Background: Abnormality is a word used to describe a condition that deviates from what is considered normal. Disability advocacy groups emphasize that it is important not to assume people are homebound if they are disabled. Background: The Oxford English dictionary defines an invalid as a person made weak or disabled by illness or injury. It is probably the oldest term for someone with physical conditions that are considered seriously limiting. Background: A deformity is a condition in which part of the body does not have the typical or expected shape, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary. So why do some get offended by the term? NCDJ Recommendation: Do not say someone has had a seizure unless there has been a medical diagnosis. The average height of a dwarf is 40.. Little People of America has a statement on the M word., The terms little people and little person refer to people of short stature and have come into common use since the founding of the Little People of America organization in 1957. Stroke. Many feel that its never appropriate to use homebound or housebound.. NCDJ Recommendation: Avoid using lame or lamebrain to describe a person except in a quote. AP style: Disabled is described as a general term for a physical, mental, developmental or intellectual disability. Individuals with learning disabilities have average or above average intelligence, and the term does not include a learning problem that is primarily the result of another cause, such as intellectual disabilities or lack of educational opportunity., NCDJ Recommendation: Use learning disability when youre confident there is a medical diagnosis. A birth defect is a physical or biochemical difference that is present at birth. Even with the caveat that this does not apply to all, we have heard from many people with disabilities who take issue with that advice. Otherwise, hard of hearing is almost always acceptable. But proceed with extra caution. AP style: Not addressed except to state that homebound and housebound are one word with no hyphens. Slow speech. Use recovering to refer to someone with the disease of addiction, as in someone recovering from alcoholism.. Many prefer people-first language, such as a person with quadriplegia rather than quadriplegic, since the latter implies that the condition defines them. Uppercase when referring to the Deaf community and lowercase when referring to the condition. Avoid confined to a wheelchair or wheelchair-bound as these terms describe a person only in relationship to a piece of equipment. Some members of the disability community oppose its use because it implies that all people with disabilities lack able bodies or the ability to use their bodies well. Most are proud to be Deaf. You can also access a Romanian translation of the guide here. Use of the word dwarf is considered acceptable when referring to the genetic condition, but it is often considered offensive when used in a non-medical sense. NCDJ Recommendation: While it is usually acceptable to use these terms, keep in mind that disability and people who have disabilities are not monolithic. Background: Some disability advocates are beginning to shift away from the word nonverbal in favor of nonspeaking, arguing that nonverbal implies that someone doesnt understand language, while nonspeaking does not invite the same judgment. It is characterized by new muscle weakness, joint and muscle pain and fatigue., NCDJ Recommendation: Use the term polio rather than infantile paralysis. Background: A chronic illness is defined by the National Health Council as a health condition lasting three months or longer and includes conditions such as cancer or heart disease. NCDJ Recommendation: Refer to injuries as being sustained or received rather than suffered, as suffer implies that an injured person is a victim or somehow less than a person who has not been injured. Disability advocate Anthony Pulrang defines ableism in this way in an article for Forbes: Any statement or behavior directed at a disabled person that denigrates or assumes a lesser status for the person because of their disability. The term dyslexic is used by some organizations as a noun and as an adjective in a non-pejorative way; however, using the word as a noun (describing a person as a dyslexic) appears to be falling out of use. However, avoid using such words to describe a person. It is often used informally to describe someone who is in a stupor-like condition. Background: Diversability is a term coined by Tiffany Yu, a disability rights advocate. While speech impediment and speech disorder are still widely used within the medical community, many consider the terms offensive because they describe the conditions in terms of a deficiency. Avoid describing someone as handicapped., See also Disabled people/people with disabilities, Background: The Society for Disability Studies defines the discipline as sitting at the intersection of many overlapping disciplines in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. Many prefer blind or blind person, while others prefer a person with blindness. Other commonly used terms include: Because these terms tend to be imprecise, consider asking how the visual condition affects acuity. Should someone who is blind be identified as such in a story about people who have been stranded while hiking and had to be rescued? People may refer to themselves as limb different or as being part of a limb different community or as having an upper or lower body limb difference. Some organizations suggest avoiding the terms demented, dementing, dements, senile or senility to refer to someone with dementia. Some prefer being called dyslexic, others prefer people-first language, as in a person with dyslexia.. More serious causes of dysarthria, or sudden slurred speech, include AP style: The stylebook uses deaf to describe a person with total hearing loss and partially deaf or partial hearing loss for others. NCDJ Recommendation: Avoid using defect or defective when describing a disability. Avoid using psychotic as an adjective to describe a person; instead refer to a person as having a psychotic condition or experiencing a psychosis. Avoid using the terms colloquially. Slurred speech after a stroke is the most common NCDJ Recommendation: Many people prefer people-first language, such as a person with tetraplegia rather than tetraplegic, since this implies that the condition defines them. Background: The Americans with Disabilities Act is federal civil rights legislation that was signed into law in 1990 to address discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, public accommodations, transportation and telecommunications as well as state and local government services. A minimally conscious state is one in which a patient has some awareness of self and/or the environment. For example, the National Center on Deaf-Blindness retains the hyphen. NCDJ Recommendation: When writing about Tiffany Yus group, use Diversability as a proper name. However, this term is not widely used. When possible, ask if a person or group uses identity-first language (deaf students) or person-first language (students who are deaf). Otherwise, paraphrase and use a more acceptable term. People often use "suffering" to describe disabilities because they understand disability as a condition, something that only causes pain and suffering. NCDJ Recommendation: All the terms are acceptable, although, because they are not widely used, an explanation is required for a general audience. As some advocates observe, we are all differently abled. Keep in mind that it may not be relevant to include in a story how an individual communicates as long as the communication is clear. NCDJ Recommendation: The proper term for the disorder is Down syndrome, not Downs syndrome or Downs Syndrome. Background: Mental illness is an umbrella term for many different conditions that affect how individuals act, think, feel or perceive the world.. Avoid made-up words like diversability and handicapable unless using them in direct quotes or to refer to a movement or organization. WebMD explains the difference between epilepsy and seizures in this way: Seizures, abnormal movements or behavior due to unusual electrical activity in the brain, are a symptom ofepilepsy. I am Hard of Hearing (HoH), Some content can spark difficult memories for people with certain mental illnesses and phobias.Trigger warnings communicate that upcoming content may produce unpredictable and unwelcome reactions for some readers. A child learns to speak by hearing the speech of others in the family and surroundings. It is considered highly derogatory to describe someone with Down syndrome as being mongoloid.. Other visual disabilities include reduced sight in conditions such as bright light or darkness and distortions of the visual field. Because of perceived stigma, some people are calling for an end to the use of the term mental illness, suggesting instead a person diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder or a person with a mental health history. Some advocates suggest using the term mental health experience. However, the term mental illness still is widely used within the medical and psychiatric professions. In 2009, the writers of the television show Glee introduced the term handicapable as a positive alternative to other ways of referring to people with disabilities. Specific disorders should be used and the source of the diagnosis identified whenever possible. It is best to ask people which term they prefer to describe them. Alternate phrases include killed himself, took her own life or died by suicide. The verb commit with suicide can imply a criminal act. Otherwise, the term intellectually disabled is acceptable. The terms depressed, depressing and depressive are acceptable in other contexts when the person being referenced does not have a medically diagnosed condition. In an official position statement, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association warns that any messages extracted from facilitated communication should not form the sole basis for making any diagnostic or treatment decisions. Other organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the International Society for Augmentive and Alternative Communication also oppose facilitated communication. NCDJ Recommendation: Do not use the term retarded or other iterations. Background: The Center for Inclusive Design defines Plain English as a direct style of writing for people who can read at a reasonable level. Some people prefer person with diabetes rather than a diabetic.. AA members do not pay dues or fees; rather, it is supported through contributions. Background: People who use mobility equipment such as a wheelchair, scooter or cane consider the equipment part of their personal space, according to the United Spinal Association. When interviewing someone who is non-verbal, be flexible. Instead, say the person has paraplegia. Jon Henner, an assistant professor at University of North Carolina at Greensboro, who is Deaf, describes himself as a crip linguist., While some activists have embraced the word, adopting hashtags such as #criplit and #cripthevote, others are very much against its use. Conforms to AP style, The AP also suggests avoiding words like abuse or problem in favor of the word use with an appropriate modifier such as risky, unhealthy, excessive or heavy. Misuse also is acceptable. Background: Infantile paralysis is shorthand for poliomyelitis and was commonly used in the past to describe polio. Avoid use of Seeing Eye dog as Seeing Eye is a registered trademark of The Seeing Eye school in Morristown, N.J. Be aware that licensure and/or certification of service animals is a contentious issue in the disability community, so it may be best to refer to the federal definition. 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