Examples of Acceptable and Offensive Language:

Acceptable:  disabled
Offensive:    handicapped, crippled, deformed

Acceptable:  non-disabled
Offensive:    able-bodied, normal, healthy

Acceptable:  people with disabilities
Offensive:    the disabled

Acceptable:  persons with disabilities
Offensive:    the handicapped

Acceptable:  uses a wheelchair
Offensive:    is confined to a wheelchair

Acceptable:  is a wheelchair user
Offensive:    is wheelchair bound

Acceptable:  has a cerebral palsy
Offensive:    is a cerebral palsy victim

Acceptable:  has had polio
Offensive:    suffers from polio

Acceptable:  has a specific learning disability
Offensive:    is learning disabled

Acceptable:  people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hearing impaired
Offensive:    the blind, the visually impaired deaf or the hearing impaired deaf and dumb

Acceptable:  person with mental illness
Offensive:    the mentally ill, crazy person, psycho, psychopath

Acceptable:  person with developmental delay
Offensive:    the mentally retarded, retardation, mentally deficient, retard or retardate

Acceptable:  person with cognitive disability
Offensive:    the Down's Syndrome child

Acceptable:  person with Down Syndrome
Offensive:    Mongoloid (Never!)

Acceptable:  people who have epilepsy
Offensive:    epileptics

Acceptable:  seizures
Offensive:    fits

Last updated 99/11/18