A wrong word choice can affect persons with disabilities

“That’s why we encourage people to use inclusive language while referring to persons with disabilities,” said Thaladchanan Chainares, head of inclusive employment at social enterprise Steps.

Ableism words that directly define what people cannot do, such as handicapped, physically challenged, or person with physical limitations or impairment, can affect confidence among the disabled.

Certain euphemisms should also be avoided such as “a differently abled person”, “people of determination” and “people of all abilities”.

When referring to conditions, people should use “has” or “with” instead of “is”. For instance, “He has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)” or “People with autism”.

Instead of using “She is non-verbal” or “She cannot talk”, people should focus on what those with disabilities do or use to socialize, such as “Person who communicates non-verbally” or “Wheelchair users”.

“We support people to call special needs people or learning disabilities ‘neurodivergent people’ as it means people with different nervous systems to others,” said Thaladchanan.

She pointed out that the phrase “special needs people” is tricky because the word “special” has a negative meaning even though medical experts recommended using it.

“All people have ‘needs’ as humans have both strong and weak points,” she said, adding that some disabilities are not a disease and people can live a normal life with some support or assistance.

While communicating with the disabled, people are advised to focus on what they need. For instance, people should ask “What accommodation does he need?” instead of “What help do they need?” to create equality.

Meanwhile, people without disabilities should not refer to themselves “normal” as they could create a barrier against people with disabilities.

“We promote using ‘Accessible parking’ or ‘Accessible bathroom’ instead of ‘Disabled parking’ or ‘Handicapped bathroom’,” said Thaladchanan.

“We focus on this because anyone can access these facilities, and it sounds more positive,” she added.