Avenues - Language of Disability Quiz

Write ‘yes’ to indicate terms and phrases you feel are acceptable and ‘no’ to indicate those you feel are not.

______ a psychiatric disability
______ a congenital disability
______ a person with a deformity
______ a person who has a speech impairment
______ a person with a congenital disability
______ a person who has fits
______ a person who has had a disability since birth
______ a person who has seizures
______ a person who is deaf
______ able-bodied person
______ abnormal
______ afflicted
______ bed-ridden
______ birth defect
______ confined to a wheelchair
______ congenital defect
______ crazy
______ crippled
______ deaf mute
______ deaf person
______ deformed
______ differently-abled
______ disability community
______ disfigured
______ disability
______ disabled people
______ feebleminded
______ handicapped
______ had polio
______ has an emotional disability
______ has cerebral palsy
______ idiot
______ imbecile
______ invalid
______ is afflicted with
______ is arthritic
______ is cerebral palsied
______ less fortunate
______ lives with a disability
______ maimed
______ midget
______ moron
______ multiple sclerosis
______ mute
______ non-verbal
______ normal person
______ palsied
______ people of short stature
______ person who overcame a disability
______ person with a disability
______ person without a disability 
______ physically challenged
______ polio victim
______ retard
______ retarded
______ spastic
______ spaz
______ special people
______ stroke patient
______ suffers from
______ unhealthy
______ victim of cerebral palsy
______ wheelchair bound
______ wheelchair user

* What is considered appropriate terminology tends to differ among disability rights groups and elsewhere within the disability community. Preferred terms also change over time. These suggested answers are open to continuing debate.

Answers to the Language of Disability Quiz*

Y  a psychiatric disability
Y  a congenital disability
N  a person with a deformity
Y  a person who has a speech impairment
Y  a person with a congenital disability
N  a person who has fits
Y  a person who has had a disability since birth
Y  a person who has seizures
Y  a person who is deaf
N  able-bodied person
N  abnormal
N  afflicted
N  bed-ridden
N  birth defect
N  confined to a wheelchair
N  congenital defect
N  crazy
N  crippled
N  deaf mute
N  deaf person
N  deformed
N  differently-abled
Y  disability community
N  disfigured
Y  disability
N  disabled people
N  feebleminded
N  handicapped
Y  had polio
Y  has an emotional disability
Y  has cerebral palsy
N  idiot
N  imbecile
N  invalid
N  is afflicted with
N  is arthritic
N  is cerebral palsied
N  less fortunate
Y  lives with a disability
N  maimed
N  midget
N  moron
Y  multiple sclerosis
N  mute
Y  non-verbal
N  normal person
N  palsied
Y  people of short stature
N  person who overcame a disability
Y  person with a disability
Y  person without a disability 
N  physically challenged
N  polio victim
N  retard
N  retarded
N  spastic
N  spaz
N  special people
N  stroke patient
N  suffers from
N  unhealthy
N  victim of cerebral palsy
N  wheelchair bound
Y  wheelchair user

* What is considered appropriate terminology tends to differ among disability rights groups and elsewhere within the disability community. Preferred terms also change over time. These answers are open to continuing debate.