GUIDELINES
FOR REPORTING AND WRITING ABOUT
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
When writing, it’s important to be
concise, particularly in journalism. However, sometimes the effort to limit
wordiness leads to inappropriate references to people with disabilities. The
following guidelines explain preferred terminology and reflect input from over
100 national disability organizations. These guidelines have been reviewed and
endorsed by media and disability experts throughout the country. Although
opinions may differ on some terms, the guidelines represent the current
consensus among disability organizations. Portions of the guidelines have been
adopted into the "Associated Press Stylebook," a basic reference for
professional journalists.
DO NOT FOCUS ON DISABILITY unless
it is crucial to a story. Avoid tear-jerking human interest stories about
incurable diseases, congenital impairments, or severe injury. Focus instead on
issues that affect the quality of life for those same individuals, such as
accessible transportation, housing, affordable health care, employment
opportunities, and discrimination.
DO NOT PORTRAY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES AS SUPERHUMAN. Many people with disabilities do not want
to be “hero-ized.” Like many people without disabilities, they simply wish
to live lives of full inclusion in our communities and do not want to be judged
based on unreasonable expectations.
DO NOT SENSATIONALIZE A DISABILITY by
writing “afflicted with,” “crippled with,” “suffers from,” “victim
of,” and so on. Instead, write “person who has multiple sclerosis” or
“man who had polio.”
DO NOT USE GENERIC LABELS for
disability groups, such as "the retarded," "the deaf."
Emphasize people not labels. Say “people with mental retardation” or
“people who are deaf.”
PUT PEOPLE FIRST, not
their disability. Say “woman with arthritis,” “children who are deaf,”
“people with disabilities.” This puts the focus on the individual, not the
particular functional limitation. Despite editorial pressures to be succinct, it
is never acceptable to use “crippled,” “deformed,” “suffers from,”
“victim of,” “the retarded,” “the deaf and dumb,” etc.
EMPHASIZE ABILITIES, not
limitations. For example:
CORRECT: “uses a wheelchair/braces,”
or “walks with crutches,”
INCORRECT: “confined to a wheelchair,”
“wheelchair-bound,” or “crippled.”
Similarly, do not use emotional descriptors
such as “unfortunate,” “pitiful,” and similar phrases.
Disability groups also strongly object to
using euphemisms to describe disabilities. Terms such as “handi-capable,”
“mentally different,” “physically inconvenienced,” and “physically
challenged” are considered condescending. They reinforce the idea that
disabilities cannot be dealt with directly and candidly.
DO NOT IMPLY DISEASE when
discussing disabilities that result from a prior disease episode. People who had
polio and experienced after-effects have a postpolio disability. They are not
currently experiencing the disease. Do not imply disease with people whose
disability has resulted from anatomical or physiological damage (e.g., person
with spina bifida or cerebral palsy). Reference to disease associated with a
disability is acceptable only with chronic diseases, such as arthritis,
Parkinson's disease, or multiple sclerosis. People with disabilities should
never be referred to as “patients” or “cases” unless their relationship
with their doctor is under discussion.
SHOW PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AS ACTIVE participants
of society. Portraying persons with disabilities interacting with people without
disabilities in social and work environments helps break down barriers and open
lines of communications.
Listed below are preferred
words that reflect a positive attitude in portraying disabilities:
Brain injury.
Describes a condition where there is long-term or temporary disruption in brain
function resulting from injury to the brain. Difficulties with the cognitive,
physical, emotional, or social functioning may occur. Use person with a brain
injury, woman who has sustained brain injury, or boy with an acquired brain
injury.
Cleft lip.
Describes a specific congenital disability involving lip and gum. The term hare
lip is anatomically incorrect and stigmatizing. Use person who has a cleft lip
or a cleft palate.
Deaf.
Deafness refers to a profound degree of hearing loss that prevents understanding
speech though the ear. Hearing impaired and hearing loss are generic terms used
by some individuals to indicate any degree of hearing loss--from mild to
profound. These terms include people who are hard of hearing and deaf. However,
some individuals completely disfavor the term hearing impaired. Others prefer to
use deaf or hard of hearing. Hard of hearing refers to a mild to moderate
hearing loss that may or may not be corrected with amplification. Use women who
is deaf, boy who is hard of hearing, individuals with hearing losses, people who
are deaf or hard of hearing.
Disability.
General term used for a functional limitation that interferes with a person's
ability for example, to walk, lift, hear, or learn. It may refer to a physical,
sensory, or mental condition. Use as a descriptive noun or adjective, such as
person living with AIDS, woman who is blind. or man with a disability.
Impairment refers to loss or abnormality of an organ or body mechanism, which
may result in disability.
Disfigurement.
Refers to physical changes caused by burn, trauma, disease, or congenital
problems.
Down syndrome.
Describes a chromosome disorder which usually causes a delay in physical,
intellectual, and language development. Usually results in mental retardation.
Mongol or mongoloid are unacceptable.
Handicap.
Not a synonym for disability. Describes a condition or barrier imposed by
society, the environment, or by one's own self. Some individuals prefer
inaccessible or not accessible to describe social and environmental barriers.
Handicap can be used when citing laws and situations but should not be used to
describe a disability. Do not refer to people with disabilities as the
handicapped or handicapped people. Say the building is not accessible for a
wheelchair-user. The stairs are a handicap for her.
HIV/AIDS.
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is an infectious disease resulting in the
loss of the body's immune system to ward off infections The disease is caused by
the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A positive test for HIV can occur
without symptoms of the illnesses which usually develop up to 10 years later,
including tuberculosis, recurring pneumonia cancer, recurrent vaginal yeast
infections, intestinal ailments, chronic weakness and fever and profound weight
loss. Preferred: people living with HIV people with AIDS or living with AIDS.
Mental disability.
The Federal Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) lists four categories under mental
disability: psychiatric disability retardation, learning disability, or
cognitive impairment is acceptable.
Nondisabled.
Appropriate term for people without disabilities. Normal, able-bodied, healthy,
or whole are inappropriate.
Seizure.
Describes an involuntary muscular contraction, a brief impairment or loss of
consciousness, etc. resulting from a neurological condition such as epilepsy or
from an acquired brain injury. Rather than epileptic, say girl with epilepsy or
boy with a seizure disorder. The term convulsion should be used only for
seizures involving contraction of the entire body.
Spastic.
Describes a muscle with sudden abnormal and involuntary spasm. Not appropriate
for describing someone with cerebral palsy or a neurological disorder Muscles
are spastic, not people.
Stroke.
Caused by interruption of blood to brain. Hemiplegia (paralysis on one side) may
result. Stroke survivor is preferred over stroke victim.
Source: The Arc of the United States, http://www.thearc.org/misc/writingguides.htm
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