| Outdated or Offensive |
Reason(s) |
Currently Accepted Examples |
| "The" blind, "the" autistic |
Views people in terms of their disability; groups people together; no individuality |
People with disabilities, Deaf people, people who are blind, people with autism |
| "Handicapped" |
Used for architectural barriers, not people |
People with disabilities |
| "The disabled" |
An individual is a person before they are disabled |
People with disabilities |
| "Admits that s/he has a disability" |
A disability is not something that needs to be admitted |
Says s/he has a disability |
| "Normal" when speaking of someone without a disability |
People with disabilities are also normal. It implies that people with disabilities are not normal. |
Non-disabled, person without a disability |
| "Courageous" |
Implies a person has courage because of having a disability |
Has overcome their disability, successful, productive |
| "Deaf and dumb/mute" |
Implies mental incapacitation |
Deaf, non-verbal, heard of hearing, person who does not speak, unable to speak |
| "Hearing-Impaired", "Suffered a hearing loss" |
Negative connotation of Deaf as "impaired" of "sufferers" |
Deaf, hard of hearing |
| "Slurred speech" |
Stigmatizing |
Person/People with a communication disability |
| "Confined to a wheelchair" or "Wheelchair bound" |
Wheelchairs don't confine; they make people mobile |
Uses a wheelchair, wheelchair user, person who uses a wheelchair |
| "Cripple/Crippled" |
From Old English; meaning "to creep"; dehumanizing |
Has a disability, physical disability, physically disabled |
| "Deformed", "Freak", "Vegetable" |
Connotes repulsiveness, oddness; dehumanizing |
Multiple disabilities, severe disabilities |
| "Crazy", "Insane", "Psycho", "Maniac", "Nut Case" |
Stigmatizing; considered offensive; reinforces negative stereotypes |
Behavior disorder, emotional disability, person with a mental illness, person with a psychiatric disability |
| "Retarded", "mentally defective", "slow", "simple", "moron" |
Stigmatizing; implies that a person cannot learn |
Developmentally delayed, developmental disability |
| "Mongoloid" |
Considered offensive |
Person with Down Syndrome |
| "Stricken/Afflicted by MS" |
Negative connotation of "afflicted", "stricken" |
Person who has Multiple Sclerosis |
| "CP victim" |
Cerebral Palsy does not make a person a victim |
Person with Cerebral Palsy |
| "Epileptic" |
Not "person-first" language; stigmatizing |
Person with Epilepsy, person with seizure disorder |
| "Birth defect" |
Implies there was something wrong with the birth |
Congenital disability |
| "Deinstitutionalized" |
Stigmatizing; groups people into one category; not focused on the individual |
Person who used to live in an institution |
| "Midget" |
Outdated term; considered offensive |
Person of short stature |
| "Epileptic fit" |
Reinforces negative stereotypes |
Seizure |
