List of disability-related terms with negative connotations

The following is a list of terms used to describe disabilities or people with disabilities that may be considered negative and/or offensive by people with or without disabilities.

Disability
    •  Disability
    • Lists

Generally it is best to use person first language, e.g. a person with a disability rather than a disabled person.[1]

There is some disagreement as to what should be considered offensive. Views vary with geography and culture, over time, and among individuals. Many terms that some people view as offensive are not viewed as offensive by others, and even where some people are offended by certain terms, others may be offended by the replacement of such terms with what they consider to be euphemisms (e.g., "differently abled" or "special needs"). Some people believe that terms should be avoided if they might offend people; others hold the listener responsible for misinterpreting terms used with non-offensive intent.

For some terms, the grammar structure of their use determine if they are offensive. The people first stance advocates for saying "people with disabilities" instead of "the disabled" or "a person who is deaf" instead of "a deaf person".[2][3][4] However, some advocate against this, saying it reflects a medical model of disability whereas "disabled person" is more appropriate and reflects the social model of disability.[5] On the other hand, there is also a grammar structure called identity-first language that construes disability as a function of social and political experiences occurring within a world designed largely for nondisabled people.[6]

A
  • Able-bodied, use non-disabled instead[7]
  • Addict, use person with a drug problem or person with a substance use disorder instead[8]
  • Afflicted[7]
  • Attention-seeking, commonly used to label someone who is suffering emotionally[9]
  • Autism or autistic, when used as an insult.[10]

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I
  • Imbecile was the diagnostic term for people with IQ scores between 30–50 in the early 1900s.[27] It is no longer used professionally.[3] Before to the IQ test was developed in 1905, "imbecile" was also commonly used as a casual insult towards anyone perceived as incompetent at doing something.[27]
  • Incapacitated[3]
  • Idiot was the diagnostic term used for people with IQ scores under 30 when the IQ test was first developed in the early 1900s.[27][28] It is also no longer used professionally. Before the IQ test was developed in 1905, "idiot" was also commonly used as a casual insult towards anyone perceived as incompetent at doing something.[27]
  • Inmate (when referring to a psychiatric admission), use patient or client instead[8]
  • Insane[19]
  • Inspirational[29] or inspiring, when used about somebody doing a very ordinary activity (inspirational porn). Based on pity.
  • Invalid[3][12]

J
  • Junkie, use person with a drug problem or person with a substance use disorder instead [8]

L
  • Lame. A reference to difficulty walking or moving. The term has since been adopted into urban slang to generally refer to something or someone as "meaningless" or "without worth", e.g. "He told us a lame excuse for why he had not done the work."[3][15][16]
  • Losing one's mind[19]
  • Lunatic or looney[3]

M

N
  • Narc, narcissist[9] this does not mean the same as abuser[30]
  • Nut, nuts, or nutter, nut house, etc[17][19]

P
  • Patient[3]
  • paraplegic, use person with paraplegia[7]
  • Psycho(tic)[12]
  • Psychopath, which is an old term that used to mean a person with a mental illness, name the behavior of the person instead[31]

R

S
Extremely offensive especially in UK/Ireland. Previously used to refer to muscle spasicity or a person with cerebral palsy, which may involve muscle spasms. Also used to insult someone uncoordinated or making jerking movements.
  • Sufferer, use person with..." instead, negative and disempowering terms should be avoided[4]

T

V

W

Y
  • "Yuppie flu" used as a pejorative term for chronic fatigue syndrome. This originated from the media stereotype of people with CFS as ambitious, young, and affluent, and not have a genuine illness, neither of which is an accurate portrayal.[42]

References
  1. "Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability". gov.uk. 2018. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  2. Vaughan, C. Edwin (March 2009). "People-First Language: An Unholy Crusade". Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  3. "Resource on Person-First Language - The Language Used to Describe Individuals With Disabilities". American Speech–Language–Hearing Association. December 1992. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  4. "Disability etiquette - Tips On Interacting With People With Disabilities" (PDF). United Spinal Association. 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  5. Egan, Lisa (9 November 2012). "I'm Not A "Person With a Disability": I'm a Disabled Person". XoJane. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  6. Dunn, Dana S.; Andrews, Erin E. (2015). "Person-first and identity-first language: Developing psychologists' cultural competence using disability language". American Psychologist. 70 (3): 255–264. doi:10.1037/a0038636. PMID 25642702.
  7. "Terms to Avoid When Writing About Disability | National Center on Disability and Journalism". September 2015. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  8. Kanigel, Rachele (2019-01-14). The Diversity Style Guide. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 242–243. ISBN 978-1-119-05507-5.
  9. Mollon, Anna (2015). "The Disability Drive" (PDF). Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  10. Kent, Tamsyn (6 November 2009). "Has 'autism' become a term of abuse?". BBC News. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  11. Brown, Lydia XZ. "Ableist words and terms to avoid" (PDF). Disability Resource Center | University of Arizona.
  12. "ENC1101 First-year Composition - Guidelines for Avoiding Ableist Language". Archived from the original on 16 September 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  13. "Advice for Staff - Disability Etiquette - Appropriate Language and Behaviour". Student Support and Accommodation. Heriot-Watt University. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  14. Jernigan, Kenneth (March 2009). "The Pitfalls of Political Correctness: Euphemisms Excoriated". National Federation of the Blind.
  15. "The Transcontinental Disability Choir: What is Ableist Language and Why Should You Care?". 11 November 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  16. "Disability Access Services Blog - Ableism and Language". 31 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  17. Brown, Lydia (16 June 2013). "Ableist Language". Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  18. Clare, Eli. "Thinking about the word crip". Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  19. Steele, David (6 September 2012). "Crazy talk: The language of mental illness stigma". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  20. Brown, Lydia. "Identity First Language". Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
  21. Haller, Beth. "Journalists should learn to carefully traverse a variety of disability terminology". National Center on Disability and Journalism.
  22. Sinclair, Jim. "Why I dislike Person First language". Anatomy, the Critical Journal of Interdisciplinary Autism Studies.
  23. Bryan, Chloe (September 22, 2017). "What is a 'dotard,' anyway?". Mashable. Retrieved March 8, 2018. At its core, "dotard" makes a judgement about a person's mental health, which is not a particularly wise thing to be doing to your peers as you dance through life.
  24. "Accessibility & Disability Etiquette - Accessibility". accessibility.unca.edu.
  25. Quackenbush, Nicole (2008). Bodies in Culture, Culture in Bodies: Disability Narratives and a Rhetoric of Resistance. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest LLC. pp. 118–127.
  26. Cowley, Gina. "Female Hysteria". BellaOnline. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  27. Rapley, Mark (2004), The Social Construction of Intellectual Disability, Cambridge University Press, p. 32, ISBN 978-0-521-00529-6.
  28. Cruz, Isagani A.; Quaison, Camilo D. (2003), Correct Choice of Words' : English Grammar Series for Filipino Lawyers (2003 ed.), Rex Bookstore, Inc., pp. 444–445, ISBN 978-971-23-3686-7.
  29. Ellis, Katie; Kent, Mike (2016-11-10). Disability and Social Media: Global Perspectives. Taylor & Francis. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-317-15028-2.
  30. Contributor, Melody Wilding (November 2018). "I'm a professor of human behavior, and I have some news for you about the 'narcissists' in your life". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  31. Gratton, Korina (4 December 2019). "LibGuides: Ableism: Ableist Language". libguides.ufv.ca. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  32. Hodges, Rick. "The Rise and Fall of "Mentally Retarded" – Member Feature Stories". Medium. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  33. Andrews, Erin E. (2019-11-01). Disability as Diversity: Developing Cultural Competence. Oxford University Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-19-065232-6.
  34. Penn, David L.; Nowlin-Drummond, Amy (2001). "Politically Correct Labels and Schizophrenia: A Rose by Any Other Name?" (PDF). Schizophrenia Bulletin. 27 (2): 197–203. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.schbul.a006866.
  35. Kelly, Jon; Winterman, Denise (10 October 2011). "OCD, bipolar, schizophrenic and the misuse of mental health terms". BBC News. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  36. "Dictionary.com - Schizoid". Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  37. "The Free Dictionary - Schizo". Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  38. "Reference.com - Tard". Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  39. "the definition of vegetable". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  40. Ipsos MORI (September 2016). "Attitudes to potentially offensive language and gestures on TV and radio" (PDF). Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  41. Smith, Noel 'Razor' (2015). The Criminal Alphabet: An A-Z of Prison Slang. Penguin UK. p. 236. ISBN 9780141946832.
  42. Frumkin, Howard; Packard, Randall M.; Brown, Peter G.; Ruth L. Berkelman (2004). Emerging illnesses and society: negotiating the public health agenda. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-7942-5.
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