PERSON-FIRST LANGUAGE
Person-first language means using descriptive words in a way that emphasizes the person before introducing any words that may cause another to regard him or her as a label or stereotype. It’s not about politically correct terminology. It’s about focusing attention on people above anything else. When you do, you respect who they are.
Fact Sheet-Examples
| Term (Don’t) |
Person First Usage (Do): |
| |
|
| The terms in the “Don’t” column objectify an individual by labeling the person as his or her disability. It is only appropriate to refer to a person’s disability if there is a purpose in noting it. If it is part of a person’s “story,” then it is appropriate to reference the disability using the guidelines in the “Do” column that place the person first and the reference after. |
| |
|
| mental retardation |
intellectual disability |
| mentally retarded person |
a man (or woman) with an intellectual
disability |
| blind person |
a woman (or man) who is
seeing-impaired |
| deaf person |
a man (or woman) who is
hearing-impaired |
| handicapped person |
a person (man or woman) with a
physical disability, a person (man or
woman) with an intellectual disability,
a person (man or woman) with
intellectual and physical disabilities |
| Term (Don’t) |
Person First Usage (Do): |
| |
| The adjectives used in the phrases below do not accurately describe the noun they are modifying (i.e., a “handicapped bus” would be broken in some way). |
| |
|
| handicapped bus |
accessible bus or accessible
transportation |
| handicapped parking |
accessible parking |
| disabled parking |
accessible parking |
| Term (Don’t) |
Person First Usage (Do): |
| |
|
| People who use wheelchairs do not regard them as confining. Wheelchairs make mobility possible. |
| |
|
| wheelchair bound |
woman (or man) who uses a
wheelchair |
| confined to a wheelchair |
woman (or man) who uses a
wheelchair |
| Term (Don’t) |
Person First Usage (Do): |
| |
|
| Staff doesn’t fill a bus with people. Those riding the bus perform the action of getting into it. If a person does require assistance, it may be noted if it adds clarity. It is appropriate to refer to loading a car or van if it means the car was being filled with cargo – not people. |
| |
|
| loading the bus |
getting into the bus or getting
into the bus with assistance |
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