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 |
