Preferred Words for Referring to Disabilities

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Preferred Words for Referring to Disabilities

Blind. Describes a condition in which a person has loss of vision for ordinary life purposes. Visually impaired is the generic term preferred by some individuals to refer to all degrees of vision loss. Use boy who is blind, girl who is visually impaired.

Congenital disability. Describes a disability that has existed since birth but is not necessarily hereditary. The term birth defect is inappropriate.

Deaf. Deafness refers to a profound degree of hearing loss that prevents understanding speech through the ear. Hearing impaired is the generic term preferred by some individuals to indicate any degree of hearing loss - from mild to profound. It includes both hard of hearing and deaf. Hard of hearing refers to a mild to moderate hearing loss that may or may not be corrected with amplification. Use woman who is deaf, boy who is hard of hearing, or people who are hearing-impaired.

Developmental disability. Any mental and/or physical disability that has an onset before age 22 and may continue indefinitely. It can limit major life activities. Term includes individuals with mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy (and other seizure disorders), ...