| Person, person with a disability |
Cripple, crippled- The incorrect image conveyed is of a deformed useless body |
| Disability, a general term used for functional limitation that interferes with a person's ability, for example, to hear, walk, learn, or lift. It may refer to a physical, mental or sensory condition. |
Handicap, handicapped person, or handicapped |
| People with cerebral palsy, people with spinal cord injuries. |
Cerebral palsied, spinal cord injured, etc. Never identify people solely by their disability |
| People with spinal cord injury, polio, a stroke, etc., or a person who has multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, etc. |
Victim; people with disabilities do not like to be perceived as victims for the rest of their lives, long after any victimization has occurred |
| Has a disability, has a condition of (spina bifida, etc.), or born without legs, etc. |
Defective, defect, deformed vegetable- these words are offensive, dehumanizing, degrading and stigmatizing |
| Deaf/Hearing Impaired "Deaf" refers to a person who has a total loss of hearing. "Hearing Impaired refers to a person with partial loss of hearing within a range from slight to severe |
Deaf and dumb- is as bad as it sounds. Inability to hear or speak does not indicate any less intelligence |
| Person who has a mental or development disability |
Retarded, moron, imbecile, idiot - These are offensive and inaccurate |
| Uses a wheelchair or crutches; a wheelchair user; walks with crutches |
Confined/Restricted to a wheelchair, wheelchair bound. Most people who use a wheelchair or mobility devices do not regard them as confining. They are viewed as liberating, a means of getting around |
| Able-bodied; able to walk, see, hear, etc.; people who are not disabled |
Healthy- when used to contrast with ‘disabled,' ‘healthy' implies the person with a disability is unhealthy. Many people with disabilities have excellent health. |