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Disabilities and the Importance of Language in Media

In this article, Ability Central introduces you to some of the recent shifts in language and culture surrounding disability culture. We share the impact of media on the disabled community in years gone by and make recommendations for improving media coverage in the years ahead.

A white garden store employee with Down syndrome stands in front of a display of plants and shows her older female coworker something funny on a tablet in a black case.

Writing about, for, and with people with disabilities can be a complex undertaking. In the past, social stigma toward and misinformation about the disabled community has built barriers between the media and people with disabilities.

Fortunately, recent shifts in culture and language have made it easier to write authentically about disability culture. The reclamation of certain language has helped disabled people affirm their own identities and find their own voices. 

Journalists and media professionals must educate themselves on disability culture and language, but simply brushing up on new lingo isn’t enough. The disabled community is complex, beautiful, and ever-changing, and the language we use to describe it is, too.

In this article, Ability Central introduces you to some of the recent shifts in language and culture surrounding disability culture. We share the impact of media on the disabled community in years gone by and make recommendations for improving media coverage in the years ahead. 

Finally, we break down some commonly used words used for the disability community: what to use today, what to avoid, and what terms people with disabilities are pushing to reclaim. 

Disability Culture and Language

The disability community includes around 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the world’s population. This includes 13.5% of the United States population, or about 45 million people. These numbers include people of every race, religion, nation, gender identity, and sexual orientation. 

It is a multifaceted community that grows every day: as the Baby Boomer generation grows older, more and more people find themselves living with disabilities.13.5% of the United States population, or about 45 million people. These numbers include people of every race, religion, nation, gender identity, and sexual orientation. It is a multifaceted community that grows every day: as the Baby Boomer generation grows older, more and more people find themselves living with disabilities.

Disabilities can be visible or invisible, private or public, internal or external. The terms “disability” or “disabled” are inclusive, applying to anyone with developmental, intellectual, neurological, sensory, social, psychological, or chronic health disabilities. No two people with a disability are alike, even if they have the same diagnosis. 

Many people who are disabled find camaraderie, support, and friendship with other people in the disability community. The growing disabled pride movement connects people all over the world as they protest injustice, promote equal rights, and celebrate progress. 

Disabilities in the Media

Although people who are disabled make up such a large portion of the world’s population, the disability community is often left out of narratives in popular media. Poor representation in film, TV, and other entertainment has led to harmful misconceptions about people who are disabled. Many people whose only exposure to people with disabilities comes from movies do not truly understand disabled experiences and lives. 

One of the largest obstacles for the disability community is ableism, an all-too-common belief that people who are disabled are somehow “less than” people who are not disabled. Ableism appears in everything from subtle microaggressions to overt prejudice, including legislation, social practices, and institutions built on the assumption that someone with a disability is automatically less capable or valuable than someone without a disability. 

The impacts of these misconceptions are far-reaching. Without proper representation, people with disabilities can be mistreated, under-funded, and under-employed. The lack of disability representation in the public eye can also slow or prevent the passage of critical legislation that can make life easier for people with disabilities. 

As members of the media, it is our responsibility to ensure that people with disabilities are given the same respect, time, and access given to people without disabilities. 

Disability and the Importance of Language

The language we use to talk about the disability community is just as important as the time and focus we give to people who are disabled. In the past, popular media usage of harmful slang, stereotypes, and medicalization has created a gap between the public and an understanding of life with disabilities. 

As the disability community grows and changes, the associated language and vocabulary does too. Words that were once common descriptors or medical diagnoses now carry social stigma. On the reverse, some communities have reclaimed derogatory terms as part of taking pride in their disabilities.

What Language Should I Use When Writing About Disability?

The National Center on Disability and Journalism maintains a Disability Language Style Guide with insights on the ever-changing vernacular of the disability community. In addition, the Center for Disability Rights keeps a non-exhaustive list of preferred terms: 

A green, black, and white chart titled “What Language Should I Use When Writing About Disability?” Two columns, one called “Instead of…” and the other called “Use…” sit on either side of a column of relevant icons. The data is as follows. Instead of impairment, special need, or deficit, use disability. Instead of handicapped, differently-abled, or handycapable, use disabled. Instead of wheelchair-bound or confined to a wheelchair, use wheelchair user. Instead of retarded, slow/delayed, feeble-minded, or dimwitted, use person with a developmental disability or intellectual disability. Instead of psychotic, crazy, or lunatic, use psychiatric disability or diagnosis. Mad is also allowed when the word has been reclaimed or is part of someone’s personal identity. Instead of midget, use dwarf or little person. Instead of patient, which should not be used in general disability discussion, use the person’s name or identity of choice. Instead of vegetable, use human being or person. Instead of nuthouse or loony bin, use asylum or institution. Instead of normal, whole, able-bodied, or healthy, use nondisabled or neurotypical. Instead of high-functioning or low-functioning, use no “functioning” labels. Instead of epileptic fit or spaz, use seizure. Instead of sufferers, suffers from, afflicted with, or stricken with, use has disability. Instead of victim, use survivor, unless the subject is the victim of a crime. At the bottom of the chart are Ability Central’s green A logo and a note saying Source: The Center for Disability Rights (CDRNYS.org).

To learn more about specific word choices for disability, community, and identity, see Writing About Disabilities: What to Include and What to Avoid.

Disability Language and Culture is Ever-Changing

The goal of this article is to help journalists and media professionals write about the disabled community authentically, truthfully, and supportively. We hope you’ve found resources here to inform your future content.

However, this content is not exhaustive: disability culture and language are forever changing. The best way to stay connected with the authentic disability community is to continue to educate yourself. The evolution of languages and culture means we must never stop learning.

To learn more about creating content related to the disabled community, see Writing About Disabilities: What to Include and What to Avoid.

This article is part of our series The Journalist’s Guide to Disability in Media: An Overview of Disability Inclusion, Accessibility, and Representation.

Read the full series: 

For further information about disability-related media, or to get in contact with members of the Ability Central board and community who are available to speak about their experience or disability, reach out to the Ability Central team at hello@abilitycentral.org.

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