Developmental and Other Disabilities
Developmental and Other Disability
- This guide covers both disability and disease, which are separate but related concepts and often share language complexities and impacts on interaction with environment to describe these varying identities.
- Disability is “a broad term that is defined in both legal and scientific ways and encompasses physical, psychological, intellectual, and socioemotional impairments” (APA, 2020, p. 136).
- Disability communities and individual people with disabilities have differing preferences on the notions of person-first and identity-first language. Person-first language emphasizes the person before the disability, as in “a woman with a substance abuse disorder,” and identity-first language centers the disability, as in “a substance abuser.” Preference in writing is usually given to person-first language, but “expressed preference of people with disabilities regarding identification supersedes matters of style” (APA, 2020, p. 136).
- Any list of cultural identities, including cultures of disability, will not be comprehensive and will be ever-evolving. Writers should also consider consulting with professional organizations if applicable.
- Precision and clarity are key values in bias-free language; note that this is specifically called out in some terms.
- In addition to consulting this resource, writers should also consult with the communities they are describing. When the two are in conflict, defer to the preference of the community over this guide and defer to the preference of the individual above both the guide and the community.
AIDS
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with AIDS
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: HIV is the virus that can lead to AIDS. The two terms are not interchangeable. AIDS is the broad term used to designate the constellation of symptoms experienced from the diagnosis of HIV.
Related search terms: HIV
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: AIDS victims
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Alcoholism
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with alcohol use disorder (person-first language)
Related search terms: alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: alcoholics, drunks
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Alzheimer’s disease
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with Alzheimer’s disease (people-first language)
Related search terms: dementia
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: people with senility, old timer’s disease, senile
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Amnesia
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with amnesia (people-first language)
Related search terms: memory disorder
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: amnesiacs
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Amputation
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: amputee (identity-first language) or people with amputations (person-first language)
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: cripple, one-legged
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Autism
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: autistic people (identity-first language) or people with autism (person-first language), or people on the autism spectrum
Related search terms: Asperger/Asperger’s syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders, neurodivergent
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Blind
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: blind people (identity-first language) or people who are blind (person-first language)
Related search terms: visual impairment
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Brain Injury
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with a traumatic or acquired brain injury (person-first language)
Related search terms: acquired brain disorder, TBI
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: brain-damaged people, imbecile
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Deaf
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Deaf people (identity-first language), people with hearing loss (person-first language), people who are deaf (person-first language), people who are hard of hearing (person-first language), people who are hearing impaired (person-first language).
Related search terms: hearing impaired
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Dementia
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with dementia (person-first language).
Related search terms: Alzheimer disease, cognitive impairment, neurocognitive disorder
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: senile people, people with senility
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Developmental Disability
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with developmental disabilities (person-first language),
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: When writing about developmental disability, be clear about which developmental disability you are referring to whenever possible. These are usually classified in 4 areas: impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavior areas
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: developmentally disabled, people with special needs
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Drug Use
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people who use drugs (person-first language)
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: Outcomes of drug and other substance use will vary widely depending on the drug and the user. When writing about drug use, specificity about the conditions around the use will be important. Note also the difference between “drug user” and “drug abuser.”
Related search terms: drug users, polypharmacy
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: drug users, drug addicts
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Dysgraphia
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with dysgraphia (person-first language).
Related search terms: learning disability
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Epilepsy
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with epilepsy (person-first language).
Related search terms: seizures
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: epileptic (as noun), spastic
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Hearing Loss
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Deaf people (identity-first language), people with hearing loss (person-first language), people who are deaf (person-first language), people who are hard of hearing (person-first language), people who are hearing impaired (person-first language).
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: There are four levels of hearing loss; not all should be referred to as “deaf.”
Related search terms: deaf
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
HIV/AIDS
Intellectual Disability
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with intellectual disabilities (person-first language).
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: When writing about intellectual disabilities, be clear about which disability you are referring to whenever possible.
Related search terms: cognitive disability
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: the mentally retarded, mentally retarded people, people with special needs, idiot
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Learning Disability
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with learning disabilities (person-first language)
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: When writing about learning disabilities, be clear about which disability you are referring to whenever possible.
Related search terms: intellectual disability
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: the learning disabled, retarded, slow
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Mental Illness
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with mental illness (person-first language).
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: When writing about mental illness, be clear about which mental illness you are referring to whenever possible.
Related search terms: behavioral disorder, mood disorder, anxiety, personality, and psychotic disorder
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: nuts, crazy
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Paraplegia
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with paraplegia (person-first language).
Related search terms: paraplegics, paralysis
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: paraplegics
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Physical Disability
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with a physical disability (person-first language).
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: When writing about physical disabilities, be clear about which disability you are referring to whenever possible.
Related search terms: physical impairment
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: cripples, invalids, physically challenged people, birth defect, handicapped, disabled
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Schizophrenia
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with schizophrenia (person-first language).
Related search terms: schizophrenics
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: schizophrenics, psycho
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Special Needs
Pejorative. See Intellectual Disability.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with spinal cord injuries (person-first language).
Related search terms: paralyzed, paraplegia, quadriplegia
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: crippled
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Substance Use
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with substance use disorders (person-first language)
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: Outcomes of drug and other substance use will vary widely depending on the drug and the user. When writing about drug use, specificity about the conditions around the use will be important.
Related search terms: substance abuse, addiction
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: substance abusers, addicts
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Traumatic Brain Injury
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people with a traumatic brain injury (person-first language).
Related search terms: head injury, brain injury, concussion
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: brain-damaged people, mentally deficient
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022
Wheelchair User
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: wheelchair user (identity-first language).
Related search terms: non-ambulatory, mobility disability
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: people who are wheelchair bound, people who are confined to a wheelchair, handicapped
Date of last revision: November 30, 2022