Guidelines for Writing About Impairment

Guidelines for Writing About Impairment

It can be difficult for a journalist, essayist, novelist, or English major who is not familiar with the disability community to write accurately about individuals with disabilities because of the specialized language they use. 

Avoiding harmful, confused, and abusive language is possible because of the availability of helpful lexical alternatives. Here's how to write about individuals with disabilities without resorting to harmful stereotypes and instead using language that is sensitive, up-to-date, and more suitable.

Methods for Selecting Appropriate Wording

Keep the topic of a person's disability out of the conversation unless it is directly related to the discussion at hand. When publishing their works, many women authors chose to go by their initials or a pen name to escape sexism. Having a physical or mental impairment is the same. If a person's disability is not directly related to the topic at hand, it is best not to bring it up.

If you were interviewing a writer whose biography was about her struggles with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it would be fair game to ask her questions about her experience with the disorder. To bring up the author's ADHD in an interview would be inappropriate given that she never brought it up herself. Take your cues from them on whether or not to bring it up for debate.

Some people are more forthcoming than others about discussing their impairments. Some people experience discomfort or embarrassment, while others take pleasure in their unique identities, and yet others don't give a damn. Do as the other person suggests.

Do not use fashionable or cutesy phrases to describe anyone with disabilities. Differently abled: Some persons with disabilities believe that the term "disabled" is offensive and that other words should be used instead. Use a neutral tone by referring to the person as "impaired" or "has a disability."

Unfortunately, many people who have disabilities have little respect for political correctness. It sounds absurd, cold, and subjective.

Most persons who are disabled feel offended when the word "challenged" is used to describe their condition. This is because people who are disabled are sometimes expected to "push through" their limitations despite the fact that doing so may be taxing, painful, or even impossible.

People with disabilities often feel that the term "special needs" implies that their requirements are optional, so it's important to honor community and individual preferences when it comes to the terminology used to describe them.

The term "person" is always used first in "people-first" terminology, as in "a person with Down syndrome."

The term "blind person" describes a person with a visual impairment in the same way that "person" describes anyone else. Use the person's preferred language if you're writing about them, and the community's language if you're writing about them.

Inquire as to a person's favored tongue. Generally speaking, it coincides with popular opinion.

For example, the term "deaf person" is preferred by the Deaf, Blind, and Autistic communities over "person with deafness."

Person-first terminology, such as "person with hemophilia" rather than "hemophiliac," is preferred by the health care community and the intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) (but not autism) community.

If you're writing for an audience that doesn't have a strong preference, you might want to use a variety of styles (e.g., both "disabled people" and "people with disabilities").

Disabled should be used as an adverb or modifier, not a noun. Replace "epileptics" with "people with epilepsy," "blind individuals" with "people who are blind," and "people with disabilities" with simply "disabled people." Try to keep in mind that some people have limitations. To put it another way, they are not the impaired party.

Like "artists" or "blondes," the term "autistic" is acceptable to some members of the autistic community. Here we have an unusual case.

If you want to show that you're part of a group that includes people with disabilities, use the proper capitalization of the disability's name.

A deaf person can't hear in any way, shape, or form, but a deaf person embraces their hearing loss as an integral part of who they are and their membership in the Deaf community. If you're referring to a certain group or culture (like "Tyrell is blind"), it's important to capitalize the person's impairment (e.g., "Rainbows are a common motif in Autistic culture").

In most cases, the last name of the individual who first notices a disability should be capitalized (e.g., Down syndrome).

Leave the slurs and the old jargon at the door. Some words and phrases have been weaponized to be used as an insult or in a degrading context. Avoid using these terms since they have been associated with negative attitudes. Rather, please identify the impairment (e.g., "uses a wheelchair" or "has Tourette syndrome").

• Midget/dwarf
• Although "dwarf" may be acceptable to some, "small person" is preferred.
• not valid; weak
• Cripple(d)
• A malady, ailment, or abnormality
• Mongoloid
• Synonyms: crazed, insane, maniac
• Spaz \sHandicapped
• Retard(ed)
• Common derogatory terms include "idiot," "moron," and "stupid."

Don't make assumptions about the abilities of persons with disabilities or "rate" them on anything. A woman who doesn't speak but who gestures with her arms might be an independent and gifted author. While he may be able to fool others, a man who "passes" as able-bodied may have a hard time taking care of himself and keeping a job. Don't classify people into "unrestricted potential" or "severely crippled for life" categories based on their appearance. Both the abilities and the support requirements of people with impairments must be taken into account.

Don't judge someone's intelligence by looking at their face or judging their ability to move or speak normally.

Disabled people, and autistic people in particular, have long resisted being pigeonholed into categories like "high-functioning" or "low-functioning."

Details about specific requirements are requested. For instance, "Hikaru is low-functioning" could be rephrased as "Hikaru is nonspeaking and gets assistance with cooking, cleaning, and self-care."

Leave out any theatrical references to pain, sorrow, or impending doom. The vast majority of people who experience disabilities lead completely typical lives. They get up, have breakfast cereal, get dressed, and go about their day just like everyone else. They are able to live a full and meaningful life despite their impairments. Just say things like "Ahmed suffers from anxiety" or "It's a known truth that..." If you want to avoid the word "suffers from", don't use it.

"Has trouble fighting". (Unless they expressly state otherwise)

Being confined to a wheelchair (which is also inaccurate; some wheelchair users can stand or walk short distances)

"Sufferer from," "Never," "Struck by," and "Patient" (unless they actually are receiving treatment in a medical facility)

Use the same names throughout. If you address people without disabilities by their first name, you should address people with disabilities by their last name.If you insist on using first names for everyone, you should also use them when addressing people who may have a disability.This demonstrates that they hold the same value in your eyes as anyone else.

If Angela Ramirez and Ryan Black are both referred to by their surnames, then Jimmy McCoy should be referred to as "McCoy," not "Jimmy" or "Jim."

Using "Jimmy" or "Jim" is acceptable if "Angela" or "Ryan" is used for Angela Ramirez or Ryan Black, respectively.

Replace "handicap" with "accessible" when referring to universal design features. Both can be used without repercussions in most areas, although "accessible" is the more common term. In particular, New York has swapped out the traditional disability emblem for a more "mobile" one.

When speaking to able-bodied folks, please be as factual as possible. Individuals who are not disabled are often referred to as "non-disabled people" or "people without impairments." Avoid using the word "normal" in reference to them; doing so implies that people with disabilities are, in fact, abnormal.

Fallacies to Avoid

Keep an eye on your data. Disabled people themselves should be considered the experts on their own experiences, as the saying goes: "Nothing about us without us is for us." If you want to know how actual individuals with disabilities feel, you should ask them how they want to be addressed.

When there are many people with disabilities at various levels of an organization and their voices are amplified rather than muted, the organization is doing a good job. Some organizations, like Autism Speaks, claim to represent people with disabilities despite being widely rejected and reviled by the very people they claim to speak for. 

It's important to not put too much emphasis on the views of able-bodied professionals at the expense of those of people with disabilities. Look out for specialists in the field who are themselves disabled, and make sure their voices are heard. Finding people with disabilities to interview can be facilitated through social media and hashtag campaigns.

Keep an eye out for titillating visual aids that can inspire you. Inspiration porn is a perverted type of sympathy that praises a disabled person for their abilities despite their disability (e.g., "It's so remarkable that she can walk around on the prosthetic legs she's been wearing for the past 15 years"). The target audience is able-bodied individuals who will hopefully be inspired or whose "excuses" for not accomplishing something that someone with a disability can will be devalued.

No one who has a disability should be viewed as heroic just because they are able to live with it.

Because of this, it may be assumed that it is rare for people with impairments to possess talents or skills or that their abilities are intrinsically subpar (the assumption being that if a disabled person can do it, anyone can).

Don't just assume that someone with a disability can get by. A person with a disability will likely face ongoing difficulties throughout their lifetime. While it may be possible to overcome personal difficulties, a disability is typically permanent.

People with permanent disabilities cannot "recover," but they can learn to compensate and develop compensatory strategies. It's not impossible to achieve a high level of achievement despite a disability.

Disability is not a constant state and should be treated as such. Disabled folks, like everyone else, have their good days and bad days. Wheelchair users often transition to canes and then crutches as their mobility needs change. It's just that today is easier than usual, and that doesn't mean they're fooling everyone or "growing better."

A person's impairment may be exacerbated or mitigated by a number of factors, including but not limited to: fatigue, seizures, stress, lack of sleep, how hard they pushed themselves yesterday, recent flare-ups (for example, a person with a blood problem having a tiny hemorrhage), and so on.

When experiencing a rough day, people may or may not present themselves differently. Don't presume that someone is fine just because they don't appear to be or that they're using aids for mobility (like crutches) merely for show.

People with impairments such as chronic pain or depression, as described by the spoon theory, have to carefully manage their energy levels.

Keep from making disabled people seem like a bother. In addition to being terrific friends, people with disabilities can also be loving sons, children, lovers, brothers, sisters, and spouses. Many people have employable skills. Every single one of them is a valuable human being.

Affection for a person with a disability, whether platonic or romantic, is not a kind of charity. It's important to recognize that the person with the impairment can still contribute to the partnership.

The murder of a child with special needs should be handled in the same manner as the murder of any other child. Don't make it sound like a mercy killing or an understandable crime by emphasizing how "tough" it was to live with the victim.

You should think about your disabled readers. The ability to empathize is one of the most powerful weapons against ableism. Think about what it would be like to read a piece you wrote on a certain handicap. What sort of feelings would they have about themselves? How might they feel, if at all? If you want to show disabled individuals that they are accepted, cherished, and not alone, write in a way that does just that.

Never assume; always verify. Countless disabled writers publish their work online to educate and inspire others.