Talking about disability - words to use and words not to use

Hi, my name is Emma and today we are going to talk about a very important topic.

We're going to do a vocabulary lesson on disability.

So what is a disability?

Well, a disability is a physical or mental impairment that limits a person, so it's a

limitation that can limit a person in one or more major life activities.

So pretty much, the reason why we need to talk about disability is because currently

in the world, according to the World Health Organization, there are over 1 billion people

who have a disability.

So that's a large number, that's about 15% of the world's population.

So you may have a friend who has a disability, maybe your parents have a disability, there

might be a family member or friend of yours who has a disability, or you yourself might

have a disability.

So in Western culture, in North America especially, the way we talk about disability has changed

over the years.

People are very sensitive when they talk about disability, so you need to be careful of the

words you use, because you don't want to offend someone.

Now one thing to note about the language we use when we talk about disability is that

it's constantly changing.

So what might have been acceptable 40 years ago is no longer acceptable today.

So you constantly have to look and see if these words are still the acceptable words,

but currently, as of now, these are the best ways to talk about disability.

Okay, so let's get started.

So I already told you what a disability is.

I have a list here of acceptable words, so those are okay to use.

I have examples using those words, and then I have unacceptable words.

So these are words you should not use.

If you use these words, you will probably offend somebody.

This is also very important if you work in business, because you really have to be careful

with the way you talk to your clientele.

You definitely do not want to use any of these words.

All right, so let's get started.

So when we talk about disability, we refer to the person with the disability as a person

with a disability, or we can also use the adjective "disabled."

So for example, 15% of the world's population has a disability.

So in this case, disability is a noun.

Now when we talk about disability, it's good to always think people first.

So instead of defining somebody by their disability, it's good to use the person first with a

blank.

That's always a good general rule.

So 15% of the world's population has a disability.

You could also say 15% of the world's population is disabled.

Now what are words you shouldn't use?

Handicapped.

This used to be a popular word, but it's no longer in use.

Cripple.

That is a very offensive word.

And special.

I don't know if you've ever heard that.

It's a euphemism that is also no longer used.

Okay, next we have types of disabilities.

So one type of disability is to be blind.

What does this mean?

It means you can't see.

So blind people, their sense of sight has been affected.

So blind is an adjective.

Like I said before, you could also say a person with blindness.

Now the thing about blindness is there are different levels.

Some people are completely blind.

For them, you would use this.

Other people are sort of on a range.

They can see a little bit, but they have vision problems.

So this is what we refer to as visually impaired.

So this is an adjective again.

So somebody who is visually impaired can see a little, but they can't see perfectly.

They have some problem with their vision.

So for example, my aunt is visually impaired.

If my aunt was blind, I could say my aunt is blind.

Now unacceptable words is when we talk about a group of people who are blind, you shouldn't

call them the blind.

So groups of people who are blind don't call the blind.

You call them people who are blind.

So when you refer to them as a group, refer to them as people who are blind.

Next deaf.

So someone who is deaf cannot hear.

They have hearing problems.

Again, just like blindness, there are different degrees.

So some people cannot hear a thing.

They are born deaf.

Other people can hear a little bit, but have hearing problems.

These people are called hearing impaired.

So the hearing impaired, or you could say they have a hearing impairment.

She is hearing impaired.

She has a hearing impairment.

What you shouldn't use, again, just like you shouldn't use the blind when you're talking

about a group of blind people, you shouldn't call a group of deaf people the deaf.

Instead, it's better to say people who are deaf.

All right.

So now we're going to talk about a couple other disabilities.

Mobility disability.

What does mobility disability mean?

Well, mobility has to do with movement.

A mobility disability, therefore, means you have problems with movement.

So for example, some people, when they're born, they can't use their legs.

This would be a mobility disability.

Other people who use wheelchairs, they usually have a mobility disability.

They can't walk.

Sometimes people are in car accidents, and they become paraplegic.

They have a mobility disability.

So let's look at some examples.

Stephen Hawking, a famous scientist, has a mobility disability.

He uses a wheelchair.

So when we talk about wheelchairs, this is another important point.

We don't say someone is wheelchair-bound.

Never say that.

We say, or confined to a wheelchair.

We say somebody uses a wheelchair.

So Stephen Hawking uses a wheelchair because he has a mobility disability.

Now what are some unacceptable words?

So words you shouldn't use.

Deformed.

That is a very offensive word you shouldn't use.

Lame.

Mamed.

These are three words you really should not use.

It will have repercussions, the consequences, if you use these words.

Next, developmentally disabled, or an intellectual disability.

So somebody who is developmentally disabled usually at birth has some sort of mental limitation.

So they're born with some sort of mental problem.

Same with an intellectual disability.

Sometimes that's a learning disability.

You have problems when it comes to learning.

So let's look at some examples.

Examples of developmentally disabled kids need more support.

So developmentally disabled, this is an adjective.

Anytime we use the word disabled, it's going to be an adjective.

While disability is a noun.

So you are disabled.

You have a disability.

Now here are some unacceptable words.

You might hear them in pop culture references, so sometimes you might hear them in movies,

in comedies, but they are offensive.

So if you use them, some people might get offended.

The first one is retarded.

The second one is mentally challenged.

So try to avoid using these words.

Developmental disability is a lot better.

Finally, we have non-vocal person, or sorry, non-vocal, comma, or a person who is non-verbal.

So what do I mean by this?

Somebody who is non-vocal can't talk.

Sometimes this is because they are deaf and they can't hear as well.

Other times it might be some sort of psychological illness or some sort of developmental disability

as well.

So an example, Helen Keller was non-vocal, or Helen Keller was non-verbal.

Both are correct.

What you should not use is mute or dumb.

These are outdated terms that people don't use anymore, and they are also offensive.

Learning disability.

So there are many different types of learning disabilities.

What is a learning disability?

Well it's some sort of limitation or additional challenge that makes it difficult to learn

in some way.

So for some people, this might be dyslexia, where they have problems reading words on

a piece of paper.

For other people, it might be dyscalculia, where they have problems learning math.

So as an example, a lot of people don't know this, but Tom Cruise has a learning disability.

He's dyslexic.

He has a learning disability.

So words we no longer use when we talk about learning disabilities are slow and special.

We don't say, "Oh, Tom Cruise is slow," when we're talking about his ability to learn.

You might say that when you're talking about how he walks, but when it comes to talking

about learning, you don't say, "Somebody is slow."

You also don't say, "Somebody is special," like I said earlier.

Last but not least, mental illness and psychiatric disabilities.

So both of these are nouns, and as I said before, you can turn any of these nouns of

disability into adjectives.

You could say "disabled."

So somebody who has a mental illness or a psychiatric disability, they're the same thing,

has some sort of mental health issue.

So in the past, we used to use terms like "crazy," "insane," "lunatic," "mental."

We don't use those when we're talking about somebody who has a mental health issue anymore.

So instead, we use "psychiatric disability" or "mental illness."

Van Gogh, who was a famous painter, had a psychiatric disability.

I think he had schizophrenia.

So a psychiatric disability.

So again, these words, oftentimes we use them in slang.

So we might say, "Oh, that's insane," or, "That's crazy."

That's okay.

You can use them in slang, but don't call somebody who actually has a disability "crazy,"

"insane," "lunatic," or "mental."

All right, well, again, I want to stress the importance of these words because if you call

somebody "crazy," if you call somebody "retarded," "slow," if you call somebody "dumb," "stupid,"

it's very, very offensive, and it could get you in trouble at work.

So in the West, we are very sensitive when it comes to talking about disability.

So you have to be careful with the words you use.

So if you would like to learn more about this or to practice these terms in our quiz, come

visit us at www.engvid.com.

Until next time.