VSA arts of Georgia

Person First Language at a Glance

The practice of using "person first language" is based on the philosophy of placing the emphasis on the person (rather than the disability), while also acknowledging the fact that we may have a disability. The practice is designed to challenge the assumption that a disability becomes the defining aspect of us as human beings, and to discourage the perception(s) of People With Disabilities [PWDs] as nothing more than our disability.

Do Not Use These:	Use These Words & Phrases:
Handicapped	Barrier Free or Accessible
Handicapped parking	Accessible parking
Birth Defect	born with a disability
Deaf-Mute; deaf and dumb; suffers a hearing loss	Person who is deaf; person with a hearing impairment
Mongoloid; retarded	has Down Syndrome
Contracted polio, polio syndrome, afflicted w/ polio	is post-polio
is stupid; slow; a moron; retarded	has a learning disability; has developmental disabilities
Crazy, deviant	has a mental illness
Able-bodied	Non-disabled
Partially Deaf	is Hearing Impaired
Partially Blind	is Visually Impaired
The Handicapped, the Disabled, Physically Challenged, Differently-abled, Handicapable, Supercapable	People with disabilities
The blind	Person who is blind; person with a visual impairment
Crazy; psycho; lunatic	Person with mental illness
Retarded; mentally defective	Person with mental retardation
Confined or restricted to a wheelchair; wheelchair bound	Person who uses a wheelchair
Crippled; lame; handicapped; deformed; suffers from a disability	Person with a physical disability; person with a mobility impairment

For Further Information

The above information is excerpted and adapted from several sources, including: the Express Diversity! curriculum/Module 3 handout; the Georgia Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities; and ACCESS and OPPORTUNITIES: A Guide to Disability Awareness, a publication written and distributed by VSA arts in Washington, D.C.

To request complete copies of ACCESS and OPPORTUNITIES: A Guide to Disability Awareness, and for further information concerning the Express Diversity! curriculum, please contact:

VSA arts
1300 Connecticut Avenue , NW
Suite 1300
Washington, D.C. 20036

Voice: 202 / 628.2800
TTY: 202 / 737.0645
Fax: 202 / 737.0725

http://www.vsarts.org/