Person First Language
Person First Language puts the person before their disability. It describes what a person has, not who a person is.
Person First Phrases
Examples of PFL include:
“individuals with disabilities”
“a child with Down syndrome”
“a person with Alzheimer’s disease”
Disability Language
“Intellectual and developmental disability” has replaced “mental retardation” as the appropriate term.
Preferred Language
“Down syndrome” is preferred over “Down’s syndrome”
Avoid saying “Down’s child” or “Down’s”
“Down syndrome is a condition or a syndrome, not a disease. People ‘have’ Down syndrome, they do not ‘suffer from’ it. – NDSS
