People First Language

a little boy smiling

What is People First Language?

People First Language (PFL) was developed to respectfully speak about people with disabilities. The number one focus of PFL is putting the person before his/her disability because the disability is only a small part of the whole person. PFL highlights a person’s strengths, abilities and potential to succeed instead of labeling the individual or confining the person to an established stereotype.

Remember: concentrate on the person, not the disability!

Say

Instead of

Children (or people) with disabilities
the disabled, the handicapped
He has a disability
he’s disabled; he’s handicapped
She has a cognitive disability
my daughter is retarded
People with cognitive disabilities
the (mentally) retarded
She has Down syndrome
she’s Down’s; she’s mongoloid
My son has autism
my son is autistic
He has a learning disability
he’s learning disabled; he’s LD
She has a physical disability
she’s a quadriplegic or a cripple
My son has a physical disability
my son is disabled
She is of short stature
she’s a dwarf
She has an emotional disability
she’s emotionally disturbed
He uses a wheelchair (or mobility chair)
he’s confined to a wheelchair, he’s wheelchair bound
Typical children; kids without disabilities
normal kids or healthy kids
He receives special ed services
he’s in special ed
He needs behavior supports
he has behavior problems
He has a brain injury
He’s brain damaged
Accessible parking/bathroom
handicapped parking/bathroom
She needs… She uses…
she has a problem with… she can’t
a girl posing for a picture
a girl posing for a picture
a girl posing or a picture

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