PeopleFirstChart.pdf
ExamplEs of pEoplE first languagE by KathiE snow; visit www.disabilityisnatural.com to sEE thE complEtE articlE
Remember: a disability descriptor is simply a medical diagnosis; People First Language respectfully puts the person before the disability;
and a person with a disability is more like people without disabilities than different!
Keep thinking—there are many other descriptors we need to change!
Excerpted from Kathie’s People First Language article, available at www.disabilityisnatural.com.
Say:
People with disabilities.
He has a cognitive disability/diagnosis.
She has autism (or a diagnosis of...).
He has Down syndrome (or a diagnosis of...).
She has a learning disability (diagnosis).
He has a physical disability (diagnosis).
She’s of short stature/she’s a little person.
He has a mental health condition/diagnosis.
She uses a wheelchair/mobility chair.
He receives special ed services.
She has a developmental delay.
Children without disabilities.
Communicates with her eyes/device/etc.
Customer
Congenital disability
Brain injury
Accessible parking, hotel room, etc.
She needs... or she uses...
InStead of:
The handicapped or disabled.
He’s mentally retarded.
She’s autistic.
He’s Down’s; a mongoloid.
She’s learning disabled.
He’s a quadriplegic/is crippled.
She’s a dwarf/midget.
He’s emotionally disturbed/mentally ill.
She’s confined to/is wheelchair bound.
He’s in special ed.
She’s developmentally delayed.
Normal or healthy kids.
Is non-verbal.
Client, consumer, recipient, etc.
Birth defect
Brain damaged
Handicapped parking, hotel room, etc.
She has problems with...has special needs.
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