The Art of Inclusive Language for Chronic Illness and Disability
Written by Ann Pietrangelo on November 23rd, 2009 in Emotional Issues, Health Care Policy, In The News, Linked Articles.
Is it “disabled” or “person with disability?” Inclusive language experts say it’s the latter. Ah, but take a look around the web at the blogs of persons with disabilities, and you’ll come across badges and banners that read, “Disabled and Proud,” as well as many variations on such terminology, depending upon the context.
In researching acceptable terms, I came across the advice to refer to “people without disabilities” rather than “able-bodied” people. Well, I’m certainly guilty of incorrectness on that one. “People without disabilities” strikes me as awkward.
“Partially sighted” rather than “partially blind” does accentuate the positive, and “Handicapped Parking” is making the transition to “Disabled Parking.” Lots of food for thought here, but there are many shades of gray.
If you are a person living with chronic illness or disability, please read this post in its entirety — your opinions on this would be greatly appreciated:
