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Disability language

Use words and images that portray disabled people in ways that promote full equality, inclusion and participation.

In New Zealand, we use the term ‘disabled person’ as outlined in the New Zealand Disability Strategy rather than ‘person with a disability’.

However, when referring to an individual, ask what term they use to refer to themselves — different disabled people have different backgrounds, communities, and ideas that can influence what term they prefer.

Models of disability

When writing about disability, it’s helpful to understand the models that are used to define disability. Today, we use the social model, which has replaced the now out-of-date medical model.

The Social Model of Disability

The social model says that a person is disabled by society rather than by their body or abilities. This model looks at what is wrong with and needs fixing in society.

The Medical Model of Disability

The medical model says people are disabled by their impairments or differences. This model looks at what is wrong with and needs fixing in the person.

Tips

Use respectful terms for disability and mental health.
Focus on positive outcomes and personal strengths.
Use language that respects disabled people as active individuals with control over their own lives.
Do not reference a medical, mental or cognitive condition unless it’s relevant.
Avoid using ‘disorder’ unless it’s part of a formal diagnosis — for example, Auditory Processing Disorder or Attention Deficit Disorder.
Avoid using language that contributes to society’s negative stereotypes about disability.
Avoid language that portrays disabled people as victims, such as ‘suffers from’ and ‘challenged by’.
Avoid phrases that may associate impairments with negative things — for example, ‘blind drunk’ or ‘deaf to our pleas’.
Avoid using ‘help’, which suggests a weakness, and use ‘support’ instead — for example, ‘the support worker can support you with your cooking’.

Images:

Do not use cartoons or portray disabled adults as if they were children.
Use images of disabled people doing a range of things, like shopping, taking a holiday, attending a lecture, playing sport, getting married, rather than stereotypical images that portray them as pitiable.

Examples

**Table 1:** Terms to avoid and words to use instead
Avoid	Preferred
Afflicted by, suffers from, victim of	Has / with (name of condition or impairment). For example, person with cerebral palsy
Attack, spell, fit	Seizure
Birth defects, deformity	Person born with a disability Person with a disability from birth
The blind	Blind people
Cripple/crippled	Person with a physical disability Person with a mobility impairment Person who walks with crutches Person who uses a walker
Deaf-mute, deaf and dumb	The Deaf / person who is deaf — New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) users identify with this term Person who is deaf or the deaf (non-NZSL user)
Disorder	Condition
Disclosing a disability	Telling people about a disability
Dwarf, midget	Person of short stature
Epileptic	Person who has epilepsy
Hearing impaired, hard of hearing	Person who is hard of hearing
Lame	Person with a mobility impairment
Mentally retarded, retard, slow	Person with an intellectual / learning disability
Normal	Person without a disability
People who are visually impaired/ have serious sight problems/loss	People who have a visual impairment
People who have special needs	People with diverse needs
Schizophrenic	Person who has schizophrenia
Spastic	Person who has muscle spasms
The symptoms of a condition	The effects of a condition
Wheelchair bound, confined to a wheelchair	Someone who uses a wheelchair or wheelchair user