ableist language

[ ey-buhl-ist lang-gwij ]

noun

1. words and phrases that devalue disabled people by using disability language or historical descriptions of disabilities as an insult:

   You can make many small changes to minimize ableist language in your vocabulary, like saying a trend is “uncool” rather than calling it “lame.”

2. language that treats disability as something to be pitied or disabled people as inspirational when overcoming a disability:

   Ableist language frames people who have a disability as “afflicted with” or “suffering from” it, but they are simply people “with” a condition or illness that nondisabled people don’t have.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ableist language¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

Even using language and words like “stupid,” “insane,” “crazy,” “lame” or “dumb,” unknowingly or not, is participation in ableist language, The Harvard Business Review reported.

From Salon

But also, ableism is so much larger than just the language people use; ableist language reveals to us our unconscious biases and our attitudes towards people with disabilities or disabilities in general.

From Salon

Gone are the misguided Asian jokes, the sizeism slander, the ableist language and the whole pedophilia plot.

From Los Angeles Times

"Usually I pay attention to the character or characters the editor or the author asks me to read for, but I also look at the whole novel or nonfiction work and make suggestions to replace ableist language or phrases," Ameen says.

From Salon

In scientific papers and commentaries published in recent months, some have decried ableist language among their colleagues whereas others have defended traditional terminology—with both sides saying they have the best interests of autistic people in mind.

From Science Magazine