Annex: Glossary

This glossary defines — and sometimes comments on — many terms and abbreviations you might find in reporting on disability, but there are many more that I could include. (Those many more are for future publications.) See related terms within this glossary and cross-references to the Language section, as well as general comments about abbreviations in the Language section. See also People of interest, Popular Hashtags, Notable legislation and legal cases, and the Selected Resources. 

A

AAC augmentative and alternative communication.

ABA applied behaviour analysis.

ableds A derogatory slang term used by disabled people to describe people without disabilities.

ableism Discrimination and prejudice based on disability, or the ways society is set up to favour non-disabled people. There are many definitions of ableism, such the definition by Talila “TL” Lewis, which she updates regularly. Some use “ableism” to describe structural support and advantages given to non-disabled people and “disablism” to describe overt prejudice against disabled people[1].

ACA Accessible Canada Act (Canada) or Affordable Care Act (United States).
access friction or competing access needs When two or more people's access needs conflict, such that meeting the access needs of one person presents barriers for the other person. For example, when Alanna King and I started working together on this project, we quickly found that the task-management software that helped Alanna remain productive and worked best for her learning disabilities presented a barrier for me because I was not able to do the necessary movements on a trackpad, and the visual layout that helped her learning disabilities exacerbated mine. Another example is when a blind person who needs a guide dog to navigate takes the same flight as a person with a life-threatening allergy to dogs; that situation generates access friction.

access intimacy A term developed by Mia Mingus to describe the particular sense of ease a disabled person can feel when they're with another disabled person who understands their access needs, generally because they have similar needs[2].

 
access needs What a person needs to access an environment without barriers, difficulty, or exacerbating their disabilities. It’s not just disabled people who have access needs — everyone does. If you have had no trouble accessing most environments throughout your life, that doesn’t mean you have no access needs. It simply means that they have been met in the environments you've entered, worked in or lived in.

 
accessibility A term that can be used to describe whether a space meets standards for the access needs of certain groups (generally, manual wheelchair users who can self-propel their chairs), the study of access or the attempt to provide it. Do not use “accessibility,” “the accessibility community,” “people with accessibility issues,” and “people with accessibility needs” as synonyms for “disability.” See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

accommodation A change that allows a disabled worker or student to perform at the same level as a non-disabled worker or student. In Canada, schools and employers are required to accommodate up to the point of undue hardship, which is a legal standard. Journalists should understand the legal standard in their own jurisdiction and what it means. Do not use “accommodation” as synonym for “disability.”

ADA The Americans with Disabilities Act.

ADHD attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Used to be split into ADHD and ADD (without the H for hyperactivity), but the diagnoses were merged once it was recognized that those who did not show outward signs of hyperactivity still experienced it internally.

ADLs activities of daily living.

afflicted See Language, Words to avoid.

AISH Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, Alberta provincial income assistance for disabled people.

Aktion T4 The code name for a Nazi program — named after Tiergartenstrasse 4, the address of the project’s headquarters — that euthanized at least 10,000 physically and mentally disabled German children and more than 70,273 disabled adults. Although the program is not often remembered as part of the Holocaust, its architects went on to develop the methods used in death camps such as Treblinka, a camp which used the same methods to murder all but 80 of the people sent there during the Nazi regime[3].

 
ALC alternate level of care. A term used in Canada for patients who no longer require hospital care, but who cannot be discharged home because they “should” be in long-term care or another care setting.

allistic A term used by autistic people and their allies to describe those who are not autistic.

 
ALS amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (known in the UK as motor neuron disease, or MND) and formerly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after a famous baseball player who was diagnosed with it.

AODA Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

applied behaviour analysis A form of treatment for autism that works through behaviour modification (i.e., replacing negative or undesired behaviour with positive or desired behaviour). Has been shown to be effective at replacing behaviours, but, it has many critics who consider its methods to be abusive and the outcomes it tries to bring about questionable.

ASD autism spectrum disorder.

ASL American Sign Language.

ASPD antisocial personality disorder. The formal diagnosis for people with traits we might colloquially refer to as sociopathic or psychopathic.

Asperger syndrome

A diagnosis formerly used to describe people on the less-severe end of the autism spectrum, particularly those who could speak and were judged capable of forming friendships and eventually gaining meaningful employment. Named for Hans Asperger and associated with his classification[4] of people with autism and with the child-euthanasia programs in Nazi Germany (see Aktion T4); the Nazi regime classified some autistic people as being viable assets to society, while people diagnosed with more-severe autism were sent to the child-killing centres. Asperger himself was a controversial figure; although he never joined the Nazi party and was given credit for saving some children from certain death, he did collaborate with the Nazi regime. Because of this history, the term is not generally preferred now, except by some individuals who do not wish to relinquish a diagnosis with which they still identify. It should not be used unless a person specifically requests to be identified that way. Generally, the medical establishment uses “high-functioning autism” to describe autistic people with similar presentations. (SeeFunctioning labels.)

 
attendant care Care given to disabled people, generally by skilled care professionals who are not nurses, to help them with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as eating, getting dressed, and using the bathroom, with varying levels of control by the service user.

AuDHD An acronym used to describe people diagnosed with both autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Generally used in an informal context rather than in medical settings.

 
audism Discrimination and prejudice against deaf, Deaf, and hard-of-hearing people.
augmentative and alternative communication Such as the use of a tablet for speech. Distinct from facilitated communication (FC), which requires another person to direct the hand to a keyboard or spelling board, and which has generally been discredited, AAC can be operated independently once the user is trained and has been shown to be legitimate.
autism, autism spectrum, autism spectrum disorder See Language, Words to use. Autism spectrum is a term used to represent the variance of functioning in those diagnosed with autism or autistic spectrum disorders.

 
autoimmune disorders Disorders in which the immune system fails to recognize the body’s healthy cells as part of itself and attacks them. Examples include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and psoriasis. They are usually treated with drugs that weaken the immune system as a whole, leaving people with these disorders more vulnerable to infections that others could easily fight.

B

BASL Black American Sign Language.

BCBA Board Certified Behaviour Analyst, an ABA practitioner who assesses and designs each child’s ABA program while supervising registered behaviour technicians (RBTs).

borderline personality disorder A personality disorder marked by struggles with emotional regulation; lack of a coherent, stable sense of self; splitting between idealizing and devaluing others; and self-harming or risk-taking behaviour. It was originally given this the name because patients appeared to exist on the “borderline” between neurotic disorders and psychotic disorders, a distinction that is no longer in use in psychiatry. The diagnosis has been a locus of controversy: some suggest that it is not a personality disorder, that the label stigmatizes women (who are more likely to be diagnosed with it), or that it is, in fact, a manifestation of complex trauma. In the United Kingdom, it’s known as emotionally unstable personality disorder[5].

BPD borderline personality disorder or bipolar disorder; note that the two are not the same and are often confused.

 
BSL British Sign Language.

C

C-PTSD complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

c/s/x movement consumer/survivor/ex-patient movement, an anti-psychiatry/psychiatric survivors movement focusing on abuses in the psychiatric system.

CAM complementary and alternative medicine.

Canada Disability Benefit A federal income-assistance benefit as guaranteed by the Accessible Canada Act, but not yet implemented at the time of writing.

CART communication access real-time translation.

CBT cognitive behavioural therapy.

CC closed captioning.

Centres for Independent Living, Generally, centres that administer programs in line with the independent-living movement, which can involve supportive housing or self-managed attendant care, for a particular region. Often regional members of a larger independent-living organization, the centres usually employ a mixture of outside professionals and people who use the services and have service users on the board.

cerebral palsy An umbrella term for movement disorders caused by brain damage received before the age of two. The condition varies greatly in terms of causes, severity, presentation, co-occurring disabilities and prognosis. Journalists should be aware of this as simply being told that a source has cerebral palsy tells you almost nothing about their lives or presumed level of ability.

CF cystic fibrosis.

challenged, mentally or physically challenged See Language, Words that no one asked for.

CHF congestive heart failure.

CHSLD Centres d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée, a form of long-term care in Quebec, which houses many seniors as well as disabled adults.

CI cochlear implant.

CODA child of Deaf adults, a term used by the culturally Deaf community to describe an adult child raised by Deaf parents, often in a home where sign language is the primary language (so many CODAs have a sign language as their first or native language.) Minor children in this situation are often called KODAs (kids of Deaf adults) and hearing siblings of Deaf adults are SODAs. It is common for these groups to consider themselves culturally, if not physically, Deaf, and they are considered part of Deaf culture by Deaf people.

cognitive behavioural therapy A method of therapy that focuses on attempting to change distorted thoughts and behaviours brought about by mental illness and replace with healthier ones. Has been shown to be very effective with certain conditions, and patients can see results in a short period of time, which makes it very popular, particularly with patients who are going to therapy for one discrete problem that would be solved by the amelioration of the illness, doctors who want to see people get well soon, and insurance companies looking for short-term solutions. However, people with conditions that are not helped by it as much, such as trauma survivors, neurodivergent people, and people experiencing intractable and systemic barriers to full inclusion in society (such as racialized and disabled people) criticize its use as a one-size-fits-all solution. People with physical problems who are prescribed it as treatment (such as ME/CFS and chronic pain patients) often feel that this represents the psychologization of their illness.

community living A philosophy grounded in the view that disabled people should live integrated with the larger community, alongside both other disabled people and those without disabilities. Sometimes, also the name of an organization that administers services that enable community living, or a reference to the lifestyle itself. Related to, but not synonymous with, independent living; that is, all independent living is community living; not all community living is independent.

comorbidity A disability or illness that co-exists with another disability or illness, whether by coincidence or because the first makes someone more likely to develop the second. While one comorbidity did not cause the other, the same underlying cause contributed to both. Can also mean disabilities directly caused by other disabilities. Avoid using the term as a synonym for “disability,” as in “people with comorbidities.” Only use when referring to specific medical diagnoses that co-occur in specific people. Alternatively, use “co-occurring diagnoses,” “co-occurirng disorders,” or “multiply-disabled.”

complementary and alternative medicine Used as a catch-all for practices that are not supported by evidence-based (sometimes “Western”) medicine. Although these practices are regarded as having varying levels of efficacy, many doctors and clinics incorporate some of them into their practice, and patients have found relief through them. People also have varying degrees of familiarity with them, and some of them are covered by workplace health insurance. For example, chiropractic and massage, both of which are often covered and recommended by doctors qualify as complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM.

complex needs See Language, Words to avoid.

complex post-traumatic stress disorder A diagnosis first proposed by Judith Herman for survivors of trauma that was prolonged and caused a fundamental breakdown of sense of safety in relationships that should involve trust and care (e.g., survivors of domestic violence, survivors of childhood physical or sexual abuse, refugees, survivors of cults, former child soldiers). Herman observed that these patients exhibited different symptoms than people with “classic” post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and they found less understanding from the medical profession.

contested illness A term used in medical anthropology to describe an illness that has not produced a scientific consensus or has produced a scientific consensus that does not correspond with the lived experience of patients[6]. One example is chronic Lyme disease: while the condition is not recognized by the mainstream medical establishment, many patients say they suffer from it and seek out individual doctors who report having found success with various treatment protocols, some of which remain controversial.

COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

CP cerebral palsy.

crip, cripple See Language, Words to avoid. Reclamation of “cripple,” a slur for physically disabled people, particularly those who cannot walk or whose bodies move in ways that are not typical. Crip identity is usually part of an activist social-justice orientation, particularly one that makes room for negative feelings, anger, and an unwillingness to accommodate ableist institutions[7]. Journalists should avoid using either “crip” or “cripple” as synonymous with “bad,” “annoying,” or “difficult,” such as with “crippling debt,” crippling red tape,” or similar descriptors. Journalists should also avoid using either word unless (1) they are interviewing someone who has reclaimed the identity and asks that the term is used for them, or (2) the journalist is a self-identifying crip journalist.

 
crip theory, cripping Crip theory is an offshoot of queer theory and an academic discipline in critical studies that examines and comments on the place of crips in popular culture[8]. Scholars, as well as those with a crip identity, will refer to “cripping” a text, an event, or a political process, meaning they’re looking at it through a disability lens.

critical disability studies In the humanities, an academic study of disability that draws upon critical theory and other disciplines such as queer theory and critical race theory to perform critiques about disability in popular culture and society.

CRPD/UNCRPD United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

CV, CEV clinically vulnerable, clinically extremely vulnerable, acronyms used to identify or describe families identified by the UK government for people singled out for benefits and encouraged to “shield” during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CVA cerebrovascular accident (colloquially, stroke).

D

D/deaf Pronounced “Big D/little D,” written as D/deaf, and signed with two different signs in sign languages, a term used to describe the division between people who identify as being part of Deaf culture (and therefore tend to see their Deafness as primarily a linguistic identity) and those who are medically deaf or hard of hearing but do not identify as part of Deaf culture (and therefore identify their deafness as primarily a physical disability). People who are “Big D” Deaf often have a sign language as their first or primary language. It used to be that, if you used a medical device to help with your hearing, you did not normally identify as part of Deaf culture and would be excluded from it, but this is changing. (In Thomas Horejes’s Social Constructions of Deafness, he recalls a conversation with another Deaf academic who said that her Deaf identity became stronger when she started using a cochlear implant and could hear how hearing people described deaf people.) The “little d” deaf formulation is also used to describe people who are profoundly deaf in the medical sense, but you can be big D deaf without having any particular degree of hearing loss. Some hearing people raised in Deaf families identify as part of Deaf culture as well because sign language was their first language. See Language, Words to use.

DBT dialectical behavioural therapy.

DD developmental delay.

Deaf culture A group of Deaf and hard-of-hearing people who identify as part of a linguistic minority or culture[9]. They generally use sign language as their primary mode of communication and are advocates for the preservation of sign language and its recognition as an equal to spoken language. Some people in Deaf culture have hereditary deafness, in some cases over many generations, but that is not the norm. (Even deaf parents who come from deaf families are not likely to have all deaf children, for one, and 90 percent of deaf children are born to hearing families.) Note that we journalists and others often think of disability-rights movements as having begun in the 1970s, but French and American Deaf cultures, at least, thrived in the 19th century, establishing communities, schools, clubs, sports teams, media, political actions, and other markers of full citizenship. Rights for deaf people declined with the rise of the oralist movement and oralism, which held that deaf children should use speech and lip-reading rather than sign language. One of the leading advocates of the oralist movements, Alexander Graham Bell (who was a CODA), promoted the idea that deaf people should marry hearing people so that their children would be more likely to be hearing. The oralist movement subsequently gained primacy in deaf education over manualism (use of sign language).While not all members of Deaf culture use the “big D”

Deaf identifier, Deaf culture is usually referred to with a capital D to indicate its status as a minority language group.

Deaf gain A concept originating in Deaf culture that holds that those who are born deaf[10], or who become deaf over time, can experience new advantages, in turn enriching society as a whole. In their article “Deaf Studies in the 21st Century: ‘Deaf-Gain’ and the Future of Human Diversity,” H-D Bauman and J.J. Murray discuss deafness “as a form of human diversity capable of making vital contributions to the greater good of society,” referring to this notion “as the opposite of hearing loss: Deaf-gain.” The concept has been borrowed by disabilities scholars, who propose that a “disability gain” or a “care gain” can come from the experience of becoming disabled[11].

 
Deaf Interpreter A specialized kind of sign-language interpreter who works with a less-specialized American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter to assist culturally Deaf individuals with matters that are of great importance or require nuance in translation. Deaf Interpreters are generally culturally and physically deaf themselves.

Deaf of Deaf, Deaf-of-Deaf A term used in Deaf culture for Deaf children of deaf — and often Deaf — parents, especially those who have been a part of Deaf culture for multiple generations. They tend to be seen as community leaders and feel a responsibility to maintain and transmit Deaf culture to other deaf people. (It was Deaf-of-Deaf students, for example, who spearheaded the Deaf President Now protests at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s, leading to the appointment of the institution’s first deaf president.[12]) Deaf-of-Deaf people are often considered part of what is known as the deaf Elite, which, particularly in the United States, includes established families descended from deaf cultural founders. That term connotes both an aspirational feeling and an exclusionary one and can be problematic.

Deaf studies An interdisciplinary department at some universities that studies Deafness, deafness, and Deaf culture.

Deaf World A transliteration of the ASL sign for the world that encompasses Deaf culture and all the deaf communities and languages that exist throughout the world. Deaf people often speak and write of existing in Deaf World and having to accommodate the hearing world.

Deaf-Disabled A term used to describe those who identify both as part of Deaf culture and as disabled, usually because they also have a condition unrelated to deafness. Because many in Deaf culture do not wish to be identified with disability or be part of disability-related movements, people from Deaf culture with disabilities have often had difficulty integrating, and their access needs frequently go unmet both inside and outside Deaf communities. This is starting to change, and Deaf-Disabled people generally use this identity with pride.

 
Deafblind Someone who is both Deaf or deaf and blind and often needs assistance with orientation and mobility. Many Deafblind people use touch-based systems to communicate. See Language, Words to use.

deinstitutionalization Generally refers to movements with their origins in the 1960s and 1970s that prioritize disabled people living outside institutions and in the community.
developmental disability A disability that slows or prevents children from reaching traditional developmental milestones. For example, many people with cerebral palsy experience difficulty sitting up, standing, walking or speaking. Some never achieve these functions or achieve them but can’t carry them out consistently or in the way that someone who develops typically would. For example, a child with a developmental disability who couldn't walk at the typical age might learn to walk a few steps using a walker, but they are unlikely to be able to walk in a way indistinguishable from typically developing peers[13].

DI Deaf Interpreter.

dialectical behavioural therapy A variant of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, which has shown success in treating conditions with chronic suicidality, self-injury or impulsive behaviour as symptoms.

diffability, diffabled See Language, Words that no one asked for.

differently abled See Language, Words that no one asked for.

dignity of risk A concept from the disability-rights and independent-living movements that holds that someone has the right to live life as they choose, even with risk, rather than being placed in a setting that provides the most safety.

dignity The Latin word dignitas means “worth.” Historically, it has referred to the worth, status, and respect bestowed upon male citizens (all citizens were male, but nowhere near all males were citizens). In a human rights context, dignity generally means the inherent worth of every person and carries with it the idea that human beings are deserving of a certain level of respect and care by virtue of being born human, the meaning reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. People sometimes use “dignity” as synonymous with a serious or composed style, manner, and appearance — for example, using it to describe a situation in which a person is able to use the bathroom without assistance; this usage should be avoided.

disability justice A descendant and critic of the disability-rights movement that focuses less on individual rights and their violations, and more on collective justice for everyone. Stresses the leadership of disabled queer, trans, working-class and BIPOC individuals[14].

 
disability rights A series of related movements that cast disability as a human rights issue and disabled people as part of a class that should be protected based on the stigma and barriers they face. The overarching aim is the full participation of disabled people in society[15].

 
disability studies An academic discipline, usually in the humanities or social sciences department of a university, that focuses on the academic study of disability through the lens of other disciplines, such as literature and history, in combination with the scientific study of disability and social sciences. The first academic society to study disability was the Society for Disability Studies, which publishes Disability Studies Quarterly. Disability studies is distinct from the more applied, service-oriented professions and degree programs, which are often called disability management or support services, though there can be some overlap[16].

 
disabled people See Language, Words to use. See also identity-first language and person-first language. Preferred to “the disabled.”

disablism Used more commonly in the United Kingdom, the term describes discrimination and prejudice against disabled people or structural advantages given to non-disabled people. Some use “ableism” to describe structural support and advantages given to non-disabled people and “disablism” to describe overt prejudice against disabled people.

 
disorder of childhood A disorder that affects children. Many developmental disabilities, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, and autism, are commonly thought of as disorders of childhood but actually affect people throughout their lifespan. As such, many adults with these disabilities are not being sufficiently studied or served well by professionals.

DJ disability justice.

DS Down syndrome; also sometimes DS is used to mean disability studies.

DSM the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association.

 
DSW developmental services worker, a skilled trade designation used in Ontario for those who work with people with developmental disabilities, often in classroom, recreational, or group-home settings.

E

ED eating disorder.

EDS Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a group of genetic disorders that affect connective tissues.

episodic Adjective used to describe a disability, such as epilepsy, that does not affect people in the same way all the time. The symptoms may wax and wane, flare and then go away, or change, and the disability or illness will not always follow a predictable course.

eugenics From the Greek for “well-born,” the term “eugenics” refers to a system of thought that advocates for the improvement of the population over time by means of the selective breeding of human beings. (See People of interest, Galton.) So-called positive eugenics involves encouraging those seen as having desirable traits to procreate; negative eugenics involves discouraging those with undesirable traits from procreating, often through force[17]. All eugenics is racist and ableist.

EUPD emotionally unstable personality disorder, used in the UK instead of borderline personality disorder (BPD).

evidence-based Often used as part of “evidence-based medicine” or “evidence-based care.” The phrase is often accepted as meaning “empirical” or “irrefutable” and is thus unquestioned, or accepted without scrutiny, but journalists can and should question the expertise of those involved, the nature of studies, their findings, their currency, who a study included and did not include, the relevance to the subject at hand, and other limits. See randomized controlled trial.

F

facilitated communication A method of communication for non-speaking people where another person assists them to point to or type letters and spell out words. Unlike augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), facilitated communication is generally considered to be discredited.

 
FAPE free and appropriate public education, to which every child in the United States has a right.

FC facilitated communication.

FND functional neurological disorder.

FTD frontotemporal dementia.

functioning labels Used to describe how well people function relative to others with the same diagnosis. Use of these labels has been criticized by disability activists, for example, as “high-functioning” being used to deny support, and “low-functioning” denying agency.
GET graded exercise therapy.

graded exercise therapy A form of physiotherapy often used in combination with CBT for ME/CFS patients, involving deconditioning by trying to do more and more exercise over time. Although a UK trial initially found it to be safe and effective, that study was later discovered to be flawed, and many patients have reported that receiving GET worsened their symptoms, often permanently. People with ME often warn the newly diagnosed away from this treatment modality.

group home A setting that purports to have a home-like atmosphere while providing services for disabled people. Journalists should be aware that group homes vary a great deal in the level and quality of care provided, the number and qualifications of staff, the amenities of the setting, and the level of integration into the community offered, and it’s not always easy to tell at first glance what kind of group home a place is.

H

hard of hearing See Language, Words to use. A term used both within and outside Deaf culture to describe people who have any degree of hearing loss. Preferred to “hearing-impaired,” it can be used to describe people with any degree of hearing loss.

 
hearing-impaired See Language, Words that no one asked for. “Deaf or hard of hearing” is preferred by both “Big D” and “little d” deaf communities.

hemiplegia Paralysis of one side of the body.

high-needs See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

high-risk, at-risk, risk group See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

HoH hard of hearing or Hard of Hearing.

I

I/DD or IDDs intellectual/developmental disabilities.

IBD inflammatory bowel disease.

IBI intensive behavioural intervention.

IBS irritable bowel syndrome.

IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the US federal law that guarantees FAPE.

identity-first language Language that puts disability identity first as a matter of pride, because for those who use it, disability identity cannot be separated from the person — for example, “autistic person” rather than “person with autism” or “person on the autism spectrum.” Either identity-first or person-first language can be acceptable; follow the preference of your sources.

IEP individual education plan.

IL independent living.

immunocompromised See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

individual education plan Within the education system, a plan for meeting the needs and goals of a student who has been identified as needing accommodations due to disability.

inspiration See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

institution In the context of disability, a residential care home or other living setting that also provides medical care and disability-specific services.

 
intellectual disability A disability that affects cognitive function and processing.

intensive behavioural intervention A form of ABA therapy for very young children with autism spectrum disorder that requires 20-40 hours per week of treatment.

issues, person who has issues See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

L

late-deafened Someone who has become deaf later in life. Can also refer to developing a Deaf cultural identity later in life, in which case, the initial capital or “big D” is often used.

LD learning disability.

learning disability In the United States and Canada, a “learning disability” is a learning disorder that interferes with reaching typical milestones or makes it difficult to learn in a specific subject. For example, a person with dyscalculia has difficulty understanding math because of issues with processing numerical equations. In the UK, “learning disability” is used more commonly to describe developmental disabilities that produce global deficits in intellectual functioning (so, the people who would be referred to as intellectually disabled in North America would be referred to as learning disabled in the UK).

least-restrictive environment A standard that dictates how disabled people are entitled to have services delivered to them. A US federal mandate under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

LPN licensed practical nurse; also known as RPN, registered practical nurse.

LRE least-restrictive environment.

LSQ Langue des signes québécoise, a sign language used among francophones in Canada.

LTC, LTCH long-term care, long-term-care home.

LV low vision.

M

MAID medical assistance in dying, an acronym used in Canada for its legal physician-assisted death (PAD) program and to refer to the relevant law.

 
manualism A system for educating deaf children that is grounded in the belief that sign language should be taught as a first language and that spoken (auditory) languages should be taught only after sign language has been fully acquired[18]. Advocates of manualism argue that educational outcomes tend to be better for deaf children when sign language is taught first. Critics argue that, since roughly 90 per cent of deaf children are born to hearing families, this approach makes it more difficult for deaf children to communicate with their families. They also point to the fact that, as sign-language schools are often boarding schools, committing to a sign-first educational can mean sending your child away to a residential school at a young age. And they have concerns that a sign-language education will limit a child’s communication with the hearing world and affect their employment prospects as adults.

MCAS mast cell activation syndrome.

MCS multiple chemical sensitivity, a contested illness.

MD muscular dystrophy or medical doctor.

ME/CFS or MECFS myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

MR An antiquated abbreviation containing an unprintable slur for people whom we would now call intellectually or developmentally disabled.

MS multiple sclerosis.

MSPD Manitoba Supports for People with Disabilities, Manitoba’s disability income-assistance program.

multiply-disabled See Language, Words to use.

MUS medically-unexplained symptoms, an acronym used by doctors when they have not arrived at a diagnosis or the patient’s physical signs of illness do not match the symptoms they report feeling internally. Often designates a patient’s illness as functional or somatoform.

N

ND neurodivergent, neurodiversity (movement).

needs See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

neurodivergent, neurodivergence, neuroatypical Terms used by advocates of the neurodiversity movement, which argues that autism and other related conditions are merely part of the natural human variation in the brain and that society requires different neurotypes in order to function. Some in the movement argue that neurodivergence is not a disability at all, but that’s not the position of everybody who uses the term or identifies as neurodivergent. Building on the social model of disability, some in the neurodiversity movement argue that these different neurotypes produce disability in environments that are not set up for them.

 
neurotypical Term used by the neurodivergent community and their allies to describe those who are not neurodivergent or who appear to have a typical neurotype. In contrast, see neurodivergent, neurodivergence, neuroatypical.

 
NOS not otherwise specified, a suffix appended to the diagnosis of a patient who fits the requirements of a group of conditions generally, but who does not qualify for the specific diagnoses within that group. So, for example, a child who exhibits symptoms of a developmental delay, but who has not had the brain damage that causes cerebral palsy, did not have the chromosomal abnormalities of Down syndrome or other genetic disorders, and does not meet the required diagnostic criteria for ADHD or ASD, or other named developmental disorders, would likely receive a diagnosis of PDD-NOS (to mean pervasive developmental disorder or pervasive developmental delay — not otherwise specified).

NP nurse practitioner.

NPD narcissistic personality disorder (not synonymous with the colloquial use of “a narcissist”)

NT neurotypical, opposite of neurodivergent.

nursing home Originally, a kind of long-term care home run by a registered nurse[19]. Now refers to any long-term care setting where nursing care is available.

NVLD nonverbal learning disability.

O

occupational therapy Therapy involving practising activities and skills most people do in their day-to-day lives. Can include everything from getting dressed to fine motor skills to cooking.

OCD obsessive-compulsive disorder.

OCPD obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

ODSP Ontario Disability Support Program.

 
OI osteogenesis imperfecta, sometimes known as brittle bone disease.

oralism A system for educating deaf children and adults that is grounded in the belief that acquiring an oral (auditory, spoken) language is the best way to teach deaf children communication skills. In contrast to manualism, oralism focuses on teaching vocal and breathing exercises, speech, and lip-reading to allow children to function in the hearing world and communicate with hearing people. Critics of oralism argue that oralism contributes to language deficit overall and that not allowing deaf[20] children access to sign language effectively deprives them of their natural first language and culture. They advocate instead for children learning the hearing language as a second language, pointing to studies that show educational outcomes are better when a sign language is acquired first. They also assert that depriving a child of access to sign language robs them of a culture that they have a right to participate in, and of their right to live in Deaf World rather than as second-class citizens in the hearing world.

 
OT occupational therapy, therapy focused on everyday activities.

P

PA physician assistant.

PAD physician-assisted death.

Paralympics A world sports event that features the best disabled athletes. The Paralympic Games takes place directly after the Οlympics. Distinct from the Special Olympics, which are not official Olympic events and do not restrict participation to elite athletes.

paraplegia Paralysis of the lower half of the body.

paratransit A separate transit system specifically for disabled people, called paratransit because it runs alongside conventional transit.

Patient Zero Used colloquially to refer to the first person identified as a carrier in an infectious-disease epidemic. (See Language, Words to avoid.) “Patient zero” comes from the erroneous label applied to Gaëtan Dugas, a Canadian flight attendant and patient who participated in an epidemiological study in Los Angel

es (see Sources). Dugas was anonymized in the study as Patient O, for “patient outside of California.” Because of the information that Dugas supplied about his extensive travel and contact list, researchers were able to establish that HIV/AIDS could be transmitted sexually[21]. Unfortunately, Dugas was blamed both for starting and spreading the epidemic. Later serological research proved that he could not have been the origin of the epidemic, nor was his number of sexual partners an outlier that meant he was more responsible for its spread than anyone else. Avoid using this term.[22] The epidemiological term closest to what it describes is “index case,” but note that this describes the first case recorded in an outbreak or cluster, not necessarily the first case chronologically.

patient, patients See Language, Synonyms to avoid. People are patients when they get sick and go to a doctor, nurse practitioner, clinic or hospital. If and when their treatment ends, or in places and times they are not receiving medical treatment, they are no longer patients. Those of us who will not get better, who live our lives with disabilities or illness, are not patients all the time, meaning it’s not appropriate to refer to us as such.

PBS positive behaviour support, a form of ABA that tries to address the problems with ABA by dispensing with negative reinforcement (punishment) for unwanted behaviour.

PCA personal care attendant, personal care assistant, or personal care aid, a person who helps disabled people with activities of daily living.

PCOS polycystic ovarian syndrome.

PD Parkinson disease, or personality disorder.

PDD pervasive developmental disorder or pervasive developmental delay, sometimes referred to as global developmental delay, a developmental disability that affects all aspects of functioning.

PEM post-exertional malaise, often considered the cardinal symptom of MECFS, where any exertion, whether cognitive, emotional or physical, can cause a “crash” that can take days or weeks to recover from. Often, when this exertion is beyond the person’s limit, they never return to their previous baseline.

people in special education See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

people suffering: Disabled people See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

people who are struggling: Disabled people See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

people who have something to teach us: Disabled people See Language, Words that no one asked for.

people who need help, need our help, need assistance: Disabled people See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

people who see the world in a different way: Disabled people See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

people who suffer with difficulties most of us could never imagine: Disabled people See Language, Words that no one asked for.

people with accessibility needs This applies to literally everyone.

 
people with accommodation needs: Disabled people See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

people with challenges, people with difficulties, people with different needs: Disabled people See Language, Words that no one asked for.

people with challenging behaviours: Disabled people Generally those who might do things that make people uncomfortable or that others don’t understand. See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

people with communication disabilities See Language, Words to use. See also identity-first language and person-first language.

people with comorbidities: Disabled people See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

people with differences: Disabled people See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

people with different learning needs: Disabled people See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

people with disabilities See Language, Words to use. See also identity-first language and person-first language.

people with intellectual disabilities See Language, Words to use. See also intellectual disability, identity-first language and person-first language.

 
people with mobility disabilities See Language, Words to use. See also identity-first language and person-first language.

people with special abilities See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

person-first language Language that emphasizes, for example, that people with disabilities are people first, employed as a corrective to medical language that many disability advocates see as rendering them as less than human. Advocates of person-first language would, for example, say that you should refer to someone as “a person with a disability” or a person with a specific disability, such as “person with cerebral palsy.” Many advocates of person-first language use, for example, “person with AIDS,” believing that phrases such as “AIDS victim” or “AIDS patient” are stigmatizing and cast blame. But some people prefer identity-first language (“disabled person” rather than “person with a disability,” or “autistic person” rather than “person with autism”), so, when possible, check with your source. A few authorities, such as the Associated Press Stylebook, have recommended person-first language as the only acceptable way to refer to people with disabilities, but updates and recent style guides are increasingly recommending asking how sources themselves prefer to be described when the description is relevant.

 
PIP Personal Independence Payment, funding available in the United Kingdom for disabled people to maintain independent lives, and which can be used for things like adapted motor vehicles, attendant care, and others.

post-impairment syndrome A loss of function that relates to a pre-existing disability but does not represent a progression of that disability. Medical professionals came up with this category when they noticed that people with non-progressive disabilities nonetheless described deficits in function as they aged, without a worsening of the underlying cause. For example, in the case of English sociologist Tom Shakespeare, who was born with achondroplasia — a form of restricted growth — a problem with his bones caused by the restricted growth led him to have a spinal cord injury, which caused paralysis. Shakespeare now uses a wheelchair.

 
POTS postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

profoundly deaf A medical term that means someone has a hearing loss such that a sound would have to be 91 decibels or louder for the person to hear.

program of last resort A social-assistance program that can be accessed only after all other avenues of support — public and private — have been exhausted[23]. An example is the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), which provides income assistance to disabled adults judged unable to work. What that means is that applicants must pursue all other options, such as owed child support or employment insurance, before becoming eligible. This, in turn, justifies a degree of surveillance[24] and control over recipients that otherwise would not be allowed under human rights law.

PSP progressive supranuclear palsy

PSW personal support worker, a title used in Ontario for people who help and support disabled people with activities of daily living. Although it is not a licensed profession, people generally have to complete a program of study to call themselves PSWs.

PT physiotherapy, or physiotherapist

PTSD post-traumatic stress disorder

public charge A person who relies on social assistance or government programs for support in day-to-day life (and this includes those who rely only on government health insurance or old age security). Many disabled people are denied the chance to immigrate to another country under public-charge rules.

public guardian and trustee In Canada, an official appointed to manage the personal and financial affairs of those who have been deemed incompetent to manage them on their own and who have no suitable family member or other designated person who can assume responsibility.[25]

public health A branch of medical science that monitors the health of populations rather than of individuals.

PWA people with AIDS.

PWD people with disabilities, person with a disability.

PWLC people with Long COVID, people living with Long COVID.

pwME people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).
quadriplegia or tetraplegia Paralysis of all four limbs.

R

r*****ed See Language, Words to avoid at all costs.

RA rheumatoid arthritis.

randomized controlled trial Generally considered the gold standard of evidence-based medicine, an RCT is a scientific study in which one group receives a treatment and the other group receives placebo, and neither doctors nor patients know which is which. Its prominence can cause problems when something cannot be tested through a randomized controlled trial as it would be unethical to do so.

RBT registered behaviour technician, an ABA practitioner who works directly with a child to implement the ABA program for the child.

RD registered dietitian (distinct from nutritionist).

RDSP Registered Disability Savings Plan, an account that allows qualifying disabled people and their families to save and invest for their old age without running afoul of the asset limits imposed on income-assistance programs in Canada.

respirator Either a device meant to assist those who cannot breathe independently or a respirator mask that protects against noxious substances or airborne pathogens.

retirement home Generally used to mean a home for older adults that does not provide medical care or support with activities of daily living. Can sometimes be used to mean any long-term care home that admits older adults, often 65 or older.

RN registered nurse.

RPN registered practical nurse, also known as an LPN.

RSW registered social worker, a social worker who is qualified and registered with the college of social workers where they practice. Requires a university degree (the BSW or Bachelor of Social Work, sometimes followed by an MSW or Master of Social Work), successfully passing an exam, and keeping up with the requirements and licensing fees required to maintain a licence.

RT respiratory therapist, or recreational therapist.

S

school exclusion When a child is sent home from or told not to come to school because of disability.

SCI spinal cord injury (not chord).

scrounger See Language, Words to avoid[26].

 
self-advocate, self-advocacy A disabled person who argues for meeting their own access needs in a way that suits them, rather than letting others decide for them, or the practice of doing so. Self-advocacy is something one does for oneself. Journalists should note that these terms are inaccurate to describe someone who takes a volunteer or professional disability advocacy role on behalf of others, even if the person has the same disability as those they serve. Advocating for others is called “advocacy.” Self-advocacy is also not appropriate to describe what happens when the disabled person is the decision-maker. Misusing the term can be a problem in two ways: (1) it could allow disabled people to frame themselves as having less power than they really do, and (2) it can be used to frame disabled people’s authority and expertise as illegitimate. Avoid using “self-advocate” as a synonym for “disabled person.”

SEN special educational needs, an acronym used in the UK for students who have been designated as needing accommodations for their disabilities.

sheltered workshop A setting where intellectually disabled people work at jobs that are often repetitive, could be automated, or may not need to be done at all, for wages that are far below the minimum. Advocates of these workshops say they give people the structure, routine, and accomplishment of having a job, while their critics argue that no other group would be paid so poorly and that the programs exploit people.

SI self-injury, a symptom of some psychiatric and developmental disorders.

sign or visual language A formal language that uses the hands and the face to communicate. For many people around the world, a sign or visual language is their first language. When sign language was first popularized and codified in France and then brought to the United States, educators would refer to “the natural language of sign,” having observed that sign language tended to appear naturally whenever deaf children got together; as well as receiving instructions from adults, the children would teach it to one another. Although sign languages are generally related, they are not all the same, and they are not merely a system of gestures or a pidgin. The primary sign languages used in Canada are American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ). Additionally, there are Indigenous sign languages used in Canada.

 
Sign-language interpreter Someone who helps hearing people and deaf people communicate with one another by interpreting between an oral or spoken language and a visual or sign language. Generally, a sign language interpreter must be professionally qualified.

Signed English A system of language instruction used in some classrooms where English is spoken by the majority in the class. Signed English combines sign language with English word endings and finger-spelling. Its aim is to teach deaf children the grammar and syntax of English, which differs significantly from most signed languages. Signed English is not an actual sign language and is not generally used outside deaf and hearing-integrated schools that use ASL, British Sign Language, Australian Sign Language, or New Zealand Sign Language.

SLP speech-language pathologist.

SMA spinal muscular atrophy.

SNF skilled nursing facility, a facility that is not a hospital but nonetheless has nursing care available. Generally used in the US where Canada would use long-term care (LTC).

SPD sensory processing disorder.

special interest In neurodivergent communities, describes the interests that autistic and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) people have, on which they will focus to the exclusion of all else[27].

 
special needs Euphemism for disabled. Avoid, especially when used as a noun. See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

special, our special kids, special people, specially abled, special angels, god’s special angels, angels See Language, Synonyms to avoid.[28].

 
spinal cord injury Trauma to the spinal cord, usually resulting in partial or complete paralysis of the area affected and below.

spoonie, spoon theory, spoons Originally developed by Christine Miserandino to illustrate her experience of lupus, the spoon metaphor has since been adopted by many in the disability and chronic-illness communities. Miserandino formulated the theory when she went out for lunch with a friend who asked her what it was really like to live with lupus. In response, she collected all the spoons at their table and walked her friend through a typical day, subtracting a spoon for each activity that used some of her energy. The friend realized that she herself would not even be able to get through her regular morning routine without using most of the limited spoons for the day — and that just trying to power through would mean losing spoons for the next day. People in chronic-illness communities often refer to themselves as “spoonies” or make references to the number of spoons they have for the day or for a particular task. The concept can be controversial, especially when used by people who do not have energy-limiting illnesses as a way to describe the general fatigue of life. It is generally an in-group term and will not necessarily be familiar to the general public.

SSDI Social Security Disability Insurance, a benefit granted in the US to people who are or become disabled, who have a work history and can no longer work.

SSI Supplemental Security Income, a disability benefit given to disabled people or older people in the US with very limited income and resources.

SSW social service worker, a designation used in Ontario and elsewhere for those who work in social services, but are not registered social workers. Generally, you have to take a diploma to be allowed to hold this designation.

SUD substance use disorder.

T

the accessibility community: Disabled people See Language, Words that no one asked for.
those with underlying conditions. See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

total institution A term used by sociologist Erving Goffman[29] to describe residential institutions that regulate every aspect of residents’ lives. A total institution is separated from the outside world and regulates meal times, the foods it serves, and the manner of living, style of dress, and activities done by residents of the institution. Prisons are total institutions, but so are boarding schools and long-term care facilities.

 
TTY teletypewriter, a device used by deaf, Deaf and hard of hearing people, as well as those who have difficulty being understood in speech, to communicate on the phone with hearing people.

V

victim See Language, Words to avoid.

vulnerable See Language, Synonyms to avoid.

W

warrior, fighter See Language, Words that no one asked for.

worker In the context of disability, can mean (1) a registered social worker, (2) a support worker, such as a personal support worker (PSW) or developmental services worker (DSW) or personal care attendant, or (3) a caseworker or case manager, who has authority over a disabled person’s “file” and can make decisions about their lives. Sometimes, the term “worker” can function as a way to make someone sound more qualified, official, or expert than they really are (an ODSP caseworker, for example, does not need to be qualified in social work, but referring to them as “workers”[30] puts them on an equal footing with trained and registered social workers, who are also referred to as “workers.”). If someone refers to a disabled person’s “worker” — for example, as a source — a good practice for journalists is to determine what kind of worker is being referred to, how much power they have over the disabled person, and what qualifies the worker to hold that power.

Z

zebra Inspired by the common medical saying “when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras,” it’s a slang term used by and about those with rare disorders, particularly people who struggled to receive a diagnosis. (The working title of House, the TV series about medical detective Dr. Gregory House, was Chasing Zebras, Circling the Drain.) Not generally used in formal medical settings.