279: Line 1,404:
'''SCI'''
'''SCI'''
|Describes a condition in which there has been permanent damage to the spinal cord, resulting in some degree of impairment or paralysis. Quadriplegia or tetraplegia denote some loss of function only in the lower part of the body.
|Describes a condition in which there has been permanent damage to the spinal cord, resulting in some degree of impairment or paralysis. Quadriplegia or tetraplegia denote some loss of function only in the lower part of the body.
|
|University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
|University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)


Line 1,298: Line 1,424:
'''stammered'''
'''stammered'''
|The term “stutter” is most widely used to refer to a speech disorder. The new term for this condition “childhood-onset fluency disorder” is not yet widely used.
|The term “stutter” is most widely used to refer to a speech disorder. The new term for this condition “childhood-onset fluency disorder” is not yet widely used.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
Line 1,305: Line 1,432:
|'''the physically disabled'''
|'''the physically disabled'''
|Contested by some for not using people-first language
|Contested by some for not using people-first language
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]
|-
|-
|'''the learning disabled'''
|'''the learning disabled'''
Line 1,317: Line 1,445:
'''slow'''
'''slow'''
|Refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organisation, retention, understanding, or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual disability
|Refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organisation, retention, understanding, or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual disability
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals
|
|APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/nonhandicapping-language]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9<sup>th</sup>. Ed)
Line 1,326: Line 1,455:
'''triggered'''
'''triggered'''
|Psychological triggers are words, images or sounds that activate phobias, panic attacks or flashbacks to unpleasant events or trauma. Triggers can be hard to predict and vary from individual to individual, but communicating the nature of your content builds trust in audiences. Don’t use the term ‘trigger warning’ in a flip or casual way.
|Psychological triggers are words, images or sounds that activate phobias, panic attacks or flashbacks to unpleasant events or trauma. Triggers can be hard to predict and vary from individual to individual, but communicating the nature of your content builds trust in audiences. Don’t use the term ‘trigger warning’ in a flip or casual way.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''Tourette’s'''
|'''Tourette’s'''
Line 1,334: Line 1,464:
'''TS'''
'''TS'''
|Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterised by tics, or sudden, purposeless and rapid movements or vocalisations
|Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterised by tics, or sudden, purposeless and rapid movements or vocalisations
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''treatment'''
|'''treatment'''
Line 1,344: Line 1,475:
'''detox center'''
'''detox center'''
|A treatment centre is an establishment usually run by psychiatric or medical professionals.
|A treatment centre is an establishment usually run by psychiatric or medical professionals.
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|USA
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|-
|-
|'''wacko/s'''
|'''wacko/s'''
Line 1,350: Line 1,482:
'''whacko/s'''
'''whacko/s'''
|Ableist when used as a metaphor to mean ‘like a person with a mental disability’.
|Ableist when used as a metaphor to mean ‘like a person with a mental disability’.
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid
|
|Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines  
Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [https://www.cdrnys.org/disability-writing-journalism-guidelines/]
|-
|-
|'''wet brain'''
|'''wet brain'''
|
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide
|
|National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [https://ncdj.org/style-guide/]
|}
|}

Latest revision as of 10:06, 28 November 2023

Also see Alexandra F. Morris and Debby Sneed, Society for Classical Studies  – Blog: A Brief Guide to Disability Terminology and Theory in Ancient World Studies

Term Contextual note Time/Region References
able-bodied

able bodied

abled

differently able/d

specially able/d

able

healthy

normal

typical

whole

Some members of the disability community oppose the use of “able-bodied” because it implies that all people with disabilities lack “able bodies”.

“Typical” is preferred but still contentious.

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [1]

APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [2]

Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [3]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [4]

National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide [5]

UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [6]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

abnormal/ity

subnormal

not normal

atypical

mutant/s

Derogatory when used to describe an individual. Can be appropriate in a medical context i.e. “abnormal curvature of the spine” National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [7]

UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [8]

addict/ion

alcoholic

alcoholism

junkie

substance abuse

clean/ dirty

intravenous drug abuser

Refers to uncontrollable, compulsive use of substances as well as acts such as gambling and sex in the face of negative social and health consequences. Not all people who misuse substances have an addiction. National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [9]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

afflicted with

suffering from

suffers from

sufferer

stricken with

survivor

battle

victim

unfortunate

Carries the assumption that people with disabilities have a reduced quality of life. Can refer to any person with a disability. Frequently untrue that the person in question is “suffering”. Avoid descriptions that connote pity. APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journal [10]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [11]

Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [12]

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [13]

UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [14]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

airing court A walled garden area leading off from 19th century asylum wards where patients were allowed to exercise without fear of “escape” 1800-, UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [15]
albino/s Albinism typically refers to oculocutaneous albinism (OCA), a group of inherited disorders that results in little or no production of the pigment melanin. There is debate over whether albinism is a disability. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [16]
alienist An early 19th century word for the medical professional now known as a psychiatrist 1800-, UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [17]
alms Charitable donations of food or money to the poor or those considered unable to look after themselves UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [18]
almshouse Homes built, from the medieval period onwards, to shelter elderly, disabled or other people considered unable to look after themselves UK, 500- Historic England - Disability Glossary [19]
ambulant disabled Refers to people who have a disability but are able to walk and do not use a wheelchair UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [20]
American Sign Language

ASL

sign language

BSL

British Sign Language

signer

interpreter

A signer may be able to communicate conversationally with a deaf person but may not necessarily possess the skills and expertise to accurately interpret complex dialogue or information, as an interpreter would.

British Sign Language (BSL) is the sign language used in the UK and preferred language of many deaf people in the UK


UK, USA Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [21]

UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [22]

Historic England - Disability Glossary [23]

amputee Considered derogatory when incorrectly used to label a person with a physical characteristic that is not the result of an amputation. Some prefer “limb difference”. APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [24]
attendant A 19th and 20th century term for staff working with patients in asylums and workhouses 1800- Historic England - Disability Glossary [25]
attention-deficit disorder (ADD)

attention deficit disorder

attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

hyper/lazy

Some debate exists as to the accuracy of an ADHD diagnosis as an actual disorder. ADD isn’t a standalone diagnosis anymore. ADHD is split into three sub diagnoses: ADHD-PI (predominantly inattentive, formerly ADD); ADHD-PH (predominantly hyperactive); and ADHD-C (combined). Sometimes written as deficit/hyperactivity disorder and abbreviated as AD(H)D. National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [26]

Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations [27]

NHS - ADHD [28]

autism

autistic

Autism spectrum disorder

ASD

Asperger’s syndrome

Aspie

Autistic spectrum disorder is a group of complex disorders related to brain development. Ableist when used to refer to somebody who does not have autism. Some experts classify autism as a developmental disorder rather than a mental illness. Some people with autism prefer the term ‘aspie’, some abhor it. Some do not classify it as a disorder at all, just a different way of processing information. National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [29]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [30]

barren Ableist when used to refer to people who are infertile. Also carries sexist connotations. Women’s history Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [31]
Bedlam

Bethlem

Popular names used by the public for the Royal Bethlehem Hospital in London, the first English institution for people with mental illness UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [32]
Billies in Bowls An 18th century slang expression to describe disabled people who moved themselves around by sitting in a small wooden bowl and propelling themselves with two small wooden blocks. 1700-, UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [33]
bipolar

bipolar disorder

manic depressive illness

Formerly known as “manic depressive illness”, bipolar disorder is characterised by unusually intense shifts in emotion, energy, behaviour and activity levels in what are called mood episodes.

Ableist when used as an adjective to substitute  “switching very rapidly”, “indecisive”, or “shifting from one extreme to another”.

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [34]
blind

legally blind

limited vision

partially sighted

visually impaired

visually challenged

left blind from the accident

Many people with vision loss are not considered legally blind (a person with 20/200 visual acuity or less [USA])

Some people who are blind consider themselves visual thinkers so regard “visually impaired” or “visually challenged” as derogatory

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [35]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [36]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid


blind to…

turn a blind eye…

blinded by ignorance

double-blind review

Metaphorical references to low-vision or limited-sightedness. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [37]
blynde Early English word for “blind” UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [38]
Board of Control (for lunacy and mental deficiency) Government body established under the Mental Deficiency Act 1913 to replace the Lunacy Commission, and to oversee the treatment of mentally ill people and people with learning disabilities UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [39]
bonkers

crazy

crazed

batty

cuckoo

mental case

deranged

nuts

nutter

nutjob

nutso

maniac

Ableist when literally used to refer to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities. Also derogatory when metaphorically used to mean “like a crazy person”. APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [40]

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [41]

Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations [42]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [43]

University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid

Braidwoodian system

combined system

A form of sign language (also known as the combined system) introduced by Thomas Braidwood, who set up the first academy for the deaf and dumb in London in 1783. UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [44]
brain damage/d Traumatic brain injury would be the medically correct term National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [45]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

burn victim/s Refers to people who have survived burns and have visible scars from burns. Not considered derogatory by all. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [46]
Care in the community A system of care and support for people with disabilities and people with mental illness based on the belief that people should live in their communities rather than in separate institutions. The Care in the Community green paper of 1981 signalled the end of the asylum era. UK, -1981 Historic England - Disability Glossary [47]
caretaker/s

care-taker

You take care of property, you give care to people National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [48]
catatonia

catatonic

Catatonia is a state in which a person does not move and does not respond to others. It is often used informally to describe someone who is in a stupor-like condition. National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [49]
Cerebral palsied (LCSH) Cerebral-palsied (and related terms like Cerebral-palsied children) is an uncommonly used term and not in line with the person-first language used in most LCSH. USA Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [50]
charitable asylum An asylum established as an independent charity through the voluntary efforts of members of the public. Popular at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries before state asylums became the norm. 1750-, UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [51]
chemophobic

idiopathic environmental tolerance

Also known as “toxicant-induced loss of tolerance”, “environmental illness”, or “sick-building syndrome”. National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [52]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

chronic illness

chronic disease

chronic health condition’

chronic disease

Defined as a health condition lasting three months or longer, including illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, HIV/AIDs, heart disease, and heart disease. There is debate about whether someone with chronic illness has a disability. National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [53]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

chronic lunatic A 19th century term for a person with mental illness who is perceived as unlikely to recover from their illness 1800, UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [54]
colony A type of asylum institution established by the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act where both adults and children with learning disabilities lives in a “village” arrangement of a number of “villas” each housing up to 60 people 1913-, UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [55]
comfortable works Church teaching of the medieval period which encouraged people to support and give alms to poor and disabled people as a means of speeding their passage to heaven UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [56]
confined to a wheelchair Refers to people with physical or mobility disabilities. Considered ableist because many wheelchair-users experience mobility aids as liberating, rather than as confining or restricting as this phrasing suggests. APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [57]

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [58]

UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [59]

University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid

congenital disability Congenital is defined as existing from birth, it is not interchangeable with “genetic”
conglomerate asylum A form of asylum consisting of miscellaneous structures, without any real unity of style and often composed of buildings of widely varying ages UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [60]
corridor asylum A form of asylum consisting of a series of connecting corridors with wards and other rooms opening them off UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [61]
cretin Outdated term for people with intellectual disabilities
cripple/s

crippled by

crip

supercrip

creple

Derogatory term for people with physical or mobility disabilities. Also derogatory when metaphorically used to mean “like a person with a physical disability”. The term was widely used until the second half of the 20th century, until it came to be used pejoratively and or abusively.

“Creple” is the Early English form.

APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [62]

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [63]

UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [64]

University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid

Historic England - Disability Glossary [65]

crooked/ness An early English term to describe people seen as misshapen in their bodily form UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [66]
daft

moron

moronic

simpleton

slow

delayed

developmental delay

challenged

stupid

stupor

dumb

daft

dimwitted

dim witted

dim

dim-witted

Ableist terms used to refer to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities. Also harmful when metaphorically used to mean “like a person with a mental disability” Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [67]

University of Arizona –Ableist words and terms to avoid

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [68]

deaf

Deaf

hearing impaired (LCSH)

hearing impairment

Deaff

“Deaf” should be used as an adjective, not a noun; it describes a person with profound or complete hearing loss. Deaf refers to a degree of hearing loss that is significant enough to prevent understanding speech through the ear.

Many dislike the term “hearing impaired” because it describes a person in terms of a deficiency or what they cannot do.

Deaf (capital “D”) refers to the culture and community of Deaf people that use ASL or BSL. Many people in the Deaf community prefer the use of lowercase “d” to refer to audiological status.

Some people with mild or moderate hearing loss may affiliate themselves with the Deaf community and prefer the term deaf. Alternatively, some who are deaf and don’t have a cultural affiliation to the Deaf community may prefer the term “hard of hearing”. Additionally, “‘hard of hearing” may refer to any hearing condition that can be helped by an auditory device, according to the University of Washington.

The early English form is “Deaff”

Boyd, Kyle ‘Visibility for Disability Digitization Project’ Digital Commonwealth Conference, April 2020

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [69]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [70]

UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [71]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [72]

National Association of the Deaf - Community and Culture FAQ [73]

deaf-blind Indicates a person who has some loss of vision and hearing.
deaf-mute

deaf and dumb

deaf-and-dumb

Avoid these terms as they are often used inaccurately and offensively. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [74]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [75]

deaf to…

turn a deaf ear to…

Metaphorical references to people who are hard of hearing. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [76]
deluded

delusional

Refers to people with psychosocial disabilities, when experiencing altered states such as hearing voices, having intrusive thoughts, or experiencing paranoia.

Also ableist when metaphorically used to mean “like a person with a mental disability”

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [77]
demented

dements

dementia

senile

senility

Alzheimer’s

Huntington’s

Parkinson’s

Dementia is not a specific illness; Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.

The terms “senile” and “senility” denote conditions brought on by aging and are often used incorrectly to denote dementia.

Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations [78]
depressed

depressing

Refers to people experiencing various forms of depression (major depressive disorder), including seasonal affective disorder, psychotic depression, and postpartum depression.


This becomes ableist when not referring to people actually experiencing depression, but merely a shorthand for sad, upsetting, or disappointing.

derp

herp-derp

herpderp

der

durr

duh

doy

Sounds meant to mock vocalisations that people with intellectual disabilities are stereotyped as making. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [79]

Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations [80]

developmental disability

DD

intellectual disability

ID

IDD

mentally retarded

Developmental disability is an umbrella term for a number of life-long conditions apparent before a person reaches the age of 22. Many people with a developmental disability do not have an intellectual disability. An intellectual disability is a developmental disability defined by substantial limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour that are apparent during the developmental period (0-22).

The acronym “IDD” is used to refer to a group that includes people with an ID or DD, or both.

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)
Down’s Syndrome

Down’s

Down disease

National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) uses the preferred spelling, Down syndrome. The condition is named after the English physician John Langdon Down, who did not have the condition. An apostrophe connotes ownership or possession. Down syndrome is a condition or syndrome, not a disease. National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide [81]
disabled people Contended by some on the grounds that it implies a person as a whole is disabled. APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [82]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [83]

dissociative identity disorder
narcissistic Refers to various neurotypes and psychosocial disabilities, like antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorders Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [84]
diversability

diversabled

“Diversability” is a term coined by Tiffany Yu, a disability advocate. The intention is to frame disability within broader discussions about diversity. National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [85]
dumb Refers to d/Deaf or hard of hearing people, people with speech-related disabilities, or people with linguistic or communication disorders or disabilities.

Also ableist when used as a metaphorical reference meaning “like a person with a mental disability”.

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [86]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

dumbe An early English word for a person unable to speak.  From the mediaeval period until the 18th century it could signify that a person was deaf as well as unable to speak. -1700, UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [87]
Dwarfs (LCSH) In the USA, people with Dwarfism is preferred. There's been a move to separate the LCSH term into two categories - dwarves in folklore and people with dwarfism. Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [88]

Metadata Blog [89]

dyslexia

dyslexic

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [90]
epileptic/s

an epileptic

had a fit

an epileptic fit

fit

spells

attacks

APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [91]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [92]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [93]

UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [94]

eugenic/s

eugenicist

deterioration

deteriorated

egeneration

degenerate

A movement prevalent in the later half of the 19th century (the temr “eugenics” was coined in 1883) and first half of the 20th century. Based on the writings of Francis Galton, eugenicists believed in the sterilisation or even euthanasia of disabled people and others such as the mentally ill or “morally degenerate” to prevent what they described as racial deterioration. 1883- Historic England - Disability Glossary [95]
facilitated communication A discredited communication technique.

“Augmentative and alternative communication” is the term used to refer to alternative methods that allow for written and spoken expression, this is very different from facilitated communication.

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [96]
falling sickness An outdated term for epilepsy UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [97]
feeble-minded

feeble minded

Refers to people with mental, psychiatric, intellectual, or developmental disabilities

A term used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to describe people who would be described today as having moderate or mild learning disabilities or, as it was known at the time, “high grade mental deficiency”

1800-, UK Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [98]

Historic England - Disability Glossary [99]

fool/s

foolish

natural fool/s

Early English word usually used to denote a person we would recognise as having a learning disability today. Could also sometimes be used to denote a mentally ill person. Also described people in the role of jester, but distinction was made between “artificial fools”, people pretending to be foolish, and “natural fools”, people “born foolish”. UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [100]
freak/s

freak show

The use of this derogatory word dates to the mid-19th century. “Freak shows” were popular across Europe, especially in the late 19th century and early 20th century. London’s Piccadilly Circus was a hub.


Term used particularly between 1850 and 1914 to describe human performers in the popular Freak Shows and Circuses (also known as Human Zoos) of the period, who were exhibited because of their unusual bodily shapes or ‘deformities’

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [101]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [102]

Historic England - Disability Glossary [103]

furious Used in the 18th and 19th centuries to describe mentally ill people who are in a state of agitation or who are perceived to be potentially violent 1700, 1800, UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [104]
genetic defect/s

genetic disorder/s

A genetic condition is congenital, but a congenital condition is not necessarily genetic. Avoid derogatory words like “defect” and “disorder” National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [105]
gifted

twice exceptional

2E

“Twice exceptional” has been used to describe children diagnosed with one or more disability who have also been identified as “gifted”, meaning they excel in either intellectual, creative, or artistic fields. This terminology is controversial. National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [106]
go cart 18th century slang term to describe a disabled beggar who used a wooden box on wheels to move around 1700, UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [107]
handicap

handicapped

handicapable

Refers to people with physical or mobility disabilities. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the term “handicap” was used to describe a person’s “deficit” or inability to function “‘normally”. Beginning in the 1970s this concept of “deficit” and related words like “handicapped” became increasingly contested.

“Handicapable” was coined by the writers of television show Glee in 2009 – its use is relatively rare.

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [108]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [109]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

happens to have

happens to be

happens to use

Implies a disability is incidental, even when the disability is the topic at hand, stemming from the idea that disability is inherently negative. Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [110]
harelip

hare-lip

Derogatory term referring to people with cleft-lift palate or similar facial deformities/cosmetic disabilities. The term “hare lip” is anatomically incorrect and stigmatising. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [111]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

high functioning

high-functioning

high functioning autism

low functioning

low-functioning

The term does not convey any useful information. “High functioning autism” is not a medical diagnosis.

Considered derogatory to people with Down syndrome.

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [112]

Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [113]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [114]

homebound
hysterical

hysteria

Sexist language typically used in reference to women in reference to an inability to control emotions.

Hysteria is a Victorian-era medical condition that was more often diagnosed in women.It wasn't removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until 1980. Today, people exhibiting hysterical symptoms might be diagnosed with a dissociative or somatic disorder or what is called “conversion disorder”.

Women’s history
[identity-first language]

identity first language

IFL

person- first language

person first language

PFL

Unlike people-first language, identity-first language mentions the disability before the person i.e. “Down syndrome girl” or “autistic boy”. There is a large group of disabled people who actively prefer not to use person-first language. For example, these people may identify as “disabled” because they feel that society disables them, but that does not mean they view their condition itself as a disability. Others dislike disability being treated differently, as if people are dancing around the topic. i.e. we would say “blonde girl” so why not “disabled girl”? For some people with multiple disabilities, they may describe themselves as a “mentally ill person with epilepsy” or “an autistic person with mental illness”.

Often, caretakers and professionals lean towards person-first language whereas people in the disability community lean towards identity-first language. There are also regional differences. IFL is preferred in the UK and Europe, PFL is more common in the USA.

UK, USA National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [115]

Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [116]

idiot/s

idiotic

idiocy

dull witted

dull-witted

Derogatory terms for people with intellectual disabilities. Also discriminatory when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.

The diagnostic term “idiot” was used for people with IQ scores under 30 in the early 20th century. When classification systems were introduced in the 19th century, “idiot” was used to denote the lowest rank of intelligence and functional ability, similar to what we would define as a profound learning disability today.

In earlier English the term “idiot” was used to describe “dull witted” people who could be seen as broadly equivalent to what we would defined as having a learning disability, but could be used in a wider sense to describe the labouring classes and the peasantry. Today, the term “idiot” is used pejoratively or abusively.

1800- , UK Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [117]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [118]

Mark Rapley, The Social Construction of Intellectual Disability [119]

Historic England - Disability Glossary [120]

imbecile/s The diagnostic term for people with IQ scores between 30 and 50 in the early 20th century (see “idiot” above).

When classification systems were introduced in the 19th century, “imbecile” was used to denote the medium rank of intelligence and functional ability amongst people with learning disabilities, between “idiot” and “moron”. Similar to what we would define as a severe learning disability today. In the 19th century could also be used to describe a person with mental illness. Today used pejoratively or abusively.

1800-, UK Mark Rapley, The Social Construction of Intellectual Disability [121]

Historic England - Disability Glossary [122]

impotent In its early English sense, “iImpotent” referred to people considered unable to look after themselves for reasons of age, infirmity, or disability. The “impotent poor” were distinguished from the “able bodied” poor in legislation. UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [123]
injury

injuries

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [124]
insanes

insane

insanity

General term, still in use but not as widely as in the past, to denote mental illness. Tends to be associated with criminal or highly irrational behaviour rather than lower level illness. Refers to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities. In US criminal law, insanity is a legal question, not a legal one.

Also derogatory when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [125]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [126]

Historic England - Disability Glossary [127]

insane asylum

asylum

nuthouse

loony bin

institution

madhouse

Asylums began as charitable institutions in England in the late 18th century, built and provided by the state from 1815. UK, 1700- National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [128]


Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [129]

Historic England - Disability Glossary [130]

Invalids (LCSH)

Invalid

Disabled people Ace Disability Network - The Language of Disability [131]
keeper In the 16th and 17th centuries, referred to any male carer and did not imply any qualification 1500, 1600, UK Historic England - Disability Glossary [132]
lame

lamebrain

Derogatory slang for people with physical or mobility disabilities. Also ableist when metaphorically used to mean “uncool”. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [133]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [134]

University of Arizona – Ableist words and terms to avoid

Leprosy (LCSH)

leper/s

Hansen’s disease. Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [135]

The Lancet - Why we should stop using the word leprosy [136]

lunatic

loony

looney

loon

lunacy

Refers to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities. Also offensive when used as a metaphor to mean ‘like a person with a mental disability’. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [137]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [138]

mad

madman

losing one’s mind

Also offensive when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.

The term “Mad” has been reclaimed by some i.e. The Mad Pride Movement

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [139]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [140]

manic

manic depression

Maniamanic-depressive illness (LCSH)

Refers to someone with bipolar disorder (used to be called “manic depression”). Also ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [141]

Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [142]

Mental disabilities (LCSH)

Mentally handicapped

Intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities.

“Mentally handicapped” is an older LCSH.

Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH
mental

mental case

mental defective

the mentally ill

Also ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [143]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [144]



mild

severe

severely disabled

These terms tell you little about the actual disabled person, instead highlighting which skills, abilities, and needs society views favourably and unfavourably. Functioning labels like “severe” have consistently been used in defense of ableist abuse and even murder. Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [145]
Mongoloid

mongoloidism

mong

mongo

An outdated and derogatory term used to describe a so-called racial type and a person with the genetic condition Down Syndrome. In modern day usage the term is used as a slur to describe someone regarded as “retarded”. The slur derives from the belief that people with Down Syndrome, regardless of race, look like people from East Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Native nations in the Americas, or the Pacific Islands. It carries the underlying assumption that people from these racial and ethnic groups are automatically unattractive and undesirable. Tropenmuseum – Words Matter [146]


National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [147]

National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide [148]

mouth breather/s

mouth-breather/s

Invokes the idea of people who breathe only or mostly through their mouths (instead of their noses) as unintelligent brutes. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [149]
multiple personalities

multiple personality disorder

Characterised by the emergence of two or more distinct personality states or identities in a person’s behaviour or consciousness – medically known as “alters”.

The medical condition today is “Dissociative Identity Disorder (MPD) and DDNOS”.

Also ableist when used metaphorically to imply or state that a person is double-dealing, two-faced, manipulative, deceptive, or changing rapidly.

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [150]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [151]

Trauma Dissociation - Alters in Dissociative Identity Disorder [152]

mute/s

language disorder

mutism

dumb

dumbness

A language disorder may inhibit a person’s ability to speak, read, write, or understand spoken or written language. Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [153]


University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

neurodiversity

neurodiverse

neurotypical

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [154]
OCD

obsessive compulsive disorder

Ableist when used as a substitute for “fastidious,” “meticulous,” “anal-retentive,” or “high-strung”. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [155]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [156]

paraplegic/s APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [157]
paranoid APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [158]
-phobic

-phobia

homophobic

Islamophobia

Contended by some on the grounds that it appropriates description of specific mental illness. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [159]
post-traumatic stress disorder

posttraumatic stress disorder

PTSD

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [160]
prelingually deaf

postlingually deaf

late-deafened

psycho/s

psychotic

psychosis

psychoses

Reference to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities.

Ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [161]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [162]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [163]


psychopath/s

psychopathic

Refers to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities. Some people use it specifically to refer to people with antisocial personality disorder or narcissistic personality disorder, or with the quasi-psychiatric categories of psychopathy or sociopathy (these are disputed).

Ableist when used as a metaphor to mean “like a person with a mental disability”.

Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [164]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [165]

retard/s

retarded

tard/s

mentally retarded

mentally deficient

retardation

mental retardation

dotard/s

the r-word

window licker/s

window-licker/s

Derogatory term for people with intellectual disabilities

Also ableist when used as a metaphor for someone with intellectual disabilities.

In the USA in 2010, Rosa’s Law saw the term “mental retardation” replaced with intellectual disability.

APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [166]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [167]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [168]

National Down Syndrome Society - Preferred Language Guide [169]

Wikipedia - List of disability-related terms with negative connotations [170]

UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [171]

seizure/s

epileptic fit/s

spastic attacks

Describes an involuntary muscle contraction and/or brief impairment or loss of consciousness resulting from a neurological condition such as epilepsy or brain injury. Do not assume that a person who had a seizure has epilepsy. National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [172]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

Seeing Eye dog Seeing Eye is a registered trademark University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)
scatter brained

scatterbrain

scatterbrained

schizophrenic

schizophrenics

schizo

Schizophrenia is a severe long-term mental health condition that causes a range of different psychological symptoms.

Ableist when used as a metaphor for someone with psychiatric disabilities.

APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [173]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [174]

NHS - Schizophrenia [175]

short-bus

short bus

Ableist slang for people with intellectual, learning, or other mental disabilities. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [176]
Socially disabled

Social disabilities

Socially disadvantaged Cataloging Lab - Problem LCSH [177]
spaz

spazzed

spastic/s

spakka

spazzy

spazy

Derogatory term for people with cerebral palsy or similar neurological disabilities. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [178]

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [179]

Heriot Watt – Disability Etiquette [180]

UK Government - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability [181]

special needs

special need

special

special education

specially abled

A term popularised in the US in the early 20th century. Usually refers to people with learning, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, but can mean any person with a disability. It is a euphemistic term for people with disabilities that is considered stigmatising. USA, UK National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [182]

Disability in Kidlit - Introduction to disability terminology [183]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [184]

spina bifida National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [185]
Spinal cord injury

SCI

Describes a condition in which there has been permanent damage to the spinal cord, resulting in some degree of impairment or paralysis. Quadriplegia or tetraplegia denote some loss of function only in the lower part of the body. University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)
stutter/s

a stutterer

a stammerer

stammer

stuttering

stammering

stuttered

stammered

The term “stutter” is most widely used to refer to a speech disorder. The new term for this condition “childhood-onset fluency disorder” is not yet widely used. National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [186]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

the physically disabled Contested by some for not using people-first language APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [187]
the learning disabled

learning disability

learning disabilities

slow learner

slow

Refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organisation, retention, understanding, or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual disability APA Style - Guidelines for Nonhandicapping Language in APA Journals [188]

University of Kansas - Guidelines: How to write about people with disabilities (9th. Ed)

trigger

triggered

Psychological triggers are words, images or sounds that activate phobias, panic attacks or flashbacks to unpleasant events or trauma. Triggers can be hard to predict and vary from individual to individual, but communicating the nature of your content builds trust in audiences. Don’t use the term ‘trigger warning’ in a flip or casual way. National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [189]
Tourette’s

Tourettes

TS

Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterised by tics, or sudden, purposeless and rapid movements or vocalisations National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [190]
treatment

rehab

rehabilitation

detox center

A treatment centre is an establishment usually run by psychiatric or medical professionals. USA National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [191]
wacko/s

whacko/s

Ableist when used as a metaphor to mean ‘like a person with a mental disability’. Autistic Hoya - Ableist words and terms to avoid [192]

Center for Disability Rights - Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines [193]

wet brain National Center on Disability and Journalism, Arizona State University - Disability Language Style Guide [194]