Can you say handicapped

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Inclusive Exhibition Design. Accessible Technology. More events Ask to find out if an individual is willing to disclose their disability.

Emphasize abilities, not limitations. In general, refer to the person first and the disability second. Use neutral language. Use language that emphasizes the need for accessibility rather than the presence of a disability. Do not use condescending euphemisms. Do not use offensive language. Describing people without disabilities. Remember that disability is not an illness and people with disabilities are not patients. Do not use language that perpetuates negative stereotypes about psychiatric disabilities.

Portray successful people with disabilities in a balanced way, not as heroic or superhuman. You can change your cookie settings at any time. This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

Avoid medical labels. Most disabled people are comfortable with the words used to describe daily living. An impairment may just mean that some things are done in a different way. Avoid passive, victim words. Use language that respects disabled people as active individuals with control over their own lives. To help us improve GOV. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Cookies on GOV. Describes damage to the skin which permanently alters its appearance. Rather than say burn victim say burn survivor or person with a burn injury.

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 woman who is deaf, boy who is hard of hearing, individuals or people with hearing loss. 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.

Impairment refers to loss or abnormality of an organ or body mechanism, which may result in disability. 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. Head injury. Describes a condition where there is long-term or temporary disruption in brain functioning. Use persons with head injury, people who have sustained brain damage , woman who has sustained traumatic brain injury, or boy with a closed head injury.

Do not use mentally deranged, crazy, deviant. Mental disability describes all of the recognized forms of mental illness, severe emotional disorder, or mental retardation.