Inclusive Language in Dietetics: Disability

Natalie Hamilton (she/they)

As current or future health care professionals, it is inevitable that we will work with people who have disabilities. Using respectful and inclusive language when talking to or referring to individuals, groups and/or populations is required in order to reduce the harm that folks experience within our healthcare system.

What is inclusive language?
Inclusive language is language that makes people feel included and respected. It is inclusive of people’s race or ethnicity, sexuality, gender, age, body size, ability and socioeconomic status.

Why is learning about inclusive language for disabilities important?

The use of exclusive, harmful or disrespectful language can be classified as a form of ableism, and can reflect our society’s negative attitudes, stereotypes, and stigma about people with disabilities.

Consider having to spend your life explaining to others why the words that are used to describe yourself or a loved one are hurtful and offensive. Consider the toll that it would take on someone who continually experiences this.

Important reminders before we get started:

• It is important to ASK individuals what language THEY would like to be used to describe their disability and whether they want their disability to be referred to and/or disclosed to others.

  • If someone is comfortable disclosing about their disability to you, it is important that you respect their individual preferences and comfort levels.

• Not all disabilities are visible.

What is disability?

There are 2 primary ways to view disability:

Biomedical Approach	Social Approach
​Views disability as a medical or health problem that prevents or reduces a person’s ability to participate fully in society.	Views disability as a natural part of society, where attitudes, stigma, and prejudices present barriers to people with disabilities and prevent or hinder their participation in mainstream society.

Healthcare professionals should always consider multiple perspectives in their view of disability: the biomedical changes or variation, the sociopolitical context, as well as each client's history, stated needs and goals.

Prevalence of Disability: It is estimated that there are roughly 4.4 million Canadian children and adults with disabilities, which means that around 1 in 7 Canadians have a disability.

How to talk about disability:

There are two primary ways that disability can be addressed. There is no agreement regarding which way is the most respectful, as it depends on personal preference.

Using both styes interchangeably* has been suggested as one way to acknowledge and respect the different preferences of individuals in this incredible diverse population.

*until you are able to ask someone their individual preference

Which form is used can also depend on the condition.

• For mental health disorders, using person-first language is generally recommended. For example: a person with schizophrenia (not schizophrenic) or person with bipolar disorder (not a bipolar person).

• For clear diseases such as diabetes or epilepsy, person-first language is also generally recommended. For example: a person with diabetes, a child with epilepsy.

People-first Language	Identity-first Language
​Putting the person first: “People with Disability” This form is used to help reduce the dehumanization of disability. This form is also used to prevent essentializing a person with a disability as only being their disability.	“Disabled people.” This form is used as a way to celebrate disability pride and identity or because some folks prefer this style.

Examples of using People-first Language	Examples of using Identity-first Language
Person with disability Person with autism* Person who is deaf	​Disabled person Autistic person* Deaf person

*Many people with autism do not consider it to be a disability, but rather view it as a different way of thinking and experiencing the world.

This is another example of how the experience of disability is different for each individual and how healthcare providers should make sure they ask about individual preferences and experiences.

Exclusive Language & Commonly Used Terms vs Inclusive Language

• Note: this is not a comprehensive list, and again, folks will have their own individual preferences.

Exclusive & Commonly Used	Inclusive & Preferred Language
Able-bodied, normal, healthy, typical. Referring to someone who doesn’t have a disability as normal implies that people with disabilities are abnormal or odd.	Non-disabled, person without disability
Addict, alcoholic, junkie, user	Person who uses drugs/alcohol.
Differently-abled, special, gifted, people of all abilities, handicap, handicapped, Using differently abled can come across as condescending or offensive, even if well-meaning.	Person with disability, disabled person.
Special needs	Functional needs
Suffer from, afflicted by, stricken by, troubled with,	Have a disability.
Confined/restricted to a wheelchair, wheelchair-bound,	Wheelchair user, person who uses a wheelchair, person with a mobility disability, person using a mobility device
Defect, defective	​Person with a congenital disability
Brain-damaged	Person with a brain injury.
Slow, intellectually challenged, mentally handicapped.	Person with an intellectual disability Person with an intellectual impairment
Deaf	​Use “deaf and hard of hearing community” when referring to the community of people with all kinds of hearing loss.
Blind	​Use “blind” for someone who has complete loss of sight. Use “legally blind” for someone who has almost complete loss of sight. Use “limited vision,” “low vision,” “partially sighted,” “visually impaired” for someone who is neither legally or completely blind.

Key principles of respect:

• Don’t use condescending substitutes. Terms like differently-abled or challenged allow one to shy away from mentioning disability, which can reinforce the idea that disabilities are something to be ashamed of.

• Don’t use offensive language as a joke. Don’t use terms such as mad, crazy, freak, and psycho when someone does something silly, thoughtless, dangerous etc.

I hope that this overview and explanation of inclusive language for disabilities is helpful as you start or continue the process of making changes in the language you use. Remember, language matters. Using inclusive language is an important step towards making Dietetics more inclusive and respectful towards those with disabilities.

I urge you to continue your learning by checking out the following websites, to learn from first-person accounts of disability.

Disability Visibility Project: https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/

Sins Invalid: What is Disability Justice? https://www.sinsinvalid.org/news-1/2020/6/16/what-is-disability-justice

References:

Disability inclusive language guidelines : Annex I. Disability Inclusive Language Guidelines : Annex I | UN GENEVA. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2022, from https://www.ungeneva.org/en/disability-inclusive-language/annex-i

Disability Language Guide . (2019, July). Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://disability.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj1401/f/disability-language-guide-stanford.pdf

Government of Canada. (2013, August 5). Federal Disability Reference Guide. Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disability/arc/reference-guide.html

Government of Canada. (2021, July 19). Stigma: Why Words Matter. Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/stigma-why-words-matter-fact-sheet.html

Haelle, T. (2019, July 31). Identity-first vs. person-first language is an important distinction. Association of Health Care Journalists. Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2019/07/identity-first-vs-person-first-language-is-an-important-distinction/

Inclusive nutrition for children and adults with disabilities. . The Lancet. (2013, August 13). Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(13)70056-1/fulltext

Is autism a disability? The Spectrum. (2019, November 8). Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://thespectrum.org.au/autism-faq/is-autism-a-disability/

Types of disabilities. Canadian Disability Benefits. (2016, March 6). Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://canadiandisabilitybenefits.ca/types-of-disabilities/

What is disability? Ontario Human Rights Commission. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-ableism-and-discrimination-based-disability/2-what-disability