PEOPLE FIRST LANGUAGE	LABELS NOT TO USE
People with disabilities	The handicapped or disabled
People with mental retardation He has a cognitive impairment	The mentally retarded He’s retarded
My son has autism	My son is autistic
She has Down Syndrome	She’s a Downs kid, a mongoloid
He has a learning disability	He’s learning disabled
I have paraplegia	I’m a paraplegic
She has a physical disability She has a mobility impairment	She’s crippled
He’s of short stature	He’s a dwarf (or midget)
She has an emotional disability	She’s emotionally disturbed
He uses a wheelchair	He’s wheelchair bound or confined to a wheelchair
A typical person or a person without a disability	Normal and/or healthy person
He receives special education services	He’s in special education
Congenital disability	Birth defect
Accessible parking, bathrooms, etc.	Handicapped parking, bathrooms, etc.
She has a need for. . .	She has a problem with. . .

• Do not refer to a person’s disability unless it is relevant... REMEMBER, people are PEOPLE FIRST, DISABILITY SECOND!

• Use disability rather than “handicap” to refer to a person’s disability.

• Avoid negative or sensational descriptions of a person’s disability.

• Don’t use “normal” to describe people without disabilities; instead say people without disabilities or typical, if comparisons are necessary.

• Never assume that a person with a communication disorder also has a cognitive disability such as mental retardation.

• Don’t portray people with disabilities as overly courageous, brave, special, or super human.