At Brock University, everyone is valued as an equal member of our community. We are committed to creating a culture of inclusion, respect and support for all learning and working within our community. These guidelines have been created to educate and help us use appropriate language in our communications and conversations.
As communicators, we recognize language as a powerful tool. Our words can unintentionally reinforce negative stigma and stereotypes. With respectful choices, stakeholders can create communications free of discrimination or prejudice without lessening the effectiveness of their message.
These inclusive language guidelines are not to be treated as an exhaustive list. As language and culture continually evolve, we will update this information as required.
General guidelines
Using words related to disability thoughtfully is a tool for accessibility, inclusion and allyship.
- Use language focused on abilities rather than disabilities. Learn what language is acceptable and not acceptable or out of date.
- Do not include information about the disability unless it is integral to the story.
- Do not portray successful people with disabilities as heroic overachievers or long-suffering saints. Every human faces challenges in life; celebrate the accomplishment not the fact that someone with a disability was able to achieve a goal.
- Avoid labeling or grouping people together. Do not use “the” when speaking to or about people with disabilities. For example, do not use the phrase “the blind,” or “the disabled.” Use terminology such as: a person who has multiple sclerosis, people with disabilities, a person who is deaf or Mary has low vision.
- Avoid comparing a disability with a disease. Do not refer to a person with disability as a patient unless he/she is under medical care.
- Most people with disabilities are comfortable with the words used in daily life. You can say “let’s go for a walk” to a person who uses a wheelchair or write “have you heard the news?” to a person who is deaf.
- Never use disability-related terms as an insult or to express criticism. For example, do not use the word “lame” to mean “boring” or “uncool.”
- Avoid language that frames adaptive equipment as a limitation rather than a tool assisting the person, for example “afflicted by,” “suffers from” or “victim of.”
- Keep abreast of and use updated terminology.
- Become familiar with the level of impairment. For example:
- A person with total hearing loss is deaf.
- A person with partial hearing loss has a hearing impairment.
- Eliminate negative tone as it is hurtful. For example, he is not “special needs,” he just has needs, the same ones as everyone else in the world.
Language to avoid
| Language to avoid | Inclusive language |
| ADD kid, hyper | Attention deficit disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), neurodivergent. |
| addict, junkie, substance abuser | Person living with a substance use disorder/ problem. |
| Albino | A person with albinism. Albinism affects the production of melanin, the pigment that colours skin, hair and eyes. Individuals with albinism do not have colour in their skin or hair and have varying colouration in their eyes. It’s a lifelong condition, but it does not get worse over time. The reduced amount of melanin can cause eye problems, including poor eyesight, low vision, astigmatism, photophobia, nystagmus and squint. |
| atypical | Neurodivergent. |
| brain damaged, vegetable | Has a brain injury. |
| bubble kid, boy/girl in the bubble | Has chemical or environmental sensitivities. |
| crazy | Mental health disability. |
| cripple, crippled, crip | Paraplegic, individual who is paralyzed and has a substantial or total loss of function in the lower part of the body. |
| cripple, crippled, lame, gimp | Person with a disability, person who has a spinal cord injury, arthritis, etc. |
| deaf and dumb, deaf and mute | Person who is deaf, i.e., Jack is deaf. |
| developmentally impaired | Intellectual disability or developmental disability. |
| defective, defect | Person born with a disability, person who has a congenital disability. |
| differently abled, challenged | Disabled person/person with a disability. |
| emotionally disturbed | Mental illness, emotional disability. |
| epileptic | Person who has epilepsy. |
| fit, attacks, spells | Seizures. |
| gimp, lame | Amputee, has limb loss. |
| gimp, cripple, spaz, lame | Mobility/physical disability. |
| handicapable, differently abled | Capable. |
| hyper-sensitive, psycho crazy, insane, wacko, nuts | Needs/uses behavioural supports. |
| insane (unsound mind), lunatic, maniac, mental patient, mentally diseased, skitzo; mentally ill, neurotic, psychotic | Person with a mental health disability, mentally ill, mental illness. |
| lame, gimp, gimpy | Walks with a cane, uses crutches, has a disabled/handicapped hand. |
| dwarf, stunted | Person of short stature, little person. Person with achondroplasia (only if the person has this condition). |
| mongoloid, special, downie | Person with Down syndrome. Person with trisomy-21. |
| normal, healthy, able-bodied, typical, whole of sound body/mind | Non-disabled person. |
| on the spectrum, spaz | Autism spectrum disorder. An autistic person. Persistent differences in communication, interpersonal relationships and social interaction across different environments. Restricted and repetitive behaviour, patterns, activities and interests. |
| simple, slow, afflicted, brain-damaged, intellectually challenged, subnormal, of unsound mind, feeble-minded, mentally handicapped | Person with an intellectual disability. Person with an intellectual impairment. He/She has/They have a cognitive disability. |
| suffer from, afflicted by, stricken by, troubled with | Has/have a disability/impairment/condition. |
| special needs | Disabled person/person with a disability. |
| stumpy | Prosthetic: an artificial substitute for a part of the body that a person was born without or that was amputated/removed. There are functional prosthetics (such as arms legs knees hips etc.) or cosmetic prosthetics such as teeth, eyes, etc.). |
| stupid | Person who has a speech disorder. Person who has a speech disability. |
| stutter | A person who displays trouble speaking, uses voice prosthesis, or appears to stutter is “a person with speech impairment.” |
| wheels, invalid | Wheelchair user. Person who uses a wheelchair. Person with a mobility disability. Person with a mobility impairment. Person using a mobility device. |
Commonly used terms
| Commonly used terms | Definition/Example |
| accommodations | Accommodations work to support equity in participation for anyone impacted by barriers, including students, staff and faculty at Brock. For example: Additional time to complete tests or exams for someone who has dyslexia or someone who is permitted to work from home when their chronic pain flairs up. |
| ableist/ableism | Discrimination against people with disabilities. Ableism may be defined as a belief system, similar to racism, sexism or ageism, that sees persons with disabilities as being less worthy of respect and consideration, less able to contribute and participate, or of less inherent value than others, according to the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Ableism may be unintentional. For example, creating web content that is visually appealing but does not adhere to accessibility standards. |
| access/removal of barriers | The elimination of discrimination and other barriers that contribute to inequitable opportunities to join and be a part of a work group, organization or community. |
| ADHD attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder | Inattentive type: difficulties with organization, finishing tasks, paying attention to details, following instructions or conversations. Hyperactive/Impulsive type: fidgets and talks a lot, difficulty sitting still and listening, feeling restlessness or impulsivity. Combined: both types are equally present. |
| ally/allies | An ally is willing to act with others in pursuit of ending oppression and creating equality. |
| assistive devices (digital) | Some examples include screen readers, refreshable braille displays, screen magnification, increased font and inverted colours. |
| assistive devices (physical) | Some examples include prosthetics: artificial substitutes for a part of the body that a person was born without or that was amputated/removed. There are functional prosthetics (such as arms, legs, knees, hips, etc.) or cosmetic prosthetics (such as teeth, eyes, etc.). Assistive devices and service animals are an extension of the person and touching one of these things without consent is the same as touching a person without consent. |
| autism spectrum disorder, autistic | Autism spectrum disorder. An autistic person. Persistent differences in communication, interpersonal relationships and social interaction across different environments. Restricted and repetitive behaviour, patterns, activities and interests. |
| birth defect, congenital defect, deformity | Person born with a disability, person who has a congenital disability. |
| blind, visually impaired, partially sighted | Person who is blind. Blind person. Person with a vision/visual disability. Person with a vision/visual impairment. Person with low vision. Deaf/blind person. |
| chemophobic | Has chemical or environmental sensitivities. |
| deaf vs Deaf | Lowercase "d" when referring to the audiological condition of not hearing. Use an uppercase “D” when referring to a particular group of Deaf people who share a culture and language, American Sign Language (ASL). |
| deafblind | Deafblind is a combined vision and hearing disability. The term is used as an umbrella term that includes people who also may have some residual vision and/or hearing. |
| late deafened | Indicates that the individual became deaf later in life. |
| oral deaf | This term describes a person who was born deaf or became deaf before learning to speak but is taught to speak and may not use American Sign Language. |
| dyscalculia | A learning disability that affects ability to do math. |
| epileptic | Person who has epilepsy. |
| handicapped | Person with a disability. Mobility/physical disability. |
| handicapped door opener | Accessible door opener. |
| handicapped parking | Accessible parking. |
| handicapped parking pass | Accessible parking pass. |
| handicapped restroom | Accessible restroom. |
| hard of hearing, hearing impaired | Person with hearing loss or person who is hard of hearing. |
| hidden/invisible disability | A non-obvious/hidden/invisible condition that substantially limits one or more major life activities. |
| Identity First Language/Person First Language (PFI) | Recognizes that a human is first a person and that their disability does not define them. This approach sees a person mentioned prior to the disability. For example: “I am a person with a disability” vs. “I am disabled.” This language fights back against stigma and focuses on the individual. Ask the individual how they would like to be described. The choice recognizes empowerment, their embodied complexity and/or that neurodiversity is part of who they are. |
| inclusion | The act of creating involvement, environments and empowerment in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported and valued to fully participate. An inclusive and welcoming climate with equal access to opportunities and resources that embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions for all people. |
| inclusive language | Inclusive language is a form of communication that avoids using words, expressions or assumptions that would stereotype, demean or exclude people. |
| neurodivergent | People who process information and behave in a way that differs from the actual or perceived norms of a particular culture. It is a way to discuss diagnoses, such as autism, in a way that does not frame it as a problem or an illness. Some examples are ADHD, Tourette syndrome, synesthesia. |
| neurodiverse | Neurodiversity refers to the wide spectrum of ways that people think. It frames differences in cognition as variations, all of which are equally normal and valuable. Neurodiversity advocates may still use the terms “neurotypical” and “neurodivergent” to identify where they are on the neurodiversity spectrum or talk about others. However, everyone is included in neurodiversity, regardless of how their brain functions. |
| neurotypical | Neurotypical describes someone who thinks and processes information in ways that are typical within their culture. They tend to learn skills and reach developmental milestones around the same time as their peers. |
| non-verbal | Person who uses a communication device. Person who uses an alternative method of communication. |
| person first language (PFI) | See "Identity First Language" above. |
| sanism (mentalism) | A type of discrimination and oppression against a mental trait or condition a person has or is judged to have. The discrimination/oppression often occurs through common phrases, i.e., crazy talk, mental case, lunatic, wacky, nuts. |
Additional resources
- American Psychology Association, Bias-Free Language
- American Psychology Association, Inclusive Language Guidelines
- Decoda Literary Solutions
- Government of Canada Accessibility Glossary
- Government of Canada Inclusive language considerations
- United Nations Disability-Inclusive Language Guidelines
- Words Matter
- 10 Principles of Disability Justice